Christmas market for charity in Belgium: stall or market

Running a stall or a charity Christmas market in Belgium: the municipality, raffle, tax certificate, a six-week plan and online fundraising alongside.

In short For a charity Christmas market in Belgium, start with the municipality: pitch, electricity and the police regulation depend on it. A raffle without a permit stays limited to €5 a ticket and 1,000 tickets. Stall sales do not entitle anyone to a tax certificate. Allow six weeks and an online donation page.

this article describes the rules in Belgium.

A Christmas stall keeps an association in view for a few days and makes it visible in the neighbourhood. Here is how to choose your format, check with the municipality what needs checking and carry the campaign on online, without promising what the law does not confirm.

Stall or full market: which format should you choose?

A stall in an existing market needs little logistics: the municipality or the organiser arranges the spot and you bring the team. A full market gives more visibility, but needs exhibitors, security and insurance.

  • Stall: 5 to 10 volunteers in rotation, a table, a cash box and two or three flagship products.
  • The association's own market: 10 to 20 exhibitors, a hall or courtyard, three or four hours open.
  • A small sale at your own premises: the simplest, useful for testing before you aim bigger.

To compare other formats, read our Christmas campaign ideas for an association in Belgium.

What permission do you ask the municipality for?

There is no central rule for Christmas markets: pitch, table and electricity are arranged municipality by municipality, as use of the public domain. Contact the relevant department of your municipality several weeks before the date.

On the public highway, the municipality applies its police regulation. In Namur, for example, use of public space needs a separate application. The rule in your municipality may differ: ask in writing what applies to your stall.

If you also want to collect door to door, that is a different framework. A royal decree of 1823 requires prior authorisation from the municipal executive (collège communal), and the collector must be able to show a copy. Namur asks, among other things, for an ASBL (the French-language name for a vzw, a Belgian non-profit association) that has existed for at least five years, the purpose of the collection and the accounts of the last two years.

Can you hold a raffle at your stall?

Yes, but within strict limits. Without a permit, an association recognised by the municipal executive may hold up to four raffles a year, within the municipality, for a social or charitable purpose.

  • A maximum of €5 per ticket and 1,000 tickets per raffle.
  • Prizes in kind only, with a commercial value of at most €500, donated prizes included.
  • At least 70% of the takings for the cause, 30% at most for expenses.

Beyond those limits you need the municipal executive's authorisation. Selling tickets online or in several provinces falls under the National Lottery: allow at least 13 weeks before the announcement. What the municipality requires to "recognise" an association varies, and we cannot confirm it for your municipality. Also avoid a "Christmas bingo": bingo falls under the Gambling Commission.

What do you sell, and what about the tax deduction?

What is sold at a stall (biscuits, candles, cards) is a purchase with something in return: it does not give rise to a tax certificate. Only pure gifts, with nothing in return, can do so, and only if your association is recognised.

For donors to a recognised association, the tax reduction is 30% of the amount on the certificate for gifts since 1 January 2025 (previously 45%). The minimum is €40 per year and per institution, and the gift must be paid by 31 December at the latest to count for that year (inferred from the annual rule: confirm it with FPS Finance). Collective collections, membership fees with something in return and gifts passed on to other organisations do not entitle anyone to the certificate.

Not sure your association is recognised? Promise nothing: ask FPS Finance. The official pages give conflicting figures for the annual ceiling on a deductible gift, so we leave it out.

A six-week plan

Six weeks are enough for a stall, eight to ten for a full market. Here is a realistic calendar, to adapt to your team.

  1. Six weeks before: fix the date, goal and budget, then write to the municipality.
  2. Four weeks before: recruit 5 to 10 volunteers, find the prizes and products.
  3. Three weeks before: publish the donation page and tell your contacts, with their consent.
  4. One week before: rehearse the set-up, plan the cash box and change.
  5. After the event: thank people within two days, announce the total and send the certificates in March or April if you are entitled to them.

For the step-by-step detail, follow our guide to organising a Christmas campaign in Belgium.

How to do it with WeGlow.world

A market lasts an afternoon, but your supporters are scattered. An online donation page lets those who could not come take part, and lets your visitors extend their gesture. WeGlow.world helps you set it up in three steps: amount, details, overview. It accepts one-off and monthly gifts, works on a phone and is easy to share.

Your supporters can also start their own action page for your market: a volunteer, a shopkeeper or a class collects for you among their circle. You can save a thank-you text that is sent after every gift. If your association is recognised, tax certificates go out with one click to all the donors concerned. You start for free, with an account on weglow.world.

For the festive side, we are preparing four Christmas experiences, still a concept until the official launch. In the Card Wall, every gift becomes a card with a stamp, hung from an envelope on a string. In the Glow Room, a 3D living room, every gift adds a decoration to the tree. Also discover the Starry Sky and the Gift Yard on the Christmas portal. Ready to start? Create your account, or contact the team.

Frequently asked questions

Five questions come up most often among associations preparing a Christmas stall or market.

Do you need permission to run a Christmas stall?

There is no central rule for Christmas markets: pitch and electricity are arranged by municipality. Ask your municipality in writing, several weeks before the date, what applies to your stall.

Is a Christmas raffle allowed without applying?

Yes, for an association recognised by the municipal executive, within these limits: €5 a ticket, 1,000 tickets, prizes in kind of at most €500, at least 70% for the cause, four times a year. Beyond that, ask for the municipal executive's authorisation.

Does the profit from a stall entitle anyone to a tax certificate?

No, a sale is a purchase with something in return, and the proceeds of a collective collection do not entitle anyone to the certificate. Only an individual gift with nothing in return, of at least €40 a year to a recognised institution, opens the 30% reduction.

Can I sell raffle tickets online?

Without the National Lottery's agreement, it is better to refrain: online sales fall under a separate regime, with a file to be submitted at least 13 weeks before the announcement. For a neighbourhood stall, stay on site, with paper tickets.

Can I email my donors to announce the market?

Assume you need prior consent for any fundraising email, with an unsubscribe link in every message. The "soft opt-in" exception is tied to the sale of a product or service: we could not confirm that a gift falls under it.

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