Sunday 15 November 2026
Christmas market season is here, and many of the UK’s best are already open. From the honey-coloured streets of Bath and the medieval lanes of York to Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, Birmingham’s Frankfurt Christmas Market, Manchester and Edinburgh, there’s a festive market within reach wherever you live. We’ve rounded up the best of 2026 with dates, locations and tips, grouped into five festive trips. Entry to the markets is free unless we say otherwise.
1. Bath, Winchester and Bristol
Bath Christmas Market (Thursday 26 November to Sunday 13 December 2026) is one of the most famous in the country, with chalets winding through the Georgian streets around Bath Abbey. This year there are 245 traders, including 61 first-time traders, and 80% are from the South West, so it’s brilliant for local gifts, food and drink. For the first time some chalets are on New Bond Street too. It’s open Monday to Wednesday 10am–7pm, Thursday to Saturday 10am–8pm and Sunday 10am–6pm, and it’s busiest on Saturdays. Bath on Ice in Royal Victoria Park adds skating. Closer to Surrey, Winchester Cathedral Christmas Market (Friday 20 November to Tuesday 22 December) sets wooden chalets against the Gothic cathedral, while Bristol‘s market runs from 6 November to 23 December.
2. London’s Festive Markets
The biggest of them all is Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, which opens on Thursday 19 November 2026 and runs for six weeks until Sunday 3 January 2027, every day except Christmas Day. It’s more of a festive theme park than a market, with more than 100 wooden stalls alongside rides and attractions. For something calmer, the Southbank Centre Winter Market was first to open on 2 November, with chalets along the Thames and views of the London Eye; it closes on 25 and 31 December. Christmas in Leicester Square brings chalets around the Shakespeare fountain in the heart of the West End from 18 November, and Old Spitalfields hosts a Christmas market from 11 November to 24 December. Weekday afternoons are the quietest time to visit.
3. Birmingham and Manchester
Birmingham’s Frankfurt Christmas Market was the first big city market to open, on 5 November, and runs until Thursday 24 December 2026 across Victoria Square and New Street. It’s the place for German classics, and it’s open Monday to Thursday 11am–9pm, Friday 11am–9.30pm, Saturday 10am–9.30pm and Sunday 10am–9pm. Manchester Christmas Markets run from 6 November to 22 December, spread across around ten sites including Albert Square, Cathedral Gardens, Exchange Square, the Corn Exchange, St Ann’s Square, King Street and Piccadilly Gardens. Albert Square and Cathedral Gardens stay open until 3 January 2027, and Time Out has previously named Manchester’s the second-best Christmas market in Europe. It’s ideal for a day of market-hopping.
4. York, Chester, Liverpool and Leeds
York’s Christmas market, known as the St Nicholas Fair, runs from Thursday 12 November to Monday 21 December 2026, filling Parliament Street and St Sampson’s Square with alpine chalets, with the famous Shambles close by. It’s closed on Tuesdays, and Park and Ride is much easier than driving into the old town in December. Chester‘s market runs from 18 November to 22 December among the city’s historic streets, while Liverpool Christmas Market on St George’s Hall plateau runs from 21 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, with craft beer bars among the stalls. Food lovers should also try Leeds Christmas Market (19 November to 23 December), which is known for its local street food.
5. Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast
Edinburgh’s Christmas runs from 14 November 2026 to 3 January 2027 across East and West Princes Street Gardens, George Street and St Andrew Square, with the castle on the hill above, and it’s perfect if you fancy a festive city break that stretches into Hogmanay. In Wales, Cardiff Christmas Market runs from 12 November to 23 December and is free to explore. Over in Northern Ireland, Belfast Christmas Market opened on Saturday 14 November and runs until Tuesday 22 December 2026, closing at 6pm on the final day, and it’s one of the best markets in the UK for food. Whichever you choose, book trains and hotels early for December weekends, as they fill up fast.
UK Christmas market dates 2026
Bath: 26 November – 13 December
Winchester Cathedral: 20 November – 22 December
Bristol: 6 November – 23 December
Hyde Park Winter Wonderland: 19 November – 3 January 2027
Southbank Centre Winter Market: from 2 November
Christmas in Leicester Square: from 18 November
Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market: 5 November – 24 December
Manchester: 6 November – 22 December (Albert Square and Cathedral Gardens to 3 January 2027)
York St Nicholas Fair: 12 November – 21 December (closed Tuesdays)
Chester: 18 November – 22 December
Liverpool: 21 November – 3 January 2027
Leeds: 19 November – 23 December
Edinburgh: 14 November – 3 January 2027
Cardiff: 12 November – 23 December
Belfast: 14 November – 22 December
Opening times can vary, so check the official websites before you travel.
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