The UK does Christmas markets and festive events exceptionally well. From early November, towns and cities fill with wooden chalets, mulled wine, ice rinks and light trails, and the season now runs into the New Year. Here is our guide to the best Christmas markets and events for 2026, with every date checked against the organisers' own announcements, plus the grottos, pantos and party nights you can book on tickts.
Birmingham: 5 November to 24 December. Manchester: 6 November to 22 December. York: 12 November to 21 December (closed Tuesdays). Edinburgh: 14 November to 3 January. Belfast: 14 November to 22 December. Leeds: 19 November to 23 December. Winchester: 20 November to 22 December. Bath: 26 November to 13 December.
The biggest Christmas markets
Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market
Birmingham's Frankfurt Christmas Market is the largest German-style Christmas market in the UK, with traditional German food, Glühwein and handmade gifts along Victoria Square and New Street. In 2026 it runs from Thursday 5 November to Thursday 24 December, opening at 1pm on Remembrance Sunday (8 November). The Big Wheel and ice rink in Centenary Square run from 5 November to 3 January 2027.
Manchester Christmas Markets
Manchester spreads its markets across ten city centre locations: Albert Square, Lincoln Square (new for 2026, focused on food and drink), King Street, St Ann's Square, the Corn Exchange, Exchange Street, New Cathedral Street, Market Street, Exchange Square and Cathedral Gardens. They run from Friday 6 November to Tuesday 22 December 2026, with Albert Square and Cathedral Gardens staying open until 3 January 2027. Albert Square has a big wheel and helter-skelter, and the Skate Manchester ice rink is at Cathedral Gardens.
Edinburgh's Christmas
The Christmas market in East Princes Street Gardens, beside Waverley station and beneath the Castle, runs from 14 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, every day except Christmas Day. The market is free to enter; the big wheel and other rides are ticketed. Hours are shorter on Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, Hogmanay and New Year's Day, and on 31 December Princes Street is taken over by the ticketed Hogmanay Street Party, so visit the market earlier in the day.
Bath Christmas Market
Bath's market fills the streets around Bath Abbey with more than 170 wooden chalets focused on local and independent makers, food and crafts. In 2026 it runs from Thursday 26 November to Sunday 13 December. Entry is free with no booking, and the compact centre makes it easy to combine with the Roman Baths or the Thermae Bath Spa. Weekdays are far quieter than weekends.
Christmas events beyond the markets
Christmas at Kew
Kew's after-dark light trail through the Royal Botanic Gardens runs on selected dates from 13 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, closed on Christmas Day, with timed entry and advance booking only. Adult tickets range from about £29.50 on off-peak dates to £37 at peak, booking fee included, and children under four go free. There are adult-only evenings on 3 and 9 December.
Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, London
Winter Wonderland runs from Thursday 19 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027, with an ice rink, rides, circus and shows, Christmas market stalls and bars. Every visitor now needs a timed entry ticket. Entry is cheapest on off-peak weekdays in November, and you can get in free by spending £25 or more on rides, attractions or food and drink packages when booking online in advance. Peak evenings and weekends sell out.
Christmas at Chatsworth, Derbyshire
Chatsworth's 2026 theme is The Twelve Days of Christmas, told through displays inside the house and across the garden. Christmas at Chatsworth runs from 7 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, and its Christmas market, with more than 100 stalls, runs from 7 November to 13 December. The market is free, but anyone driving in needs to book a house, garden or market car park ticket before arriving.
Christmas at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire
Blenheim's Christmas runs from 13 November 2026 to 3 January 2027 with an illuminated light trail through the formal gardens and a Christmas market, which closes earlier, on 20 December. The trail is ticketed separately from a normal Palace visit and has quiet access sessions on 8 and 28 December.
Regional markets worth the journey
York: the York Christmas Market, still known to many as the St Nicholas Fair, runs along Parliament Street and into St Sampson's Square from 12 November to 21 December 2026. It closes every Tuesday, so check the day before you travel.
Winchester: the Winchester Cathedral Christmas Market is set in the Cathedral Close and runs for 33 days, from 20 November to 22 December 2026, with a British crafts village alongside the food and drink. Entry is free.
Leeds: the Leeds Christmas Market has moved to City Square and Victoria Gardens, from 19 November to 23 December 2026, while Millennium Square hosts the Ice Cube rink and funfair until 31 December.
Cardiff: Cardiff's Winter Wonderland runs from 12 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, with an undercover ice rink in the grounds of Cardiff Castle and the Big Wheel on City Hall Lawn. Entry is free and skating is booked in advance.
Belfast: Belfast Christmas Market fills the grounds of City Hall from Saturday 14 November to Tuesday 22 December 2026. Entry is free, and the city's Christmas lights are switched on the same opening evening.
Grottos, pantos and party nights
The big markets are only part of it. Much of the UK's Christmas happens closer to home: Santa's grottos at garden centres, farms and community markets, pantomimes in village halls and theatres, carol concerts, wreath-making workshops and Christmas party nights. These sell by the session and the best slots go first, so it pays to book early. You can find Christmas events listed on tickts, all with no booking fees, and the live ones are shown at the end of this guide. For pantomime, our guide to the pantomime season has more.
Tips for visiting Christmas markets and events
- Book timed tickets early: Kew, Blenheim, Winter Wonderland and grotto sessions are sold by time slot, and weekends in December go first.
- Visit midweek: weekend crowds at the big markets can be intense. Weekday daytimes are much calmer, though York's market closes on Tuesdays.
- Check closing dates: several markets close before Christmas: Bath on 13 December, Manchester, Belfast and Winchester on 22 December, Leeds on 23 December.
- Dress for the weather: you will be outside for hours, so wear layers and waterproof footwear.
- Bring a card and a little cash: almost every stall takes cards, but a few small independent traders prefer cash.
When do the UK Christmas markets open in 2026?
The first big markets open in early November: Birmingham on 5 November, Manchester on 6 November and Chatsworth on 7 November. York opens on 12 November, Edinburgh and Belfast on 14 November, Leeds on 19 November, Winchester on 20 November and Bath on 26 November.
Which UK Christmas markets stay open after Christmas?
Edinburgh's Christmas market, Manchester's Albert Square and Cathedral Gardens, Birmingham's Big Wheel and ice rink, Cardiff's Winter Wonderland and Hyde Park Winter Wonderland all stay open into the New Year, until 3 January 2027.
Running a Christmas event yourself?
If you are putting on a grotto, a Christmas fair, a carol concert or a party night, timed sessions and advance tickets let you spread visitors across the day and know your numbers before the doors open. Our guide to planning a community Christmas event walks through it, and on tickts you can list it free with no booking fee for your buyers.
