Christmas markets in London and the UK 2026: dates, opening times, entry and how to get there

In short

• Most markets open in November. Many close before Christmas, between 13 and 24 December. Some run longer, until 3 January 2027, including Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, the Southbank Centre Winter Market and Edinburgh's Christmas.
• London: Hyde Park Winter Wonderland (19 November 2026 – 3 January 2027, closed on 25 December), the Southbank Centre Winter Market (from 2 November, free entry) and the market at Battersea Power Station (5–22 December, free entry).
• Outside London: Manchester (from 6 November), Birmingham (5 November – 24 December), Edinburgh (from 14 November), Bath (26 November – 13 December), York, Cardiff, Belfast, Leeds, Winchester and other cities.
• What isn't confirmed yet: Glasgow, Kingston and some London venues haven't announced dates for 2026. Liverpool has dates only on its tourism website.
• Trains: there are no National Rail trains on 25 December, almost none on 26 December, and 28 December is the substitute bank holiday. You can't travel by train to Birmingham New Street from 24 to 28 December 2026.
• Money: entry to many markets is free, but you pay separately for food, drink and attractions. A Railcard gives you 1/3 off rail fares.
• As of October 2026. Dates, times and entry rules may change, so check the organiser's website before you travel.

Christmas markets in London

Dates, times and entry rules: as of October 2026. If the table has no information, the organiser hasn't published it yet.

Hyde Park Winter Wonderland runs from 19 November 2026 to 3 January 2027 and is closed on Friday 25 December. Tickets and attractions are described on the organiser's website. The organiser also says that the Elizabeth line doesn't run on 26 December 2026. More on tickets, attractions and getting there: Hyde Park Winter Wonderland 2026.

Southbank Centre Winter Market stands on the Thames, under Hungerford Bridge. Entry is free. The end date differs between the organiser's websites (3 or 4 January 2027), so check it before you go. Check the holiday opening times too.

Covent Garden has no separate Christmas market. The programme includes lights and artificial snow on the Piazza, and permanent markets run as usual, including the Apple Market (crafts, Tuesday to Sunday) and the East Colonnade Market (daily). The organiser hasn't published holiday opening times for these markets.

Borough Market has these holiday opening times in 2026 (the organiser says they may change): 24 December 08:00–15:00, closed on 25, 26 and 27 December, 31 December 10:00–15:00, closed on 1 January 2027. Normal hours return on Saturday 2 January 2027. On ordinary days the market is open Tuesday to Friday 10:00–17:00, Saturday 09:00–17:00 and Sunday 10:00–16:00, and closed on Mondays.

Greenwich Market is open daily, including bank holidays. It has more than 200 stalls, and crafts there cost under £15. The 2026 Christmas programme hasn't been announced. The "Christmas at Greenwich Market" page dates from 2025, so don't rely on its dates. The Royal Borough of Greenwich also hasn't yet announced 2026 dates for its Christmas huts (in Greenwich High Road, Woolwich and Eltham).

Kew has a trail of lights rather than a market. We describe it in a separate guide.

Christmas at Wembley Park runs from 23 November to 31 December 2026. The organiser has yet to announce the programme, and the description doesn't mention a market.

Christmas markets outside London

Dates, times and entry rules: as of October 2026. Where the organiser hasn't published entry rules or opening times, we've written "check with the organiser" or "—".

Manchester has the biggest layout: about 210 stalls in nine places in the centre. The full list of locations is due to be announced closer to the event. Entry is free, and you pay for food, drink and attractions. Booking is not usually needed. Many stalls charge a deposit on drinks cups, and most stalls accept cards. You can reach the centre by train, Metrolink tram or bus.

Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market stretches through Victoria Square and New Street. Its website calls it the largest authentic German market outside Germany and Austria. On Remembrance Sunday (8 November) it doesn't open until 13:00. New Street station is right next to it, but note that from Thursday 24 to Monday 28 December 2026 no trains run there (engineering works, with replacement buses). The market is open until 24 December.

Edinburgh's Christmas is spread over several places in the centre. The traditional market in East Princes Street Gardens is free. Paid attractions include the LNER Big Wheel (46 m), the Around the World Star Flyer (80 m), La Clique Noël (from 20 November) and the Polar Ice Bar (18+). The organiser hasn't published opening times or ticket prices, so check them in the ticketing section of the official website. From Edinburgh Waverley station it is about 2 minutes on foot to the entrance to East Princes Street Gardens (Waverley Bridge exit, no steps). There is no official event car park, but there are park and ride sites on the edge of the city.

Bath Christmas Market spreads its chalets along Georgian streets, with a northern zone by Milsom Street. It is shorter than the others and ends on 13 December. Bath Spa station is in the centre, a short walk from the market. There are direct trains from London Paddington and Waterloo, but there are engineering works on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 November. From Bristol Temple Meads it takes about 15 minutes. Park and ride (Lansdown and others) also runs.

York Christmas Market stands on two squares in the heart of the city. It runs from 12 November to 21 December 2026, but watch out for Tuesdays, when the market is closed. The organiser hasn't published how to get there by train.

Belfast Christmas Market is at City Hall. The lights are switched on on Saturday 14 November from 18:30 to 19:30 (a free event). Entry to the market is free. The organiser hasn't published how to get there.

Cardiff has its market on the main pedestrian streets. It is about 5 minutes on foot from Cardiff Central station.

Glasgow and Liverpool: Visit Glasgow says plainly that the markets for 2025 have ended and that the page will be updated when 2026 details are available. We give the 2025 dates in the table for orientation only. In Liverpool, the 2026 dates currently appear only on the tourism website.

Practical tips

Tickets and booking

• Entry to most street markets is free, but attractions are paid: ice rinks, big wheels, ice bars. In Edinburgh and Nottingham you buy them online.
• Where we write "check with the organiser", the official website doesn't give the entry rules. Don't assume entry is free.

Crowds

• It is usually busiest at weekends and in the evening. If you can, go on a weekday and earlier in the day.

Trains over the holidays (National Rail)

Trains between 24 December 2026 and 4 January 2027 are subject to changes (National Rail):

• 24 December (Thursday): many routes finish earlier than usual.
• 25 December (Friday): no National Rail trains.
• 26 December (Saturday): most operators don't run. A few operators have very limited services, with details still to be confirmed.
• 28 December (Monday): the substitute bank holiday for Boxing Day.
• 31 December: some routes finish earlier.
• Engineering works: Birmingham New Street, no trains 24–28 December (check with your train operator); Waterloo, reduced timetable 27–28 December; Charing Cross, 27–28 December and 1–3 January; Paddington, Dolphin Junction (Slough), 27 December – 3 January; Liverpool Street – Shenfield, no trains 27 December – 3 January (this also affects the Elizabeth line).
• London, the Tube and other lines: TfL hasn't yet published its holiday plan (as of 28 October 2026). On Christmas Day the Tube and the Elizabeth line usually run almost no services, but we don't know how it will be in 2026. The Hyde Park Winter Wonderland organiser says that the Elizabeth line doesn't run on 26 December 2026. Check the TfL website just before you travel.

Railcards

• 16-25 Railcard: 1/3 off. It costs £35 for a year or £80 for 3 years. For people aged 16–25 (and full-time students aged 26 and over). On weekdays before 10:00 a minimum fare of £12 applies (it doesn't apply to Advance tickets, weekends, public holidays, July and August).
• Two Together Railcard: 1/3 off for two people travelling together (both aged 16 or over). It costs £35 for a year (£17.50 per person). Valid from 09:30 Monday to Friday and all day at weekends and on public holidays.
• Railcard prices and rules may change, so check them on the day you buy.

Budget and payment

• Entry to many markets is free (including Southbank, Battersea, Manchester, Belfast and Winchester). You will spend money mainly on food, drink, attractions and gifts.
• We don't give attraction prices, because not every organiser has published them. Work out your budget after checking prices on the website of the market you choose.
• At Greenwich Market, crafts cost under £15.
• In Manchester most stalls accept cards, and many charge a deposit on drinks cups. For the other markets, check the payment rules with the organiser.

Check before you go

The dates, times and entry rules in this guide are as of October 2026 and may change. Before you travel, open the website of the market you're interested in and check:

• whether the dates and times have changed (especially around the holidays),
• whether the attractions need a ticket and online booking,
• how trains are running on your travel day (National Rail) and the TfL plan in London.

You will find the organisers' websites in the market names in the tables and in the sources below the article. For Glasgow, Kingston and a few places in London (Leicester Square, Greenwich), check the website regularly, because the official 2026 dates are still to appear.