--- title: "UK Christmas Markets 2026: Opening Dates for Manchester, York, Edinburgh, Bath and Six More" description: UK Christmas markets 2026 dates for Birmingham, Manchester, York, Edinburgh, Bath, Winchester, Chatsworth, Cardiff, Belfast and Hyde Park. author: Dr Marina Nani (Editor-in-Chief) date: 2026-11-06T08:00:00.056Z updated: 2026-11-06T08:00:00.069Z canonical: https://richtravelmagazine.com/article/uk-christmas-markets-2026-dates image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/pexels-29704576.webp categories: Destinations, City breaks content_type: Guide region: United Kingdom publication: Rich Travel Magazine schema_type: Article about: - type: Place name: United Kingdom --- Manchester Christmas Markets open today, Friday 6th November, one day after Birmingham switched on its Frankfurt market. Over the next three weeks the rest of Britain follows, from York and Cardiff on Thursday 12th November to Bath on Thursday 26th November. Some dates have changed this year: York now closes every Tuesday, Manchester has a new site at Lincoln Square and Bath runs for just 18 days. Every date below comes from the organisers or the official city tourism boards. Use it to pick your market, book your train and plan the day you go. ## UK Christmas Market Dates at a Glance - **Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market:** 5th November to 24th December - **Manchester Christmas Markets:** 6th November to 22nd December, with Albert Square and Cathedral Gardens open until 3rd January 2027 - **Chatsworth Christmas Market:** 7th November to 13th December - **York Christmas Market:** 12th November to 21st December, closed on Tuesdays - **Cardiff Christmas Market:** 12th November to 23rd December - **Edinburgh's Christmas Market:** 14th November 2026 to 3rd January 2027 - **Belfast Christmas Market:** 14th November to 22nd December - **Hyde Park Winter Wonderland:** 19th November 2026 to 3rd January 2027 - **Winchester Cathedral Christmas Market:** 20th November to 22nd December - **Bath Christmas Market:** 26th November to 13th December ## Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market Birmingham opened first, on Thursday 5th November, and runs until Christmas Eve. The chalets line Victoria Square and New Street, and the market is billed as the largest authentic German Christmas market outside Germany and Austria. It came from Birmingham's partner city, Frankfurt, in 1997, and many of the traders still travel over from Frankfurt each year. Monday to Thursday, you can browse from 11am to 9pm. On Remembrance Sunday, 8th November, the market opens at 1pm. Entry is free. ## Manchester Christmas Markets Manchester spreads more than 210 stalls across ten city centre sites. Most of them trade from today until Tuesday 22nd December, from 10am to 9pm. Albert Square and Cathedral Gardens stay open through the Christmas break until Sunday 3rd January 2027. Lincoln Square, next to Brazennose Street, is new for 2026 and smaller than the main sites. St Ann's Square has a new layout. Albert Square has a 50-metre Ferris wheel and a helter-skelter, and Skate Manchester returns to Cathedral Gardens. The Manchester Christmas Parade is on Sunday 6th December. ## Chatsworth Christmas Market The Derbyshire estate holds more than 100 stalls on the avenue below Chatsworth House from 7th November to 13th December. Entry to the market is free, but parking is not: if you drive without a Christmas at Chatsworth ticket, you must book a market car park ticket in advance, from £25 for the full day or £15 after 3pm. Arrive by public bus and you pay nothing. Christmas at Chatsworth, with the house decorated around The 12 Days of Christmas and a light trail in the garden, runs on until 3rd January 2027. A ticket for that includes the market on any visit up to 13th December. ## York Christmas Market York's market, long known as the St Nicholas Fair, fills Parliament Street and St Sampson's Square from Thursday 12th November to Monday 21st December. More than 80% of the traders come from Yorkshire. The big change for 2026 is a weekly rest day. The market now closes every Tuesday and opens from 10.30am to 7pm, Wednesday to Monday. On the final day, 21st December, it closes at 5pm. If you plan a day trip, check your train is not on a Tuesday, and expect Wednesday mornings to be busier than in past years. ## Cardiff Christmas Market Cardiff opens on Thursday 12th November and runs until Wednesday 23rd December, with more than 200 stalls along St John Street, Working Street, Trinity Street and Hills Street. Trading hours are 10am to 6pm from Monday to Saturday and 10am to 5pm on Sundays, with late opening until 7pm on Thursdays in December. New this year, Queen Street becomes a Victorian Christmas Market. Not every maker trades for the whole season, so if you are going for one stall, check its trading dates on the market website first. ## Edinburgh's Christmas Market Edinburgh's Christmas runs for 51 days, from Saturday 14th November to Sunday 3rd January 2027. The main market fills East Princes Street Gardens below the Scott Monument with around 70 wooden chalets. Entry is free and the market opens from 10am to 10pm, with shorter hours on some holiday dates and a full closure on Christmas Day. The Big Wheel and the Star Flyer sit in the same gardens, and the family funfair takes over West Princes Street Gardens. Rides, skating and Santa's Stories need separate tickets. The weekend of 19th and 20th December is expected to be the busiest of the season. ## Belfast Christmas Market Belfast's market returns to the grounds of City Hall from Saturday 14th November to Tuesday 22nd December, with around 100 chalets of international food and local crafts. The city's Christmas lights switch-on at City Hall is on the opening night, 14th November, from 6.30pm to 7.30pm. Belfast City Council is also looking at taking the market beyond the City Hall grounds for the first time, so check the layout before you go. ## Hyde Park Winter Wonderland London's festive fair in Hyde Park opens on Thursday 19th November and runs until Sunday 3rd January 2027, closing only on Christmas Day. It is open from 10am to 10pm, but opens at 12pm on 19th and 20th November. Unlike the other markets on this list, Winter Wonderland needs an entry ticket for every visitor, whatever their age, booked for a set arrival time. Off-peak entry starts at £1. Peak sessions, mostly later in the day and at weekends, are the most popular slots. ## Winchester Cathedral Christmas Market Winchester's market runs for 33 days, from Friday 20th November to Tuesday 22nd December, with 128 wooden chalets in the cathedral grounds. It opens from 10am to 8pm on Fridays and Saturdays and from 10am to 6pm from Sunday to Thursday. Entry is free and you do not need to book. The chalets sit in the Inner Close, so you will not see them until you walk past the cathedral. ## Bath Christmas Market Bath has the shortest season of the major markets: 18 days, from Thursday 26th November to Sunday 13th December. Around 245 traders set up in the streets around Bath Abbey and the Roman Baths. The 2024 market drew an estimated 444,000 visitors, so book your train and your table early. Coaches drop off and pick up on Royal Avenue. ## How to Plan Your Christmas Market Visit - **Go on a weekday morning.** Saturday afternoons in Birmingham and Manchester are the most crowded times of the season. - **Book parking or tickets before you travel.** Chatsworth parking and Winter Wonderland entry must be booked in advance. - **Check the closing day.** Bath and Chatsworth both close their markets on 13th December, well before Christmas. - **Check the day of the week.** York closes every Tuesday, Cardiff closes at 5pm on Sundays and Winchester stays open late only on Fridays and Saturdays. If you would rather cross the Channel, our guide to [8 Underrated Christmas Markets in Europe](https://richtravelmagazine.com/article/underrated-christmas-markets-europe-2026) has dates for smaller markets with shorter queues, and [Eight Magical Places to Visit Before Christmas](https://richtravelmagazine.com/article/magical-christmas-destinations-europe-2026) goes from Valkenburg's underground market to Madeira's lights.