Christmas 2026 starts earlier than you might think. Regent Street's lights go on in the first week of November, Manchester and Birmingham's Christmas markets open days later, and the big light trails run right into January. This calendar puts every UK Christmas market, lights switch-on, light trail and festive food event we list for 2026 in date order, so you can see what's on each week and click straight through to the details.
How to use this calendar
Each week lists what opens or happens that week. Christmas markets and light trails then keep running for weeks afterwards, so check the closing dates in the last two sections too. Every name links to its page on Food Marketplace, with opening hours, location and what to eat. For a filtered view, go to Christmas markets or all upcoming events.
| Week | Headline events |
|---|---|
| 2-8 Nov | Regent Street lights · Birmingham Frankfurt market · Manchester markets · Longleat |
| 9-15 Nov | Somerset House ice rink · Christmas at Kew · Blenheim · Edinburgh market |
| 16-22 Nov | Winter Wonderland · Leadenhall lights · Leeds · Dunham Massey |
| 23-30 Nov | Festive Good Food Show · Glow Wild · Bath market |
| December | Sutton Coldfield · Wolverhampton · Free From Festival |
Early November (2-8 Nov): the season kicks off
- Mon 2 Nov — Spirit of Christmas Fair, London
- Thu 5 Nov — Regent Street & St James's Christmas lights switch-on (free, 5-9pm, traffic-free)
- Thu 5 Nov — Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market opens in Victoria Square (until 24 Dec)
- Fri 6 Nov — Manchester's Christmas Markets open across the city centre (most sites until 22 Dec)
- Sat 7 Nov — Christmas in the Garden at Chatsworth and Longleat's Festival of Light begin; Christmas Winterfest Market in Ware
- Sun 8 Nov — School of Icing Notting Hill Christmas Market
Mid-November (9-15 Nov): the busiest opening week
This is the week most Christmas markets open, so it's a good time to visit before the December crowds.
- Wed 11 Nov — Skate at Somerset House opens (until 10 Jan); Marylebone and Old Spitalfields Market switch on their lights; Good Housekeeping Live Christmas Market
- Thu 12 Nov — Kingston, Canterbury, York, Sheffield, Leicester, Cardiff, Southampton, Bournemouth and Aberdeen Christmas markets open; Oxford and Cardiff Victorian Christmas Markets (12-15 Nov)
- Fri 13 Nov — Christmas at Kew and Christmas at Blenheim Palace begin; Exeter Cathedral and Norwich Winter Wonderland open
- Sat 14 Nov — Edinburgh and Belfast Christmas markets open; Stratford-upon-Avon lights switch-on; Leadenhall Christmas Craft Market; Hertfordshire Christmas Shopping Fair
- Sun 15 Nov — Brighton Christmas Market opens; Rochdale Christmas Market
Late November (16-22 Nov): Winter Wonderland and the northern markets
- Wed 18 Nov — Chester Christmas Market opens
- Thu 19 Nov — Hyde Park Winter Wonderland opens (until 3 Jan); Leadenhall Market lights switch-on at 6pm; Leeds and Newcastle Christmas markets open
- Fri 20 Nov — Christmas at Dunham Massey begins; Winchester Cathedral and Blackpool markets open
- Sat 21 Nov — Oxford Christmas Market and Dundee Christmas Market open; Stourbridge lights switch-on
- Sun 22 Nov — BENN Hall Christmas Fair, Rugby
End of November (23-30 Nov): festive food weekend
- Thu 26 Nov — the Festive Good Food Show opens at the NEC (until 29 Nov); Glow Wild at Wakehurst begins; Bath and Plymouth Christmas markets open; Eat & Drink Festival Christmas, London
- Sat 28 Nov — Stratford-upon-Avon Christmas Markets (first of two weekends); Northern Vegan Winter Festival, Manchester; Burford Christmas Market; Dulwich Village Christmas Artisan Makers Fayre
- Sun 29 Nov — The Small Pet Christmas Market, Stansted
Planning a food-focused weekend? Read our Festive Good Food Show and Birmingham Christmas weekend plan.
December: weekend markets and last chances
- Tue 1 Dec — Exclusively Highlands Christmas Markets, Glasgow
- Sat 5 Dec — Loch Lomond Shores Christmas Festival; Swansea stadium indoor Christmas market; Rickmansworth Christmas Market; Stratford-upon-Avon's second market weekend (5-6 Dec)
- Sun 6 Dec — Chigwell Christmas Market
- Fri 11 Dec — Sutton Coldfield Christmas Market (11-13 Dec) and Wolverhampton Christmas Shopping Market (11-17 Dec)
- Sat 12 Dec — Free From Festival Manchester; Crafty Fox Christmas Market, King's Cross; Plant Power Christmas Market, Stockton-on-Tees; JB's Christmas Craft Fair, Rainham
- Mon 14 Dec — The Pineapple Christmas Market, London
Closing soon: Bath, Exeter Cathedral and Chatsworth's Christmas Market close on 13 Dec; Blenheim and Plymouth on 20 Dec; York on 21 Dec; most of Manchester's sites on 22 Dec; Leeds and Newcastle on 23 Dec; Birmingham, Brighton, Canterbury and Sheffield on 24 Dec.
Still on after Christmas (into January 2027)
If December is too busy, these keep going after Christmas Day:
- Until 2 Jan — Christmas at Dunham Massey, Glow Wild
- Until 3 Jan — Christmas at Kew, Blenheim Palace, Chatsworth light trail, Winter Wonderland, Edinburgh, Kingston, Aberdeen, Norwich, Blackpool, and Manchester Albert Square & Cathedral Gardens
- Until 10 Jan — Skate at Somerset House
- Until 17 Jan — Longleat's Festival of Light, the last of the big light events
Comparing light trails? See our guide to the best UK Christmas light trails for 2026, with the Christmas market to pair with each one.
More Christmas 2026 guides
- Best Christmas Light Trails in the UK 2026
- London Christmas Lights Switch-on Dates 2026
- Festive Good Food Show 2026: a Birmingham Christmas food weekend
- Free Christmas Things to Do in the UK 2026
- The Ultimate Guide to 58 UK Christmas Markets for 2026
- 7 Small-Town UK Christmas Markets & Lights Switch-ons for 2026
Or browse every listing in one place: all UK Christmas markets and upcoming food & festive events.
