London Christmas Markets 2026: Opening Dates and Which to Visit
London's Christmas markets open between late October and late November, and the biggest run until 3 January 2027. Most organisers have already published their dates for the 2026–27 season: Skate Leicester Square opens on 31 October, the Southbank Centre Winter Market on 2 November, Christmas in Trafalgar Square on 6 November, the Kingston Christmas Market on 12 November, the same day Covent Garden switches on its lights, and Hyde Park Winter Wonderland on 19 November. Almost all are free to walk into; at Winter Wonderland every visitor needs a timed entry ticket, listed from £1. No Christmas market in London opens on 25 December.
- First to open: Skate Leicester Square, on 31 October 2026.
- Last day: 3 January 2027 for Winter Wonderland, the Southbank Centre, Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square and Kingston. Some smaller markets and fairs finish before Christmas.
- Christmas Day: every market is closed, and the Tube and buses do not run.
- Entry: free to walk into almost everywhere. Hyde Park Winter Wonderland needs a timed entry ticket, listed from £1, and the Chelsea Physic Garden Christmas Fair costs £8 booked or £10 on the door.
- If you only have time for one: Winter Wonderland for a full day of rides and skating, Covent Garden for decorations in the centre of town, the Southbank for food and drink by the Thames, Kingston or Greenwich for fewer crowds.
When do London's Christmas markets open in 2026?
Confirmed means the organiser has published its dates for the 2026–27 season. Expected means the market returns every year in the same weeks but has not announced this season's dates yet, so the table shows its usual pattern.
| Market | 2026–27 season | Status | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skate Leicester Square (ice rink with Christmas stalls) | 31 October 2026 – 3 January 2027 | Confirmed | Free; skating is ticketed |
| Southbank Centre Winter Market | 2 November 2026 – 3 January 2027 | Confirmed | Free |
| Christmas in Trafalgar Square | 6 November 2026 – 3 January 2027; tree lit on 3 December | Confirmed | Free |
| Old Spitalfields Market | Christmas lights switched on 11 November 2026 | Confirmed | Free |
| Kingston Christmas Market | 12 November 2026 – 3 January 2027 | Confirmed | Free |
| Covent Garden | Christmas lights switched on 12 November 2026 | Confirmed | Free |
| Greenwich Market | Lantern Parade and lights on 18 November 2026; market open daily | Confirmed | Free |
| Hyde Park Winter Wonderland | 19 November 2026 – 3 January 2027 | Confirmed | Timed ticket from £1 |
| Chelsea Physic Garden Christmas Fair | 26 – 29 November 2026 | Confirmed | £8 booked, £10 on the door |
| Winter by the River, London Bridge City | Mid-November to early January | Expected | Free |
| Canopy Market, King's Cross | From 27 November | Expected | Free |
| Wembley Park | Late November to early January | Expected | Free |
| Columbia Road | Wednesday evenings, late November to mid-December | Expected | Free |
Dates verified on 14 October 2026.
The best Christmas markets in London
Winter Wonderland is a funfair with an ice rink and a timed ticket; the Southbank is a row of wooden chalets by the Thames; Trafalgar Square is a Christmas tree and a few stalls in front of the National Gallery. Each market below starts with its 2026–27 dates, and ends with the practical details.
Hyde Park Winter Wonderland
The biggest Christmas event in London, and the only market on this page that needs an entry ticket. Winter Wonderland fills Hyde Park with fairground rides, a giant observation wheel, the UK's largest outdoor ice rink and more than a hundred wooden cabins selling gifts, mulled wine and German food. Entry is by timed ticket booked online, even at quiet times: off-peak tickets are listed at £1 (the organiser describes these slots as free to enter), standard tickets at £5.50 and peak tickets at £8.25, booking fees included. Rides and attractions cost extra, but every £25 of rides, attractions or food booked online in the same order comes with one free entry ticket. Allow three to five hours: it is a day out in itself rather than a stop between sights.
Dates: 19 November 2026 – 3 January 2027, closed 25 December · Hours: usually 10am–10pm · Entry: timed ticket from £1 · Nearest stations: Hyde Park Corner, Marble Arch · Official site
Covent Garden Christmas market and lights
Covent Garden does Christmas with decorations rather than chalets. Giant baubles and golden bells hang inside the Market Building, a tall British-grown fir stands on the West Piazza, and artificial snow falls over the piazza several times a day. The stalls are those of its three everyday markets, selling crafts, antiques and design, with mulled wine along Central Avenue. Covent Garden switches on its Christmas lights on Thursday 12 November 2026, the start of seven weeks of festivities. It is the most photographed Christmas spot in central London and the busiest, so come on a weekday morning if you want room to browse.
Lights switch-on: Thursday 12 November 2026 · Entry: free · Nearest station: Covent Garden, or Leicester Square a short walk away · Official site
Southbank Centre Winter Market
A row of alpine-style chalets along the Queen's Walk, by Hungerford Bridge, between the London Eye and the Royal Festival Hall. This is the market for eating and drinking: Glühwein, bratwurst, German beer and street food, with handmade gifts in between. It is the easiest one to fit into a day of sightseeing, because it sits on the riverside path most visitors walk anyway, and it is at its best after dark, when the lights along the river come on. Entry is free.
Dates: 2 November 2026 – 3 January 2027 · Hours: stalls 11am–10pm, bars until 11pm · Entry: free · Nearest stations: Waterloo, Embankment · Official site
Winter by the River at London Bridge City
On the south bank between London Bridge and Tower Bridge, the wooden cabins of Winter by the River look across the water to the Tower of London, with Tower Bridge lit up at the end of the promenade. Expect gift and craft stalls, street food, hot drinks and a few covered places to sit. The market used to be called Christmas by the River, and many people still know it as the London Bridge Christmas market. The 2026 dates have not been announced yet; last season it ran from mid-November to the first weekend of January and closed on Christmas Day.
Dates: expected mid-November 2026 to early January 2027 · Entry: free · Nearest station: London Bridge
Leicester Square Christmas market and ice rink
Since the 2025–26 season, the old Christmas in Leicester Square market has given way to Skate Leicester Square: an open-air ice rink ringed by Christmas market stalls, among the West End's cinemas and theatres. It is the first of London's Christmas sites to open each year, and a place to skate before a show rather than to do your Christmas shopping. The square is free to walk into; skating is ticketed. It fills up from late afternoon, which makes it hard going with a pushchair or shopping bags in the evening. Look out for the Scenes in the Square statues, among them Mr Bean, Mary Poppins and Paddington, dressed for Christmas.
Dates: 31 October 2026 – 3 January 2027 · Hours: 10am–10pm from 27 November (weekdays from noon before then); until 6pm on 24 December; closed 25 December; from noon on 26 December and 1 January · Nearest station: Leicester Square · Official site
Trafalgar Square Christmas market and Norway tree
The market here is small; the tree is the point. Every year since 1947, Norway has given London a Christmas tree in thanks for Britain's support during the Second World War, and it stands in Trafalgar Square in front of the National Gallery. The lights go on at a public ceremony on Thursday 3 December 2026, and carol singers perform beneath it in the run-up to Christmas. Around it, the wooden stalls of Christmas in Trafalgar Square sell crafts, gifts and sweet treats. It makes a short, free stop between the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery, or on the way to Leicester Square and Covent Garden.
Market: 6 November 2026 – 3 January 2027 · Tree lighting: Thursday 3 December 2026 · Entry: free · Nearest station: Charing Cross · Official site
Old Spitalfields Market at Christmas
A covered Victorian market hall in East London, hung with lights for the season, where independent makers sell clothes, jewellery, art and handmade gifts alongside street food traders. It is the place for presents you won't find on the high street, and it stays dry whatever the weather. The Christmas season starts on Wednesday 11 November 2026 with a free light switch-on party: music and a gospel choir from the afternoon, mulled wine and mince pies, and the lights going on at 6pm. Brick Lane is a few minutes' walk away.
Lights switch-on: Wednesday 11 November 2026, 6pm · Hours: Monday–Wednesday and Friday 10am–8pm, Thursday 8am–6pm, Saturday 10am–6pm, Sunday 10am–5pm · Entry: free · Nearest station: Liverpool Street · Official site
Greenwich Market at Christmas
Greenwich Market trades all year under its roof, and at Christmas its regular craft, art and food stalls are joined by seasonal ones. The season opens on Wednesday 18 November 2026 with the Lantern Parade: local schoolchildren carry lanterns they have made through the grounds of the Old Royal Naval College to the market, where the Christmas lights are switched on. Of the markets on this page, it is the one that feels least put on for visitors. Make a day of it with the Cutty Sark and the climb up Greenwich Park, with its view back across the river to the City.
Season starts: 18 November 2026 · Hours: daily 10am–5.30pm · Entry: free · Getting there: DLR to Cutty Sark, or by boat from central London · Official site
Kingston Christmas Market
In Kingston upon Thames, a train ride from Waterloo, wooden cabins fill the Ancient Market Place in the old town, close to the river. Stalls sell crafts, decorations and small gifts, and there is seasonal street food and a bar. What sets it apart is the live programme: choirs, local bands and open-mic nights throughout the season, so it is worth checking the schedule before you go. It is the choice for a Christmas market without the crowds of central London.
Dates: 12 November 2026 – 3 January 2027, closed 25 December · Stalls: Sunday–Wednesday 10am–6pm, Thursday–Saturday 10am–8pm · Bar and food: until 9pm Monday–Wednesday, 10pm Thursday–Saturday, 8pm Sunday · Nearest station: Kingston · Official site
Several markets in one day: from Trafalgar Square to the Thames
The central markets are close enough to link on foot. Start at Trafalgar Square: Leicester Square is five minutes away and Covent Garden five more, so the three take well under fifteen minutes of walking between them. From Charing Cross, the Golden Jubilee Bridge crosses the Thames to the Southbank Centre Winter Market, and from there the riverside path runs east past Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe to Winter by the River at London Bridge City, about forty minutes on foot. Arrive after dark, when Tower Bridge is lit up across the water. Winter Wonderland is in another part of town and takes most of a day on its own; Greenwich is easiest by boat from central London.
After the markets: London's Christmas lights
When the stalls close, the West End's Christmas lights take over. You can see them from the top deck of a Christmas lights bus tour, follow a guide on foot from Regent Street to Fortnum & Mason on the Christmas lights walking tour, or swap the city for the light trail and winter village in the gardens of the Royal Hospital at Chelsea Winter Illuminations. All the festive outings from London are listed on the Christmas tours in London page.
Smaller Christmas markets and fairs
Beyond the big names, London has local markets that are worth the trip if you are staying nearby:
- King's Cross: several winter markets around Granary Square and Coal Drops Yard. The Canopy Market, under the Victorian West Handyside Canopy, is expected from 27 November.
- Columbia Road: the Sunday flower market, plus late-opening Wednesday evenings for Christmas shopping from late November to mid-December.
- Borough Market: the food market by London Bridge, open every day from 30 November except 25–27 December and 1 January.
- Chelsea Physic Garden Christmas Fair: independent makers in London's oldest botanic garden, from 26 to 29 November 2026. Tickets are £8 booked in advance and £10 on the door.
- Wembley Park: market stalls and a free light trail, expected from late November to early January.
Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day
On 24 December the markets close early: Skate Leicester Square at 6pm, Kingston's stalls at 6pm and its bar at 8pm, the others according to their own timetables. On 25 December every market is closed, Winter Wonderland included, and neither the Tube nor the buses run. It is the day for organised outings: the Christmas Day lunch cruise on the Thames from Westminster Pier, or a Christmas Day trip to Windsor, Oxford or Canterbury, all on the Christmas tours in London page. On 26 December the markets reopen: Kingston from 10am to 6pm with the bar until 8pm, and Skate Leicester Square from noon to 10pm. Borough Market stays closed until 28 December.
Christmas markets near London: Canterbury
For a Christmas market in a historic city, Canterbury in Kent sets up its wooden chalets around Whitefriars and St George's Street and inside the cathedral precincts, from 12 November to 24 December 2026; the Christmas lights go on on Friday 13 November. On 24 December, the market's last day, the Christmas Eve day trip from London stops there after Leeds Castle, before the White Cliffs of Dover and Greenwich.
Plan the rest of your London Christmas
- Christmas tours in London: lights tours, Thames cruises and day trips on 24, 25 and 26 December.
- London New Year's Eve fireworks 2026: tickets and the best places to watch on the Thames.
- New Year's Day in London: the parade and what is open on 1 January.
London Christmas Markets – FAQ
- When do the Christmas markets open in London in 2026?
Between late October and late November. Skate Leicester Square opens on 31 October 2026, the Southbank Centre Winter Market on 2 November, Christmas in Trafalgar Square on 6 November, the Kingston Christmas Market on 12 November and Hyde Park Winter Wonderland on 19 November. Covent Garden switches on its lights on 12 November, and Greenwich holds its Lantern Parade on 18 November. Winter by the River and the Canopy Market at King's Cross have not announced their 2026 dates yet; both usually open in the second half of November.
- Are London's Christmas markets free?
Almost all are free to enter: you pay only for what you eat, drink or buy. The exceptions are Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, where every visitor needs a timed entry ticket, listed from £1, and the Chelsea Physic Garden Christmas Fair, at £8 booked in advance or £10 on the door. At Skate Leicester Square the square is free and the ice rink is ticketed.
- Is Hyde Park Winter Wonderland free to enter?
Not entirely. Every visitor needs a timed entry ticket booked in advance, even off-peak. Off-peak tickets are listed at £1, and the organiser describes those slots as free to enter; standard tickets cost £5.50 and peak tickets £8.25, booking fees included. Every £25 of rides, attractions or food booked online in the same order includes one free entry ticket: one per £25, not one for each person in the group. Rides and attractions inside are paid for separately.
- Are any Christmas markets open on Christmas Day in London?
No. Every Christmas market in London is closed on 25 December, and so are the Tube and the buses. Most reopen on Boxing Day: Kingston from 10am, Skate Leicester Square from noon. On Christmas Day itself, the options are organised outings such as the Christmas Day lunch cruise on the Thames or a day trip to Windsor, Oxford or Canterbury.
- Is there still a Christmas market in Leicester Square?
Yes, in a different format. Since the 2025–26 season Leicester Square has hosted Skate Leicester Square, an open-air ice rink surrounded by Christmas market stalls. This season it runs from 31 October 2026 to 3 January 2027. The square is free to walk into, skating is ticketed, and it is closed on Christmas Day.
- Which Christmas markets are in central London?
Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square and Covent Garden are a short walk from each other, well under fifteen minutes in total. The Southbank Centre Winter Market is across the river by the Golden Jubilee Bridge, and Winter by the River at London Bridge City is about forty minutes further east along the Thames path. Hyde Park Winter Wonderland is central too, but needs a visit of its own.
- What is the biggest Christmas market in London?
Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, with more than a hundred wooden cabins alongside its fairground rides, ice rink and shows. It is also the only major market that requires an entry ticket.
- When is the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree lit in 2026?
On Thursday 3 December 2026, at a public ceremony with carols beneath the tree. The tree is a gift from Norway, sent every year since 1947 in thanks for Britain's support during the Second World War, and the square is free to enter.
