Britain's best Christmas markets 2023

Britain's best Christmas markets 2023

Find the perfect Christmas present and enjoy an afternoon drinking mulled wine and eating delicious festive treats with our guide to the best Christmas markets to visit in the UK in 2023.

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Published: October 30, 2023 at 3:30 pm

As we near the end of 2023, Christmas markets and winter fairs begin to pop up across the UK. Appearing in our cities, market towns, villages and stately homes, each is a nostalgic blend of traditional ingredients.

Who can resist the aroma of mulled cider, roasted chestnuts and freshly baked mince pies? What about the gorgeous metallic tones of a local brass band as they play the opening bars of Silent Night, accompanied by the angelic voices of the local infant school choir? Add in twinkling lights and, if you're lucky, a few snowflakes dancing gently in the air and you'll feel as though you're in some sort of dreamland. You may even find the big man himself puts in an appearance to entertain the youngest members of your family.

Britain's very best winter fairs and Christmas markets celebrate rural customs, local produce, crafts, and ancient traditions. They’re a magical place to buy that special ingredient for your Christmas dinner, or a unique handcrafted gift for a loved one.

Wrap up in your warmest hats and gloves, and prepare to be romanced out of your petty cash by cheery wooden Nutcracker soldiers, artisan crafts and dangling candy canes.

Here, we take a look at some of the UK's very best traditional Christmas markets to visit in 2023, from York's hugely popular York Christmas Festival to Edinburgh's joyous celebration of the winter season.

Best Christmas markets to visit in 2023

Christmas Market at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire

17 November – 17 December

Blenheim Palace's Christmas Market has something for everyone/Credit: Blenheim Palace

Warm up inside Blenheim Palace, taking in the splendour of the lavish rugs, priceless antique furniture and centuries-old oil paintings that take up entire walls. This Christmas, Blenheim Palace is showcasing a brand new illuminated light trail, as the park and gardens are filled with millions of lights.

With heart-shaped arches glimmering, colour-lit trees, and large-scale illuminations – including an eight-metre circle filled with over 20,000 lights – the effect will be rather like walking through a giant Christmas tree.

By now it’s surely time to get your hands around a mulled wine, and you can buy one (or a hot chocolate) from a vendor at the Christmas Market in The Great Court, where there will also be plenty of opportunities to gather Christmas gifts for loved ones

York Christmas Market, North Yorkshire

16 November – 22 December

Wander through the festive streets of York this Christmas/Credit: Getty

The pretty medieval streets and cosy timbered buildings of York come into their own at Christmas, sprinkled with lights and decorations. For the 31st year, large wooden chalets will line Parliament Street and St Sampson’s Square selling decorations, wooden toys and produce from the Yorkshire countryside such as heritage cheeses and bramble whisky.

Liverpool Christmas Market, Merseyside

18 Nov – 24 Dec

Liverpool’s markets feature a diverse range of local goods both traditional and modern/Credit: Geograph

Liverpool’s Christmas Market is returning once more to St George's Plateau and William Brown Street. Alongside the usual local crafts and produce, there are more food and drink stalls, including the hugely popular windmill bar and the Bavarian bar. There will also be a big wheel, snow slide and Santa Land rides.

One of the best things about Liverpool in the winter, though, is walking through its magical frosty parks, such as the 235-acre Sefton Park, or bronze age encampment Camp Hill – both of which have some lovely cafes nearby to warm up in, before you head to the markets. Or, for something really memorable, hop on the train up to Formby to walk the Red Squirrel Trail. The walk takes about an hour, twisting through broadleaf and pine woodlands before emerging on the sand dunes of Formby beach. Climb up and enjoy the views over Liverpool Bay, Snowdonia and the Lake District.

Conwy Winterfest, Conwy

9 December

Explore Conwy Castle at dusk then head to the market/Credit: Getty

On 9 December, at 5.45pm, some 300 knights and dozens of torch-bearers will gather in front of the castle, ready to process through the town. Erwyd le Fol the town jester and Siôn Corn will of course be in attendance. This gripping medieval pageant (free to spectators) will include hot chestnuts, Morris dancing, music, possibly fire shows, and definitely sword fighting at Lancaster Square.

Traders will remain open for hot food, mulled wine and carousing. And as flaming torchlight casts flickering shadows of the knights onto the castle walls, neck hairs will stand up, and spines will undoubtedly tingle.

Edinburgh Winter Festival, Edinburgh

17 November – 6 January

This year at the Edinburgh Christmas Market, you’ll find unique independent gifts in a the Ethical Christmas Market and Artisan Christmas Market/ Credit: Getty

Alongside the usual bonanza of fairground rides, ice-skating, Santa’s Grotto, Christmas Tree Land and light trails, Edinburgh’s traditional wooden-stalled Christmas markets are set to expand this winter. Highlights include the Ethical Christmas Market and Artisan Christmas Market Stalls on Castle Street (18–24 December), and Santa Stories and the Festival of Kindness on St Andrew Square (18–24 December).

Looking for day out? Walk up to Arthur’s Seat or through Inverleith Park to admire the views, and finish at the markets with a hot toddy.

St Fagans’ Makers Market, Cardiff

2 – 3 December

Visit St Fagans’ captivating collection of relocated Welsh buildings in December for a magical month of maker’s markets, wreath workshops and Welsh carol concerts/Credit: Geograph

Nadolig Llawen! That’s ‘Merry Christmas’ in Welsh, and there’s no better place to learn about the history of winter celebrations in Wales than at St Fagans. And at Christmas time, St Fagans is definitely at its most magical, festooned with fairy lights and with maker’s markets to explore, Welsh carols to trill out and Siôn Corn – ‘Father Chimneypot’, Wales’ answer to Santa – to say hello to.

Doing your Christmas shopping? On the 2 and 3 of December, St Fagans buzzy open-air Christmas Makers Market takes over the museum, with craftspeople from across Wales offering handmade works of art. Or if you’d rather create something of beauty yourself, you can try your hand at weaving a willow wreath to grace your front door at one of the weekend’s workshops.

Exeter Christmas Market

17 Nov – 17 Dec

The Christmas market at St Peter's Cathedral in Exeter/Credit: Getty

The impressive medieval Exeter Cathedral is the backdrop of this fairylit Christmas market, which is spread out on the green, surrounded by Tudor-esque houses and cobbled lanes. Festive concerts and services spill out from the cathedral, creating a classy choral soundtrack while you browse the stalls for West Country crafts and local produce, mulled cider in hand. Take a stroll or bike ride up along the River Exe and back down through the valley for a bit of calm before the smell of popping chestnuts lures you in.

Grassington Christmas Market, North Yorkshire

2 and 9 December

Enjoy delicious roast chestnuts as you wander around the market/Credit: Getty

The annual Christmas market in Grassington is scheduled over two Saturdays on 2 and 9 December this year and makes a great focal point for a winter stomp with fabulous views. Grassington is Wharfedale’s main hub, a classic Yorkshire Dales village, huddled below the south-facing slopes of Kimpergill Hill and above the River Wharfe.

A glorious array of smells and sounds will draw you to the market square in the heart of Grassington where, as dusk falls, the Christmas lights that adorn the lovely old stone buildings are lit and buskers will be playing a medley of familiar Christmas songs.

A warming glass of mulled wine or hot chocolate will keep winter’s chill at bay as you stand alongside a roaring brazier contemplating the fair on offer, the scents of roasting chestnuts and mince pies, whetting the appetite for a range of local produce, either from the stalls or from the local pubs and tea rooms. You will be spoilt for choice!

Winchester Cathedral Christmas Fair, Hampshire

17 November – 21 December

Aerial view of the the Winchester Cathedral Christmas Fair/Credit: Getty

Hailed as one of the best in Europe, Winchester’s Christmas market is held in the quarters of its 900-year-old cathedral. The festive market champions British craftspeople, and this year its ‘crafts village’ has an emphasis on local, fairly traded and sustainable businesses. A packed schedule of carol services and concerts will set the mood perfectly. If you’re keen to stretch your legs, follow Keat’s Walk along the River Itchen – his daily stroll alongside the water meadows that may have inspired his poem, ‘To Autumn’.

Oban Winter Festival, Argyll and Bute

17 – 26 November

Oban's harbour and Mccaig's Tower reflect magically in the water/Credit: Getty

The capital of the Western Highlands, with its comely seaside setting, is the perfect place to get in the mood for Christmas. Here, the 10-day Oban Winter Festival, which runs from 17–26 November, has a choice of markets offering local produce and a wide range of activities and events.

Bath Christmas Market, Somerset

23 November – 10 December

Ariel view of Christmas market in historical Bath from Bath Abbey at dusk/Credit: Getty

Centred around the Roman baths, Bath Christmas market 2023 is filled with musicians, street performers and choirs singing their hearts under the twinkling lights.

More than 170 chalets sell – and demonstrate – craftsmanship from the south-west of England, this year including handblown glass ornaments, leather shoes, jams and chutneys from foraged ingredients, Bath cheeses and traditional Christmas puddings. A range of local distillers bring you west country cider, gin and rum, and naturally you’ll be able to buy a steaming winter warmer. If you want to make a day of it, start at Bradford-Upon-Avon and stroll 9.7 miles along the atmospheric Kennet & Avon canal, enjoying the wood smoke and bright colours of the barges.

Malton Christmas Festival, North Yorkshire

2 – 3 December

Horse in a snow-covered paddock near the market town of Malton/Credit: Getty

Make a beeline for Yorkshire's food capital for this special festive market with a foodie twist. Check everything off your Christmas list and stock up the pantry with seasonal treats, too, including figgy puddings, turkey and goose, award-winning macarons, mulled wine, gin and beers. With fairground rides, brass bands and choirs as well as top street food, this promises to be Malton's shopping event of the year.

Souter Lighthouse Christmas Craft Fair, Tyne & Wear

25 November

Snow-covered fields leading to Souter Lighthouse in Marsden, Tyne and Wear/Credit: Getty

Head to the iconic beacon of Souter Lighthouse for its popular Christmas craft fair. Browse handmade crafts, gifts, cards, jewellery and much more, all made by local craftspeople.

Cirencester Advent Market, Gloucestershire

25 – 26 November

Cirencester will be the place to be on 25 and 26 November when the Advent Market comes to the town centre/Credit: Getty

Between 10am and 6pm, over 100 stalls featuring local traders will line Cricklade Street, Castle Street and Market Place. With entertainment and light displays it promises to be a fun and festive family day out.

Belfast Christmas Market, Belfast

18 November – 22 December

A snow covered Belfast City Hall at Christmas/Credit: Getty

Try traditional seasonal treats from around the world and fairground rides in the grounds of Belfast City Hall.

Caerphilly Winter Food and Craft Market, Glamorgan

2 December

Explore a myriad of craft and gift stalls and traditional funfair rides at Caerphilly Castle/Credit: Caerphilly Christmas Market

Caerphilly Castle provides the magnificent backdrop to this bustling food and craft fair, with funfair rides, mulled wine, street theatre, more than 50 food, craft and gift stalls. Make a day of it and book a visit to explore Caerphilly Castle.

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