Christmas markets and fairs in London
Wrap up your festive shopping at London's best Christmas markets and fairs 2016
Looking for gift inspiration? A last-minute bauble? Look no further than London's Christmas markets and fairs. Among a hamper full of special festive events you'll find foodie gifts, hand-crafted pressies and usually a bit of glühwein to help you get into that merry spirit. Pick your local area or venture across town with our guide to all the best annual Christmas markets in London.
RECOMMENDED: Find more festive fun with our guide to Christmas in London
Christmas markets in central London
Christmas in Leicester Square market
The capital’s latest Crimbo destination 'Christmas in Leicester Square' will be home to a grotto, a vintage Speigeltent and a traditional Christmas market to stock up on all your trinkets and twinkles.
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Southbank Centre Christmas Market
The annual Christmas market at the Southbank Centre is a cute collection of chalets selling gifts and crafts. There are also family-friendly rides, carol singers, food stalls and loads of pretty lights to add to the atmosphere.
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Christmas Market at Tate Modern
Pretty wooden chalets will fill the space between the Tate Modern every winter for this traditional Christmas market. Browse handmade wooden toys, unique jewellery, intricate decorations and plenty more, then tuck into bratwurst, crêpes, roasted nuts or a warming cup of glühwein. A carousel and festive music help add to the Christmas spirit.
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Hyde Park Winter Wonderland
The Grinch would have a real job stealing all the Christmas from Hyde Park's massive tribute to festive fun. The Christmas markets is a real treat for anyone feeling the spirit of the season, as long as you're ready to hear all those songs as you potter. You'll find handmade gifts and pretty confectionery sold from cute wooden huts.
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Selvedge Advent Festival
Selvedge's first Advent Festival features a wide range of textile-inspired events and workshops to get you feeling crafty this Christmas. Browse fine fabrics and haberdashery items from across the globe at The Merchants' Fair before booking yourself onto a block-print wrapping paper making session or a workshop in the art of Hungarian hand-cut felt appliqué.
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The Garage Sale
The people behind The Poundshop return to the ICA with a celebration of independent designers and makers who'll be selling new products and work in progress samples at lower prices. Visitors can pick up unique Christmas presents priced between £1-£100 from over 60 designers including Scout Editions, APFEL and One We Made Earlier.
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Monocle Christmas Market
This hidden gem of a fair returns for another year in 2016. Tucked away in Marylebone, the immaculate offices of Monocle, the international news magazine and radio station, are opening to the public for their annual Christmas market. Expect internationally inspired treats, gifts and activities plus live music, food from the Monocle Café, and stalls from lots of classy shops.
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Real Food Christmas Market
The festive edition of the Real Food Market offers a selection of sustainably and ethically produced fine foods but with extra added seasonal goodies. Pick up continental cheeses, Christmas puddings, cured meats and hampers for your hungriest family members, while you tuck into ready-to-eat treats such as mulled wine and mince pies.
Read moreChristmas markets in north London
Camden Christmas Market
Every Thursday 'til Christmas, pop along for stalls, live music, food, and a bar open til 9pm, with a different theme each week. The market kicks off with 'Camden Curates' before hitting 'Deck The Walls' (homewares), stocking fillers and food and drink.
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The Islington Christmas Market
Now in the Angel shopping centre, this market has more than 60 stalls selling gifts, crafts, food products and plenty more will be pitched on Islington Green for just over two weeks this December. The market, which includes Santa's Grotto, has been going strong since its first Christmas five years ago.
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Sunday Artisan Market
Pick up original artwork, clothing, ceramics, accessories, prints, food produce and more at this fair championing independent designers and makers. A cafe will be serving up Peruvian grub, hot drinks and cakes for hungry shoppers.
Read moreChristmas markets in south London
Cockpit Arts Christmas Open Studios
These open studios, celebrating their 30th anniversary in 2016 are a great chance to support independent designer-makers and pick up unique Christmas gifts that you won't find on the high street. With more than 170 designers taking part, there's bound to be something here for your loved ones, including furniture, lighting, jewellery, fashion accessories, clothing, ceramics, silverware and tree decorations.
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London Bridge City Christmas Market
This annual market returns 2016, with a winning combination of homemade gifts and delicious food, sold from German-style chalets. Get your mitts on handmade crafts from over 100 independent traders and peruse pop-up food stalls and bars serving Christmas cocktails, mulled wine, hot cider and craft beers. Film screenings, live music and entertainment will also feature.
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Big Top Christmas Bazaar
Browse a Christmas market indoors this years with these weekend events from Marbles & Ware. Open til 8pm on Sundays, there are plenty of performances from musicians and storytellers as well as cocktails served to reward you after you finish the Christmas haul.
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The London Illustration Fair
London’s only illustration-dedicated fair returns with artist-led stands and workshops. Showcasing the most innovative and exciting studios and agencies working in London today including Hatto Press and East End Print, there will also be installations including portraits from Calais, a 3D collage by Kristjana S Williams and a performance by Guido Iafigliola on the opening night. You’d be mad to miss out on unique Christmas gifts onsale here.
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Surrey Docks Farm Christmas Fair
A festive breath of fresh air on the farm, this family-friendly market returns in 2016 featuring local food stalls, a farm shop and plenty of produce from this year's harvest (and, yes, the famous peach brandy is back...). There'll also be donkey rides, chestnuts to roast and a Santa's grotto complete with elves. The farmyard's animals will be ready and waiting for some serious cuddles/strokes. All proceeds go towards the farm.
Read moreChristmas markets in east London
Museum of London x Craft Central pop-up
The Museum of London pairs up with Craft Central for an inspired Christmas market this year flogging Clerkenwell ceramics from Helen Beard, architectural prints from Monokraum and jewellery and accessories inspired by suffragette slogans and the Cheapside Hoard.
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Hyper Japan Christmas Market
Hyper Japan is back for a sixth year this November with a Christmas market celebrating Japanese culture and cuisine at its best. Browse stalls selling fashion goods, toys, wrapping paper, traditional tableware and crockery, then pick up edible presents in a food hall packed full of exotic teas, chocolate and Japanese snacks. There's also a live stage with performances across the weekend, creative workshops to get involved with.
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William Morris Gallery Christmas Night Market
E17 Designers proffer 20 stalls' worth of gifts, accessories and homeware the same night as the William Morris Gallery Christmas tree. Festive food and drinks will be on sale and you can also check out the two exhibitions - A World To Win and Coralie Bickford Smith - after hours.
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Sutton House's Christmas Craft Fair and Santa's Grotto
The east London Tudor manor house will be transformed into a handmade haven with stalls from the organisers of Embankment Summer Market, Soho Flea Market and Dalston Christmas Market. Look out for carol performances, film previews and local theatre productions too.
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Redchurch Street Christmas Market
Cocktails and a festive warm punch on the first weekend in December, monogramming at Modern Society Dec 1-17 and wreathmaking are all on the menu on various days of the Redchurch Christmas market. Enjoy live music on Thursday, carol-singing, cocktails and cheese on Saturday, and wreathmaking on Monday as well as the discounts and special services running all over all week.
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Roman Road Christmas Fair
A Christmas fair comes to Roman Road Yard Market for the first time this year: seasonal treats like mulled wine and hot chocolate and a Santa’s grotto, market, craft workshops for the kids, delicious hot food and drinks and a bit of seasonal entertainment too.
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Independent Ceramics Market
Shop from a unique range of original items at this two-day fair offering 50 stalls from a new wave of independent ceramicists and potters. An on-site café will offer refreshments.
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The Urban Makers East Christmas Market
This Christmas market returns once again in 2016, bringing over 50 designers to the east London masses. Find locally made jewellery, art, clothing, cards, ceramics, artwork and plenty more alongside workshops in the art of origami.
Read moreChristmas markets in west London
Christmas at Duke of York Square
The King's Road gets into the festive spirit with a whole sackload of Christmassy fun including Christmas lights from November 12, a Santa's grotto, lots of extra festivities and a beautiful tree adding to the joy.
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Ideal Home Show at Christmas
This huge, annual show of all things festive provides everything you need to plaster your life in Christmas: home accessories, festive food and drink, decorations, heaps of gift options and masterclasses from the likes of Gino D'Acampo, Katie Piper, Olly Smith and Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen. Book in advance for discounted tickets.
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Family Holiday Shopping Pop-Up
More than 40 independent children's boutiques from around the world under one roof. Creative toys, gifts, stylish clothes and accessories and home decor are all on sale, with sweet activities to keep your little ones entertained, drinks and nibbles to recharge your shopping batteries, discounts and prizes to win offered all weekend too.
Read moreFind more festive fun in the capital
Christmas lights in London
There's nothing like the sparkle of London Christmas lights to give the city an instant festive makeover. Why not plan an outing to gaze upon Christmas lights in London ahead of a festive spot of ice skating or hitting the Christmas shops.
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A Christmas Carol recounts the narrative of a sharp old grumpy person named Ebenezer Scrooge and his change into a gentler, kindlier man after appearances by the apparition of his previous business accomplice Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present but then to Come.
Fair Christmas Fayre is also back on the 12th December @ Regent Hall, Oxford Street. Come and find a wide variety of Christmas goodies all ethically sourced. https://fairchristmasfayre.wordpress.com/
London has a great atmosphere around London! I've even put together my own list of where best to shop in London at Christmas time. Read it here: http://raychellev2.wordpress.com/2014/11/23/christmas-shopping-in-london/
Hi, LimeWharf cultural hub are hosting our first Maker Market in our Machines Room makerspace on Vyner Street, Hackney. 4-13 Dec Thurs-Sat. Craft & tech market 1-8pm, evening entertainment and workshops until 11pm. Full details here: https://www.facebook.com/events/669598649805087/673716582726627/?notif_t=plan_mall_activity
I love London in the Winter and especially around Christmas. The only time of year it ever felt normal to exist in London was when it is cold and full of colourful lights.
www.chair.furniture
Hi there is an error in the first of your listings. The nearest Tube Station to Kew Gardens is Kew Gardens and not Richmond as stated.
There is so much to choose from the above list that I think I will start with the food at the Real Food Christmas market.
The best list of the Christmas markets I have come accross so far!
This guide is brilliant, enables us to make the most of our time in London, planning our day in advance and pick the markets that have products that interest us. Tube details are also very helpful..... Can't wait to visit.
This is an extremely useful guide to Christmas markets across London. Just looking at the photos makes you want to start Christmas shopping.
Click on list view.
This really isn't a 'guide' to london christmas markets is it? or is the rest of my page not loading?
Could you please forward some information about Christmas fairs. We are a new business dealing with high quality kitchen knives, garden cutting tools and sharpeners
Could please forward some information about Christmas fairs, we aare a new business selling hand made boys clothing, we are called Skidies4Kiddies and our logo is called cycle sid, our clothes are good quality and we would love to showcase them more in the London area. Many thanks.