The best Christmas markets in London for 2025

The rides, rink and performances might make Winter Wonderland, but that’s not all there is to Hyde Park’s big festive takeover. In the Scandinavian-themed market square, you’ll find a more peaceful escape, with quaint huts housing stalls selling gifts and trinkets to give your loved ones (or yourself). Live music from the bandstand will soundtrack your shopping, and after, you can take a rest at the fire pit to much on some meatballs and waffles and other market staples.

Opening Dates: November 14-January 1

Best For: Heightening your hygge

Every winter the Southbank Centre turns the banks of the Thames into a frosty wonderland, full of little wooden Alpine-style cabins selling gifts, warming drinks, and snacks. You’ll find huts serving up truffle burgers, duck wraps, mulled wine, Dutch pancakes, churros and many more tasty morsels to nibble on while you look through gifts, jewellery and decorations made by independent craft traders. Or, once you’re done browsing, snuggle up at pop-up king Jimmy Garcia’s riverside venue Fire And Fromage, where you can snaffle all you can eat raclette, sip on seriously decadent hot chocolates, and even toast your own marshmallows round a cosy fire pit. 

When is Southbank Christmas Market open?

The market opens at the start of November, and will stay open until Boxing Day, Friday, December 26, with a few pop-ups staying open slightly longer until the New Year.

Do you need to buy a ticket?

No, it's free to enter and have a wander. 

If you’re struggling to find the perfect, unique present for a loved one, the Christmas Independent Ceramics Market is bound to have the answer. The annual fair brings together over 150 ceramics makers, from students to established artists, all selling their distinctive wares in one space. Browse stall after stall of cups, sculptures and more and keep your eyes peeled for that special treasure. The market will make things more festive with a sound system to soundtrack your shopping, plus mulled wine and seasonal food to keep you refreshed on your search.

Opening Dates: Sunday December 14

Best For: Stunning ceramics and sculptures

Need to buy something for that friend who always has the most on-point decor and an eye for unique and chic trinkets? Head to the North London Makers’ Market, a veritable treasure trove for all things arty and aesthetically pleasing. Over 60 artists, designers and makers will be showcasing their wares at this special festive edition of the monthly Stoke Newington market, so there’ll be plenty of opportunity to pick up the perfect goodies.

Opening Dates: December 14-15

Best For: Aesthetic homeware for those with an eye for design

The DIY Christmas Art Market is a veritable jamboree of potential gifts – either to give to friends and family, or to treat yourself with. As well as art prints and risograph and screen prints, the market will have t-shirts, patches, comics, tote bags, ceramics, zines and independent publications on its stalls, ready to be wrapped up and put under the tree. Sample the eclectic creativity with a glass of mulled wine and a mince pie to really ramp up the festivities. 

Opening Dates: December 7

Best For: Finding true one-off gifts

Given that their nation is home to Lapland, is covered in snow for half the year and boasts a healthy population of wild reindeer, it’s no surprise than the Finns love Christmas. You can expect plenty of festive feels at this always-popular annual Christmas Market at Rotherhithe’s Finnish Church. Browse traditional Finnish toys, design pieces, Christmas cards and plenty of Moomin memorabilia before tucking into barbequed food, cinnamon buns and salmon sandwiches, all washed down with a glass of steaming glögg. 

Find more Christmas markets and fairs in London

There’s a Bavarian flavour to Kingston Christmas Market, so much so you might be fooled into thinking you’ve stumbled through a portal into Germany. As you shop its many stalls, you can keep you energy up with bratwurst and mulled wine or take a pit stop at the Bavarian curling lanes. Live music and Christmas carol singers will also soundtrack the activities to really get you in the mood for Yuletide.

Opening Dates: November 13 - December 28 (excluding Christmas Day)

Best For: Raising your festive spirit

Chiswick’s Duck Pond Market returns for a festive special at the end of November, just in time for Christmas shopping without the danger of last-minute panic colouring your buys. The M.O. of this market is small businesses making artisan goods, so you’ll be sure to find some special gifts among the stalls here.

Opening Dates: November 30

Best For: Unique finds from ethical and sustainable businesses

There’s always something faintly Christmassy about Leadenhall Market, thanks to its Victorian architecture, and it really comes into its own when the festive season arrives, when twinkling lights and pretty Christmas trees return to the shopping arcade. In 2025, three pop-up markets offer an added incentive to visit. SoLo Craft Fair Christmas Market will happen on two Saturdays (Nov 16; Dec 7), offering handmade delights aplenty, and there's also The Vintage Furniture and Flea Christmas Market (Nov 24) for retro treasure hunters to pick up gifts with stories attached. 

This traditional fair will help you have a very Scandi Christmas with its stalls selling all sorts of festive Swedish treats, gifts, and decorations. A pop-up café in the church hall will serve open sandwiches with meatballs and cheese and the Swedes' take on mulled wine: glögg. On Sunday, join a special short service at the church ahead of the market opening. 

Opening Dates: November 22-24

Best For: Scandi-themed treats