Britain’s Christmas markets are open, with Birmingham and Manchester leading the way — and the biggest cities in Europe are following, one by one.
Birmingham’s Frankfurt Christmas Market opened on Thursday, November 5, and runs to Thursday, December 24, across Victoria Square and New Street, with free entry. It is the largest German market outside Germany and Austria. Today, Remembrance Sunday, November 8, it opens at 1 p.m. — a later start out of respect for the day.
Manchester’s Christmas Markets opened on Friday, November 6, and run to Tuesday, December 22, with more than 210 stalls across ten locations in the city centre, including a new site at Lincoln Square. Albert Square and Cathedral Gardens stay open until Sunday, January 3, 2027. Entry is free, and the markets are described as the biggest in the UK.
London started earliest
London’s Southbank Centre Winter Market opened on November 2 — the earliest UK opener cited — and Trafalgar Square’s Christmas market opened on November 6, running to January 3. The capital’s lights are already on: Carnaby Street’s went on from November 4, and Regent Street’s from November 5. Oxford Street’s switch-on is tomorrow, Monday, November 9 — covered in draft 30 of this batch.
Across the Channel, Vienna opened first. The Schönbrunn Palace Christmas Market and the Stephansplatz market both opened on Friday, November 6 — Schönbrunn runs to January 6, 2027, and Stephansplatz to December 26. Vienna’s flagship market at Rathausplatz opens on November 13 and runs to December 26, with an ice rink to January 6.
What is still to come
The rest of Britain follows over the next three weeks. York’s Christmas Market opens on Thursday, November 12, and runs to December 21, closed on Tuesdays. Edinburgh’s Christmas Market opens on Saturday, November 14, and runs to January 3. London’s Hyde Park Winter Wonderland opens on Thursday, November 19, and runs to January 3, closed on Christmas Day. Bath’s market — the shortest of the season, at 18 days — runs from November 26 to December 13.
In Europe, Cologne Cathedral’s market opens on November 16, Munich’s on November 20, and Prague’s Old Town Square market on November 28, running to January 6, 2027. For anyone planning a visit, weekdays are quieter than weekends, and the markets are busiest in the evenings and on Saturdays. Visitors travelling by train should check services in advance, as the festive season is one of the busiest periods on the rail network.
