Chester at Christmas
I love Chester in December, and the Christmas market is only part of why.
Part of it is the market, somewhere between 50 and 80 chalets wrapped round the city tree in Town Hall Square, and the rest is the old city dressed up round it, the black-and-white Rows with their two levels of shops, the Roman walls you can walk right round, and the cathedral’s Christmas tree festival.
The market alone takes about an hour, so make it a day in Chester with the market in the middle.
When Is the Chester Christmas Market 2026?
The Chester Christmas market runs every day from Wednesday 18 November to Tuesday 22 December 2026, and entry is free.
It’s open 10:30 to 18:30 from Sunday to Wednesday and 10:30 to 20:00 from Thursday to Saturday, so Thursday is the evening I’d pick, because that’s late opening and parade night too.
The market comes down after the 22nd, so there’s nothing on the square on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. The cathedral’s Christmas Tree Festival and Chester Zoo’s Lanterns & Light both run on until 3 January, though.
The Thursday parades are the dates worth planning around, the 12 Days of Christmas Parade on 19 November, plus the Lantern Parade on 26 November and the torchlit Winter Watch on 3 and 10 December, which are listed but not yet confirmed by the council.
Last year Roman legionaries marched up from the Grosvenor Museum for Saturnalia on the Winter Watch night, and Roman soldiers at a Christmas market is my favourite date of the lot.
| Date | What’s on |
|---|---|
| Fri 13 Nov | Lanterns & Light opens at Chester Zoo, from 16:30, until 3 January |
| Wed 18 Nov | Chester Christmas Market opens at 10:30 |
| Thu 19 Nov | 12 Days of Christmas Parade from Bridge Street, 19:00 to 20:00 |
| Fri 20 Nov | Grotto on the Square opens at Eastgate Square, until 24 December |
| Tue 24 Nov | Christmas Tree Festival preview evening in the cathedral, 19:00 |
| Wed 25 Nov | Chester Cathedral Christmas Tree Festival opens, until 3 January |
| Thu 26 Nov | Lantern Parade at 19:00 (listed, not yet confirmed) |
| Thu 3 Dec | Winter Watch Parade from Town Hall Square at 19:00 (listed, not yet confirmed) |
| Sun 6 Dec | Chester Santa Dash, 10:00 to 12:00 |
| Thu 10 Dec | Winter Watch Parade and Roman Saturnalia at 19:00 (listed, not yet confirmed) |
| Tue 22 Dec | Last day of the market |
| From Wed 23 Dec | Closed until next season |
The Market on Town Hall Square
The chalets wrap round the city tree on Town Hall Square and spill up the top of Northgate Street, and with the Town Hall on one side and the cathedral next door, it’s a good-looking little market.
It’s small, though, and the space in front of the Town Hall jams at weekends, so try to come at the 10:30 opening or on a weekday if you want room to look at the stalls.
The stalls lean handmade rather than mass-produced, and this year’s line-up shows it, with Henry & Jenkins and The Great British Cheese Co. for cheese, Johnsons Toffees and The Brandy Snap Company for sweets, Mountain Mead and The Salford Rum Company for drinks, and Cheshire Candle Company, Josh Johnson Ceramics and The Silver Guru for presents.
There’s even a stall selling Viking drinking horns, which is the present I’d buy for the person who has everything. It’s not a big market, but it’s a decent one for a present or two, and the traders are a friendly bunch.
Just don’t come expecting rows of bratwurst and German Christmas music, because that’s not what Chester does. What it does have is the Market Bar, a covered bar on the square with live music on select evenings, and that’s where I’d end up.
What to Eat and Drink at the Chester Christmas Market
The drinks are good value and the food isn’t. These were last year’s prices.
- Mulled wine was £5.50, mulled gin £9 and a hot caramel rum £6.50, all served in a proper mug with a £3 deposit that you get back at any drinks stall, which is cheaper than in Manchester.
- Hot chocolate was £5.50, or £8 with Baileys, and hot Vimto, a very northern Christmas drink, was just £2.
- A pint of lager was £6.50, and prosecco £7.
- Gyros were £12, which is a lot for a market wrap.
- A hog roast Yorkshire pudding wrap was £9 to £12.
- Pigs in blankets were £6, a pork bap £9, and a Cumberland sausage from Shires Kitchen £8.50.
- Churros were £7.50, and there were Dutch pancakes, noodles and jacket potatoes too.
Many stalls take cards, but I’d carry a bit of cash for the mug deposit and small buys.
For a proper meal, Chester Market’s food hall in Exchange Square is two minutes away, with pizza, tacos and Bangladeshi food, open until 22:00 from Tuesday to Saturday and closed on Mondays.
Things to Do in Chester in December
The thing I’d do first is walk the city walls, which run right round the old centre, ideally late in the afternoon, looking down on the Rows and across to the cathedral.
The walls are about two miles round. If you need step-free access, join them from the Grosvenor Shopping Centre at Newgate or by the ramp at the top of Castle Drive, because the Eastgate steps are deep.
- The Rows are Chester’s medieval galleried shopping streets, two levels of shops under black-and-white timber fronts, right next to the market.
- Chester Cathedral’s Christmas Tree Festival fills the cathedral with over 80 decorated trees from 25 November to 3 January, last entry 17:30, and it’s free on Sundays.
- Lanterns & Light at Chester Zoo is an evening lantern trail from 13 November to 3 January, with tickets from £12, adults-only nights on 19 November and 8 December, and a quiet hour at 16:00 on some dates. With kids, it’s the one I’d book first.
- Rapunzel is the Storyhouse panto this year, from 4 December to 3 January.
- The Grotto on the Square at Eastgate Square is new this year, gingerbread-themed, from 20 November to 24 December, with quieter sessions for children with additional needs.
There’s a Changing Places toilet at the Frodsham Street toilets by the walls, and more toilets at Chester Market, the Bus Interchange and the station.
Weather in Chester in December
Pack an umbrella. Chester in December is mild and wet, about 8°C by day and 2°C at night, with rain on around 14 days of the month.
Our snow odds study gives a weekend visit a 4% chance of snow, and when it pours, the covered Rows are where I’d head.
Getting to Chester for the Christmas Market
From London Euston, the direct Avanti train takes from about 2 hours 3 minutes, but the last direct one back leaves Chester at about 17:30 from Monday to Saturday, and later ones mean changing at Crewe, so it works better as an overnight trip from London.
Chester station is a 10 to 17-minute walk from the market, or bus 40 runs every 15 minutes to the centre from 09:15 to 16:45, Monday to Saturday.
Driving in, use the Park & Ride from Upton, Boughton Heath or Wrexham Road, with free parking and a £2.50 adult ticket.
Last year late buses ran on market Thursdays until 21:00, and the New Market car park on Northgate has charged a flat £4 after 18:00.
Manchester is 48 to 55 minutes away on the direct train and Liverpool about 40 to 50 minutes, so Chester slots in nicely as a calmer day after the big city markets.
Is the Chester Christmas Market Worth It?
As part of a day in Chester, yes, very much so. The market, the walls, the Rows and the cathedral’s tree festival together make one of the nicest Christmas days out in the north of England.
On its own the market is small, so don’t drive for hours just for the stalls. Come on a Thursday for the late opening and a parade, and walk the walls before the light goes.
