Nottingham at Christmas
The best thing at the Nottingham Christmas market is the ice. A skating path called the Sky Skate loops round above the chalets in Old Market Square, so you skate over the top of the market, and I’d book it before anything else.
The event is called Nottingham Winter Wonderland, and it fills the square in front of the Council House with a rink, a big wheel, an Ice Bar and two ski bars, with the market chalets in among them.
The gift side has shrunk as the rink and the bars have grown, and the chalets sell much the same as every other English market, so in my opinion this is an evening out more than a shopping trip.
With the skating, a ski-bar drink and the wheel it’s a lot of fun, but if you want a classic Christmas market you’ll probably leave a bit flat.
When Is the Nottingham Christmas Market 2026?
Nottingham Winter Wonderland runs from Thursday 12 November to Thursday 31 December 2026, and entry is free. The market chalets finish on Christmas Eve, while the rink, the wheel and the bars carry on to New Year’s Eve.
Until 11 December the chalets open 10:00 to 18:30 from Sunday to Thursday and 10:00 to 20:00 on Fridays and Saturdays. From 12 December they stay open an hour later, to 19:30 and 20:30.
The rink keeps going later than the market, until 22:30 most weekday nights and 23:00 on Fridays and Saturdays, and the wheel runs to 21:00, 22:00 or 23:00 depending on the day and month.
On Christmas Eve everything is open, the chalets for their last day and the rink, wheel and bars until 20:00. It’s all closed on Christmas Day, and then the rink, wheel and bars reopen from the 26th to the 31st.
If you’re coming from London, avoid 5 and 6 December, when engineering works close the line between St Pancras and Bedford until 05:30 on the 7th.
| Date | What’s on |
|---|---|
| Thu 12 Nov | Nottingham Winter Wonderland opens at 10:00 |
| Wed 25 Nov | Wollaton Winter Light Trail opens at Wollaton Hall |
| Sat 28 Nov | Christmas season begins at Nottingham Castle, with Santa’s Grotto and cave tours |
| Sat 5 to Sun 6 Dec | No trains between London St Pancras and Bedford |
| Fri 11 to Sat 12 Dec | Christmas at the Castle evenings, 17:00 to 21:00, £2 |
| Sat 12 Dec | Market chalets start opening an hour later each evening |
| Thu 24 Dec | Last day for the market chalets, and the rink, wheel and bars open until 20:00 |
| Fri 25 Dec | Everything closed |
| Sat 26 to Thu 31 Dec | Rink, wheel and bars open, with the chalets gone |
| From Fri 1 Jan | Closed until next season |
Nottingham Winter Wonderland in Old Market Square
Everything is on one square, which is handy until the evening, when the chalet lanes and the rink queue jam up at the same time. On Friday and Saturday nights it can be a real struggle to get round.
That’s why I’d come in the daytime, ideally on a weekday, look round the chalets and skate while it’s quieter, and then decide whether to stay for the bars.
The Sky Skate and the Rink
The Sky Skate is the bit that makes Nottingham different. It’s a raised skating path that runs over the chalets, so you glide round looking down on the market and the Council House, and the staff on the ice are brilliant with nervous skaters.
Last year skating was £13.50 and the wheel £8.50, and this year’s prices only show up once you pick a date on the booking site. Book ahead for evenings and weekends, which are the busiest times.
A session is 75 minutes, with an hour on the ice, and skaters need to be at least four. The wheel takes about 12 minutes for two turns, though it isn’t wheelchair accessible.
The Bars
The two ski bars, Sur La Piste and Altitude, are where the buzz is, with booths where you order on an app and drinks come to you, and the Ice Bar has a new theme this year and drinks served in ice glasses, from £19.50 for adults including two drinks, with a minimum age of five. Book Altitude ahead if you want a booth.
There’s a live host all season, plus DJs, tribute acts and themed nights. The bars, rides and ticket office are cashless, and the market traders set their own rules, so bring a card or your phone.
The decking is step-free, and there’s an accessible toilet downstairs in Sur La Piste, reached by a lift.
The Market Chalets
The chalets are compact and pretty standard, a lot of the same gifts and sweets you’d find at any market, so I wouldn’t plan your present shopping round them. For independents, Sneinton Market and the Lace Market are where I’d go instead.
It’s not a proper German market either, and the mulled wine won’t win any prizes, but I’ll admit the whole square does feel festive, even if the Christmas trees on top of the chalets have a habit of looking upside down.
What to Eat and Drink at the Nottingham Christmas Market
Prices are what bugs me most here. These were last year’s.
- Mulled wine or mulled cider was £6, the same as a pint.
- Hot chocolate was £4.50 to £6, and the Ferrero one is the treat I’d go for.
- Burgers were £7.50 to £10, and gyros £11.50.
- Yorkshire pudding wraps were £11 and churros £7.
- Get Loaded is back this year with loaded fries and smash burgers, for when a churro won’t cut it.
The food is varied but not cheap or special, so I’d have a drink and a snack on the square and eat properly somewhere nearby, ideally at Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, the old pub cut into the caves under Castle Rock, about ten minutes’ walk away.
Things to Do in Nottingham in December
Nottingham’s other Christmas events are worth more of your time than the chalets.
- Christmas at the Castle is a new council event at Nottingham Castle on 11 and 12 December, 17:00 to 21:00, for just £2, and it’s the one I’d book.
- Nottingham Castle at Christmas also has Santa’s Grotto (£9 a child) and cave tours from 28 November to 3 January, with festive afternoon teas on 12, 13, 19 and 20 December. Castle entry is £18 for adults, valid for a year, and under-16s go free. There’s no Christmas market at the castle, though, so don’t go up expecting chalets.
- The Wollaton Winter Light Trail lights up the grounds of Wollaton Hall from 25 November to 2 January, from £17 for adults, and dogs are welcome.
- Panto season brings Jack and the Beanstalk to the Theatre Royal from 28 November and Aladdin to the Playhouse from 27 November.
Weather in Nottingham in December
Wrap up for wind on the open square. Nottingham in December is cold and grey, about 7°C by day and 2°C at night, with rain on around 12 days of the month.
Snow is unlikely, with our snow odds study giving a weekend visit a 5% chance.
Getting to Nottingham for the Christmas Market
From London St Pancras the train takes about 1 hour 35 minutes, two an hour, and the station is a 12-minute walk from Old Market Square. The tram stops right beside the event, £3.60 for a single.
Driving in, the seven tram Park & Ride sites have 5,000 free spaces between them, and that’s far easier than parking in town.
If you’d rather park centrally, the Victoria Centre is £4.70 for two hours or £6 for the evening. Buses finish early on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, so check yours.
Birmingham is about 1 hour 15 minutes away by direct train, and its market is far bigger, so with time for both, Nottingham works as the skating night and Birmingham as the market day. Just note that Birmingham New Street is closed from 24 to 28 December.
Lincoln, 50 minutes away by train, doesn’t have its big street market this year, but it does have a first, ticketed Christmas market at the cathedral from 3 to 5 December.
Is the Nottingham Christmas Market Worth It?
For a night out, yes. Skating the Sky Skate, a ride on the wheel and a drink in the ski bars make for a good evening, especially with friends.
As a Christmas market, it’s on the small and samey side, and it gets very crowded, so come in the daytime on a weekday, book the skating, and add Christmas at the Castle if your dates line up.
