By 
The Cotswolds Christmas market season starts in earnest on the last weekend of November, when Cirencester, Moreton-in-Marsh, Woodstock and Nailsworth all hold their big festive days, and runs until the last-minute gift markets just before Christmas. Here is every Cotswolds Christmas market, fair and late-night shopping evening we could confirm for 2026, town by town, with dates, times and where to find them.
On this page
We have only listed events whose 2026 dates are published by the organiser, the town council or an official listing, and every entry links to its source. Times can change, especially in bad weather, so check the organiser’s page on the day.
Cotswolds Christmas markets 2026 at a glance
| Date | Where | What |
|---|---|---|
| Until Sun 20 Dec | Woodstock | Blenheim Palace Christmas Market |
| Fri 20 Nov | Chipping Norton | Christmas lights switch-on with market stalls |
| Sat 21 Nov | Tetbury, Northleach | St Mary’s Church Christmas Fayre; Christmas fair at the Cotswold Hall |
| Thu 26 Nov | Stow-on-the-Wold | Christmas market at Beechwood Park |
| Fri 27 Nov | Nailsworth, Broadway, Bourton-on-the-Water, Woodstock | Nailsworth Goodwill; late-night shopping; lights switch-on; Festive Fayre |
| Sat 28 Nov | Cirencester, Moreton-in-Marsh, Burford, Woodstock | Advent Market and switch-on; Christmas lights and market; food and gift market; Festive Fayre |
| Sun 29 Nov | Cirencester, Shipston-on-Stour | Advent Market; Victorian Evening |
| Thu 3 Dec | Winchcombe | Christmas Festival market |
| Fri 4 Dec | Stroud, Tetbury, Fairford, Malmesbury, Broadway, Winchcombe | Stroud Goodwill; Christmas Craft Market; Festive Market; late-night shopping; shopping trail |
| Sat 5 Dec | Chipping Campden, Cirencester, Charlbury, Tetbury | Christmas markets and craft fairs |
| Sun 6 Dec | Chipping Campden, Cirencester, Tetbury | Christmas markets and craft fair |
| Thu 10 Dec | Cirencester | Late-night shopping |
| Fri 11 Dec | Charlbury | Late-night shopping and Artisans’ Christmas Fair |
| 13 to 22 Dec | Cirencester | Christmas Gift Markets |
| Wed 16 to Fri 18 Dec | Stroud | Christmas markets on Cornhill |
Broadway
Late-night Christmas shopping, Fridays 27 November and 4 December, 4.30pm to 8.30pm. Broadway’s shops stay open late with Father Christmas, music and mulled wine, organised by the village’s business association, which points visitors to the four council car parks.
Bourton-on-the-Water
Christmas lights switch-on, Friday 27 November at 5.30pm, according to the parish council’s events list. It’s a switch-on rather than a market, but Bourton’s tree in the river is one of the sights of a Cotswold Christmas.
Burford
Christmas Food & Gift Market, Saturday 28 November, 10am to 3.30pm, Warwick Hall, Church Lane. The date and times come from Explore the Cotswolds; the organiser’s 2026 event listing confirms the market but we couldn’t read its details, so check before you travel.
Charlbury
Christmas Market, Saturday 5 December, 9.30am to 12.30pm, Charlbury Memorial Hall, run by the town council. Then late-night shopping on Friday 11 December, with shops open until 8pm and an Artisans’ Christmas Fair in the Corner House.
Chipping Campden
Christmas Market, Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December, on the High Street and in the Market Square, with indoor stalls in the Town Hall. The market organisers say the 2026 market is fully booked with stallholders, so expect a busy weekend.
Chipping Norton
Christmas lights switch-on, Friday 20 November, 4pm to 8pm, outside the Town Hall. Market stalls trade from 4pm, with choirs and the lights going on in the evening, according to the town council. There’s no separate Christmas market in Chipping Norton this year.
Cirencester
Cirencester has the biggest programme in the Cotswolds, all run by the town council:
- Advent Market and lights switch-on, Saturday 28 November, 10am to 6pm. The switch-on ceremony starts at 4.15pm on three big screens, followed by a short, low-noise firework display at about 4.55pm.
- Advent Market, Sunday 29 November, 10am to 4pm. Over 200 stalls across the weekend, from Castle Street to the top of Cricklade Street and the whole Market Place.
- Christmas Market, Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December, with music and street entertainment.
- Late-night shopping, Thursday 10 December, with shops open until 8pm.
- Christmas Gift Markets, 13 to 22 December, in the Market Place, as listed on the council’s markets page.
Several town-centre roads close from Friday evening to Sunday night for the Advent weekend: see Cirencester’s Christmas road closures.
Fairford
Festive Market, Friday 4 December, 4.30pm to 8.30pm, Market Place. More than 45 stalls and hot food, with the Christmas tree lights switched on at 6.30pm, according to the town council.
Malmesbury
Christmas late-night shopping, Friday 4 December, from 6pm, listed by the town council.
Moreton-in-Marsh
Christmas Lights and Market, Saturday 28 November, from 10am. Over 70 stalls along the High Street, charity stalls in the Redesdale Hall, Santa arriving at 11am and the lights switched on at 5pm, according to Explore Gloucestershire. The volunteer committee’s own page wasn’t available to check.
Nailsworth
Nailsworth Goodwill Evening, Friday 27 November, 3pm to 9pm, with stalls from local traders and makers, live music, carols and late-night shopping, according to the town council.
Northleach
Christmas fair, Saturday 21 November, 11am to 4pm, The Cotswold Hall, with craft and artisan stalls, run by the Northleach Baby & Toddler Group and listed by the town council.
Shipston-on-Stour
Victorian Evening, Sunday 29 November, 2pm to 6pm, town centre. After more than 25 years on a Friday, Shipston Rotary has moved the event to a Sunday afternoon this year.
Stow-on-the-Wold
Christmas market at Beechwood Park, Thursday 26 November, 4pm to 8pm, with food, drink and gifts, shared by the town council. The town’s own lights switch-on is due in early December; we’ll add the date when it’s announced.
Stroud
Stroud Goodwill, Friday 4 December. The town centre closes to traffic for the evening, with the Cornhill Christmas Market from 5pm to 9pm, the Shambles markets, late-night shopping, a lantern procession from Sims Clock at 6pm and over 100 trees in St Laurence Church, according to the town council’s Goodwill page.
Christmas markets on Cornhill, Wednesday 16 to Friday 18 December, 9am to 4pm, for last-minute shopping, run by Fresh-n-Local.
Tetbury
- St Mary’s Church Christmas Fayre, Saturday 21 November, 11am to 2.30pm (Visit Tetbury).
- Christmas Craft Market, Friday 4 December, 5pm to 8.30pm (town council).
- Christmas Craft Fair, Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December, 10am to 4.30pm, the Goods Shed, free admission (Visit Tetbury).
Winchcombe
Winchcombe Christmas Festival, Thursday 3 December (midday to 8pm) and Friday 4 December (10am to 4pm). Thursday is the outdoor festival and market in the town centre; on Friday a Christmas shopping trail of pop-up stalls takes its place in shops and venues around town, according to the festival organisers.
Woodstock and Blenheim Palace
Blenheim Palace Christmas Market, until Sunday 20 December, in wooden chalets in the Great Court, as part of Christmas at Blenheim Palace. Book parking in advance.
Woodstock Festive Fayre, Friday 27 November (5pm to 8pm) and Saturday 28 November (10am to 6pm), an artisan gift fair at St Mary Magdalene Church and the town’s two museums, run by the Wake Up To Woodstock business group. The group’s homepage gives slightly different times, so check before you go.
Christmas light trails
Not markets, but both have food and drink stalls and make a festive evening out. Tickets are needed for both.
- Christmas at Westonbirt, near Tetbury: selected evenings from Friday 27 November to Thursday 31 December, with parking booked with your tickets (Forestry England).
- Spectacle of Light at Sudeley Castle, Winchcombe: from Friday 20 November (Sudeley Castle).
Organising a Christmas market or fair anywhere in the Cotswolds that isn’t here? Tell us and we’ll add it. For everything else on this Christmas, see what’s on in the Cotswolds.
Details checked on 15 November 2026 using each organiser’s or town council’s own website, linked above.
Alex Harrington
Alex Harrington runs What's up, Cotswolds? with Lydia Mee, alongside What's up, Stratford? and What's up, Warwick?: independent guides to what's on, local news and the practical things.