Kingston Holiday Market: Free From Nov 12, Late on Thursdays

Kingston Christmas Market opens on Thursday, November 12, 2026, and stays until Sunday, January 3, 2027, filling Kingston's Ancient Market Place with wooden stalls, a huge Christmas tree and a vintage carousel. Entry is free, and only rides such as the carousel need a ticket. Stalls trade from 10am to 6pm Sunday to Wednesday and 10am to 8pm Thursday to Saturday, so for a "holiday market near me" in south-west London, Thursday evening is the sweet spot.

The setting does half the work here. Kingston upon Thames has been a market town for centuries, and the Christmas market sits in the Ancient Market Place between Clarence Street and High Street, around the old market hall. The stalls fill the cobbled square and the lanes around it, with the tree and carousel at the centre.

The market is run by Keston Events, and the organisers are open about what it is: a free, family-friendly town-centre market rather than a ticketed winter park. That makes it a calmer alternative to the big central London events, and it is easy to drop in for half an hour on a shopping trip.

The food page lists a strong line-up of hot stalls. Original Bratwurst does German sausages, there are Dutch pancakes and Belgian waffles, German chocolate kisses, Yorkshire pudding wraps and a Souvlaki Corner for Greek grills. The showpiece is Pasta alla Ruota, where pasta is finished inside a giant cheese wheel, and a small crowd gathers whenever a fresh batch is tossed in the wheel.

Drinks centre on the Pyramid Stage Bar, which also hosts the market's entertainment. If you want just one thing, the cheese-wheel pasta is the most memorable. Skip the chocolate kisses if you are watching your budget, since they are an easy thing to find in supermarkets, and save room for a Yorkshire pudding wrap instead.

The craft stalls change each year, and the organisers say the 2026 traders will be announced closer to the start of the market, so expect a mix of handmade gifts, decorations and food gifts rather than a fixed list. The sparkling vintage carousel is the main ride and needs a ticket bought on site. The huge Christmas tree is the obvious photo spot, especially after dark when the square lights up.

Families with small children are well served, since the carousel and tree are in the same space and the square is compact enough to keep everyone in sight. Dog owners are welcome too: dogs are permitted, but must stay on a lead at all times.

The bar, food and entertainment run later than the stalls. On the official visit page, the bar is open 10am to 10pm Thursday to Saturday, and 10am to 8pm on Sunday. That means a Friday or Saturday visit can start with shopping at 5pm and continue with food and music until late.

For the quietest browse, come on a weekday morning soon after 10am. Saturday afternoons in December are the busiest time, when the square fills with shoppers from the surrounding high street. If the crowds are too much, Plan B is a walk to the riverside: Kingston Bridge and the Riverside Walk are a few minutes away, and the market is less crowded after 7pm on Thursday.

The market works best as part of a wider Kingston outing rather than a destination for a whole evening. Families can combine a carousel ride and a waffle in under an hour, while couples and friends tend to linger longer at the Pyramid Stage Bar on Thursday to Saturday nights. Shoppers who come for the high street get the most value: the stalls sit right between Clarence Street and High Street, so you can break up a day of gift shopping with a hot lunch in the square and still catch the train home before the evening rush.

The market closes all day on Friday, December 25. On Christmas Eve, the stalls close at 5:30pm and the bar at 8pm, so last-minute gift shopping needs to happen in the afternoon. After Christmas the market reopens and runs through New Year until Sunday, January 3, 2027, a good time to visit if you missed it in November.

There is no Tube in Kingston. The organisers point out that Kingston rail station is only 25 minutes from London Waterloo and is in TfL Zone 6, and the walk from the station to the market takes about 7 to 8 minutes. Buses from across south-west London also stop in the town centre.

Kingston Christmas Market is held in the Ancient Market Place, Kingston upon Thames, KT1 1JS. If you are driving, the town-centre car parks fill up on December weekends, so the train is usually the faster option.

Most traders accept both cash and card, though the organisers say card payments are preferable. Drones are not permitted over the market. Public toilets for the event are in the grounds of All Saints Church, KT1 1JP, right next to the square. The market can close in severe weather for safety reasons.

The general enquiries number for the market is +44 20 7016 2070.

All Saints Church, the large medieval church beside the market, is worth a look on the way in. From there, walk west to Kingston Bridge and follow the Riverside Walk along the Thames, where pubs and restaurants line the bank and the river is lit up on winter evenings. It is an easy loop of 20 to 30 minutes that brings you back to the market for a final drink at the bar.

Dates: Thursday, November 12, 2026 to Sunday, January 3, 2027. Closed December 25.

Stall hours: Sunday to Wednesday 10am to 6pm; Thursday to Saturday 10am to 8pm. Stalls close at 5:30pm on December 24.

Location: Ancient Market Place, Kingston upon Thames, KT1 1JS. Kingston station, 25 minutes from Waterloo.

Entry: free. Tickets are only needed for rides such as the carousel. Phone: +44 20 7016 2070.