Last updated 14 October 2026. Every date below is checked against the organiser's own page. Where a 2026 date has not been announced yet, we say so rather than guess.
Ashford keeps Christmas local. One busy evening on Church Road, a church full of decorated trees, and a Santa who still comes round the streets on the back of a float. Here is what is confirmed for 2026, and what is still to be announced.
Ashford Wide Christmas Market
Church Road, Ashford TW15 · Wednesday 2 December 2026, 5pm to 8pm · Free
The big night in Ashford. Ashford Wide, the community group that pays for the town's tree and lights, fills Church Road with more than fifty stalls: gifts, crafts and seasonal food, with mulled wine and hot chocolate to walk round with. Santa visits, and there is a free grotto for children. Some roads and parking close for the evening, so walk if you live nearby. Ashford station is a few minutes away on the Waterloo to Reading line.
Christmas Tree Festival at St Matthew's
St Matthew's Church, Church Road, Ashford TW15 2NY · Sunday 29 November to Sunday 13 December 2026 · Free entry
Around forty-five decorated trees fill the church, each one dressed by a local school, club or business. You vote for your favourite with a small donation, and the money goes to the parish warm hub that runs through the winter. There are refreshments, stalls and a raffle too.
- Saturdays 10am to 4pm
- Sundays 10.30am to 4pm (it opens at 10.30am on 29 November)
- Weekdays lunchtime only, 12pm to 1pm
It is a lovely quiet hour on a cold Saturday, and the church itself, a Butterfield building from the 1850s, is worth the visit on its own.
Close by
Light in the Snow, Spelthorne Choral Society
St Peter's Church, Laleham Road, Staines TW18 2DX · Saturday 19 December 2026, 7.30pm
The choral society's Christmas concert, ten minutes down the road. Tickets are booked through the society's Tickettailor page.
Shepperton Big Tree Night
Shepperton High Street · Wednesday 9 December 2026, 5pm to 8.30pm · Free
Santa with real reindeer, carols from the local school choirs and around forty-five stalls, all run by volunteers. The High Street closes from 4pm, so the train to Shepperton is the easy way in.
Staines Christmas Parade
Staines town centre · Sunday 22 November 2026, 10.30am to 4pm
The biggest day of the season in Spelthorne. Our Staines Christmas guide has the details.
Boxing Day racing at Kempton Park
Kempton Park, Sunbury · Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 December 2026
The Christmas Festival, with the King George VI Chase on Boxing Day. Gates open at 10.30am and the first race is at 12.45pm. Tickets are on sale through the Jockey Club.
Expected, but not yet confirmed
These all ran in 2025. The organisers have not published 2026 dates yet, so please check before you go.
- Rotary Club of Ashford Santa float. Santa toured a different part of Ashford and Stanwell each weekday evening in early December 2025, roughly 6pm to 8.30pm. The Rotary's follow-Santa page says he is coming again, but the route dates are not out yet.
- Ashford Christmas Family Fun Day, Ashford Community Centre. Ran on Saturday 13 December 2025, 2.30pm to 6.30pm.
- Christmas in Stanwell. A lantern parade from the Family Centre on Hadrian Way, carols outside the Sir John Gibson and a children's disco. Ran on Friday 5 December 2025.
- Stanwell grotto and snow globe, Long Recreation Ground. Ran on Sunday 7 December 2025, 11am to 4pm, free.
- The Snowman with Staines Lammas Band, St Michael Catholic Primary School, Ashford. Ran on Sunday 14 December 2025.
- All Saints' Laleham carols, Christingle and Christmas Eve services. The church's Christmas page still shows 2025.
We will update this page as the dates land. If you would rather be told, the signup at the foot of this page is one short letter a month and nothing else.
Bringing a little of it home
A market evening in December is cold work, and the best bit is coming back in. A few things we keep for exactly that:
- Home for Christmas Gift Set, £24.95. A village wax melt burner and a gingerbread candle that belong together on a mantelpiece.
- Home for Christmas Mug and Cosy Socks Set, £17.95. For the hot chocolate you did not finish at the market.
- Cotton Tassel Throw, Oatmeal, £22.95. Over the back of the sofa, ready for whoever gets in first.
Our Christmas gift guide is grouped by what you want to spend, and the Christmas gifting collection has everything in one place. Delivery in the UK is included.
For the wider area, see Christmas markets near Sunbury-on-Thames, and what to take to a Christmas market.