There is a particular kind of December evening we look forward to all year. Cold enough that your breath shows. Dark by four. A market somewhere with lights strung between the stalls, and the smell of something warm and spiced carrying down the street.
Sunbury-on-Thames is the corner of the river we know best, so we have gathered the markets within easy reach of it. Some dates are confirmed. Some are not yet announced, and we have said so rather than guess.
Confirmed for 2026
Kingston Christmas Market
Ancient Market Place, Kingston upon Thames, KT1 1JS · 12 November 2026 to 3 January 2027
Twenty minutes down the river and the closest proper market to us. Wooden chalets in the old market square, open right through to the new year, so there is no rush to go on the busiest weekend. Free to wander.
Christmas at Kew
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · 13 November 2026 to 3 January 2027 · Closed 16, 23 and 28 November, and 25 December
The light trail after dark, a mile or so through the gardens. This one is ticketed and advance booking only, roughly £29.50 to £37 for an adult, and it does sell out. Check your date as well as the time: the trail stays dark on three November evenings. If you want a December weekend, book in October.
Hampton Court Palace Ice Rink
Hampton Court Palace, East Molesey · 20 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, except Christmas Day · First session 10am, last at 8pm
Skating in front of the Tudor palace. Ticketed.
Hampton Court Palace Festive Fayre
Hampton Court Palace · 4 to 6 and 11 to 13 December 2026
Two weekends only, so worth putting in the diary now. Makers and food stalls in the palace grounds. Pre-booked ticket, free for Historic Royal Palaces members.
Twickenham Christmas Lights Switch-On
Twickenham town centre · Friday 20 November 2026, 6pm
Free, and the proper start of the season locally. Half an hour from us.
Further afield, if you fancy a day of it
- Hyde Park Winter Wonderland — 19 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, closed Christmas Day. Ticketed, and enormous. Best on a weekday if you can.
- Bath Christmas Market — 26 November to 13 December 2026. Eighteen days only. The Georgian streets around the Abbey, and probably the loveliest setting of any market in England.
- York Christmas Market, St Nicholas Fair — 12 November to 21 December 2026. Worth knowing: it closes on Tuesdays.
- Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market — 5 November to 24 December 2026. The largest German market outside Germany and Austria, and it runs longer than most.
- Christmas at Blenheim Palace — light trail 13 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, festive market 13 November to 20 December.
Our own local dates
These are the ones we most want to tell you about, and they are the ones the councils publish last. Spelthorne, Elmbridge and Runnymede tend to release dates in October or early November.
Here is what ran last year, so you know roughly when to watch for them:
- Sunbury Christmas Street Party — The Avenue Parade, Sunbury-on-Thames. Ran 4 December 2025, 5pm to 8pm.
- Shepperton Big Tree Night — Shepperton High Street. Ran 10 December 2025, from 5.30pm.
- Ashford Wide Christmas Market — Church Road, Ashford. Ran 3 December 2025.
- Chertsey Christmas Goose Fair — Guildford Street, Chertsey. Ran 6 December 2025, free.
- Walton Festival of Light — Walton-on-Thames. Ran 29 November 2025.
- Weybridge lights switch-on and market — Ran 30 November 2025.
- Magical Molesey — Walton Road, East Molesey. Ran 27 November 2025.
Please treat those as a guide to the season, not a plan. We will update this page as the 2026 dates are confirmed, and the councils’ own pages are the place to check: Spelthorne, Elmbridge and Runnymede all publish a Christmas events listing.
The Rotary Club of Shepperton and Sunbury usually runs its Santa sleigh through the local streets in December. Routes are normally posted in November.
What we take with us
A market is mostly standing still in the cold, which is colder than walking in it. We have learned to dress for standing.
And we have learned that the evening is really two halves. There is the market. Then there is coming home, which if you get it right is the better half.
We keep a fleece throw in the car, because the drive home is when everyone finally admits they are freezing. And we light the flameless candles before we leave, on the timer, so the front room is already glowing when we get back through the door. It is a small thing. It makes an enormous difference.
If you are going somewhere with a long walk in it — Kew especially, which is a mile in the dark — a Turkish cotton towel folded in a bag doubles as a scarf and weighs almost nothing.
A cordless lamp is the other thing we have started taking, oddly enough — not to the market, but to whoever we are visiting afterwards. It charges by USB and sits on any table without a wire.
And for after, when the coats are off and nobody wants to talk: a hot bath and something quiet.