Ludlow Medieval Christmas Fayre

Ludlow’s Medieval Christmas Fayre takes place inside the walls of Ludlow Castle, a substantial Norman ruin on the edge of one of the best-preserved market towns in England. It celebrates the castle’s history alongside local and historical crafts, gifts, food and drink.

The 2026 dates

The fayre has been reported for Friday 27 and Saturday 28 November 2026, with a wider Winter Festival in the town over 27 to 29 November. The dates fit the calendar, but the castle has not yet confirmed them, so we are showing them as provisional. The castle’s site blocks the automated checks we use, so we are also checking it by hand.

What to expect

Stalls set out in the castle’s inner and outer baileys, with crafts, local produce and seasonal food and drink, and medieval-themed entertainment. It is a smaller event than the big city markets, and the setting is the reason to come: a fortified medieval castle in the middle of an English market town, at dusk in late November.

Ludlow and food

Ludlow has a long-standing reputation as a food town, with independent butchers, bakers, delis and a twice-weekly market in Castle Square. Combining the fayre with an afternoon eating your way round the town is the obvious plan.

Getting there

Ludlow station, on the line between Shrewsbury and Hereford, is about ten minutes’ walk from the castle. The town centre is compact; parking fills on festival weekends.

Make a day of it

St Laurence’s Church, sometimes called the cathedral of the Marches, is a few minutes from the castle, and the town’s streets of timber-framed and Georgian buildings — Broad Street especially — are worth a slow walk.

Whatever the dates turn out to be, dress for standing still outdoors in the cold — see our guide to what to wear to a Christmas market.