Christmas in Cambridge

Christmas in Cambridge takes over Parker’s Piece, the broad green on the edge of the city centre that is best known as the place where the Cambridge football rules were drawn up in the nineteenth century. For the festive season it becomes a winter festival: an ice rink, a big wheel, curling lanes, an Alpine lodge, a funfair and a Christmas market, with Father Christmas visiting.

Free to enter — the attractions are extra

Walking in costs nothing, and the market and the atmosphere are free. The ice rink, the big wheel, curling and the rides are charged separately, so budget for those if you are bringing children. That makes it a good-value evening out if you mostly want to wander and eat, and a more expensive one if everyone wants a turn on everything.

Dates

For 2026 it opens on 13 November and runs to 3 January 2027, open seven days a week. That long season makes it one of the few big festive events in the East of England still running between Christmas and New Year. The organiser has not published whether it opens on Christmas Day itself, so check before planning around the 25th.

What’s there

Alongside the rink and the wheel you will find the market stalls, street food vendors, a Christmas tipi for drinks and live music, and bumper cars for children. It is a festival rather than a craft market — come for the atmosphere and the skating rather than for handmade presents.

Getting there

Parker’s Piece is a short walk from the Grafton Centre and the Grand Arcade, and about twenty minutes on foot from Cambridge station, or a few minutes on one of the frequent buses. Cambridge city centre is notoriously difficult to drive and park in; the park and ride sites are the sensible option.

Make a day of it

The colleges are ten minutes’ walk away. King’s College Chapel is spectacular at any time and especially in Advent — its Christmas Eve service of Nine Lessons and Carols is broadcast around the world. The Fitzwilliam Museum is free to enter and a good refuge from the cold.