Canterbury Christmas Market

Canterbury’s Christmas market has grown into one of the largest seasonal events in the South East, spreading its wooden huts across the city centre: around Whitefriars, along St George’s Street and into the Cathedral Precincts. Around 120 huts are reported, which puts it in the same league as the big northern city markets.

The 2026 dates

The market has been reported as opening on Thursday 12 November and running to Thursday 24 December 2026, although one source gives the opening as the day before. The organiser has confirmed it will return but has not yet published its full timetable, so we are listing these as provisional dates.

What to expect

Gifts, crafts, Kent food and drink, and seasonal entertainment, with the cathedral — one of the oldest and most important in England, and part of a World Heritage Site — as the backdrop for the precinct stalls. A Santa’s grotto usually opens part-way through the season.

Getting there

Canterbury has two stations, Canterbury East and Canterbury West, both about ten minutes’ walk from the centre. High-speed trains from London St Pancras reach Canterbury West in under an hour. The city centre is compact and largely pedestrianised; parking fills quickly on December weekends, so the park and ride sites are the better bet.

Make a day of it

The cathedral is the obvious draw and holds a full Advent and Christmas programme. The medieval streets around it, the River Stour and the city walls make Canterbury an easy place to spend a whole day.

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.