Skipton Christmas Market

Skipton’s Christmas market is not a six-week affair. It runs on two Sundays in December, when the town’s broad, sloping High Street fills with stalls from end to end, with the castle gates at the top. It is a proper market-town occasion rather than a city attraction, and all the better for it.

Two days only

For 2026, Skipton Town Council has confirmed the market for Sunday 6 December and Sunday 13 December, running from 10am to 4pm on both days. There is nothing on the days in between, so check which Sunday suits you and plan around it.

What to expect

A large outdoor market with a wide range of stalls, alongside live music, entertainment and food and drink vendors. Skipton has held markets on its High Street for centuries, and the Christmas version has the feel of a genuine community event — local traders, local crowds, and a lot of people who have come in from the surrounding Dales villages.

Getting there

Skipton station is about ten minutes’ walk from the High Street. It is at the southern end of the Settle–Carlisle railway, with regular trains from Leeds and Bradford, so the market is easy to reach without a car — useful, because the High Street is closed to traffic and parking on market Sundays fills early.

Make a day of it

Skipton Castle, at the top of the High Street, is one of the most complete and best-preserved medieval castles in England and is open through the winter. The Leeds and Liverpool Canal runs through the town, and a walk along the towpath or through the castle woods is a good way to finish a cold December afternoon. Skipton calls itself the gateway to the Dales, and on a clear day the hills beyond the town make the point.

Worth knowing

Because it only runs on two days, the market draws a large crowd from across the Dales and from Leeds and Bradford, and the High Street is busiest between late morning and mid-afternoon. Arriving at ten, when the stalls open, is the way to see it before the crush.