Southampton, Hampshire, United Kingdom
Southampton Christmas Market
Chalets from the medieval Bargate down Above Bar, with a Ferris wheel and rides in Guildhall Square.
- Dates
- 12 Nov – 27 Dec 2026
- Opening hours
- Mon–Wed 11am–10pm (Guildhall Square to 9pm); Thu–Sat 10am–10pm; Sun 11am–7pm; 24 Dec 10am–7pm; closed Christmas Day
- Admission
- Rides are charged separately
- Address
- Above Bar Street and Guildhall Square, Southampton SO14 7FP
Dates last checked 26 September 2026 · source · Always confirm with the organiser before travelling.
Southampton’s Christmas market runs from the Bargate — the city’s great medieval gatehouse — down Above Bar Street to Guildhall Square, with traditional wooden chalets along the way and a cluster of rides at the Guildhall end. It is one of the larger markets on the south coast and one of the longer-running.
Dates
For 2026 it opens on Thursday 12 November and runs until Sunday 27 December, closing on Christmas Day. The organiser’s own site gives the closing date as “Sunday 27th December 2027”, which is clearly a typing slip: 27 December 2027 is a Monday, while 27 December 2026 is the Sunday — so the weekday confirms the intended date.
Opening hours
- Monday to Wednesday: 11am–10pm at the Bargate and Above Bar; 11am–9pm in Guildhall Square
- Thursday to Saturday: 10am–10pm
- Sunday: 11am–7pm
- Christmas Eve: 10am–7pm
Bars stay open until 11pm on Friday and Saturday nights.
The rides
Guildhall Square carries the fairground end: a Ferris wheel, a Star Flyer, a bungee launcher, a fun house, an ice slide and children’s rides. Walking the market costs nothing; the rides are paid for individually.
Getting there
Southampton Central station is about ten minutes’ walk from Guildhall Square. The market runs a park and ride service during the season, which is worth using on weekends when the city-centre car parks fill.
Make a day of it
Southampton’s medieval town walls are among the most complete in England and can be walked in sections from the Bargate. SeaCity Museum, beside the Guildhall, tells the story of the city’s port — including the Titanic, which sailed from here — and the Tudor House is a short walk into the old town.
When to go
Weekday afternoons are the quietest time on Above Bar, and the market is open until 10pm from Monday to Saturday, so an evening visit after work is realistic — unusually late for a UK market. Friday and Saturday nights are the busiest, when the bars stay open until 11pm. Sunday closes earlier, at 7pm. The market runs on after Christmas until Sunday 27 December, which makes it one of the few south-coast markets you can still visit on Boxing Day.
