Somerset’s Christmas market season runs from mid-November to mid-December 2026. Bath has the long-running city-centre market, open every day for two and a half weeks. Wells has two separate markets a month apart, and the rest are one-day or one-weekend events in a garden, a high street and a railway station. Every date below has been published by the organiser for 2026; we left out markets that have only announced last year’s dates so far.
2026 dates at a glance
| Market | Where | 2026 dates | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christmas Artisan Market | Bishop’s Palace, Wells | Sat 14 and Sun 15 November | £9, £7.50 after 2pm |
| Bath Christmas Market | Bath city centre | Thu 26 November to Sun 13 December | Free |
| Glastonbury Frost Fayre | Glastonbury High Street | Sat 28 November | Free to walk round |
| Minehead Station Christmas Market | Minehead station | Sat 28 and Sun 29 November | Free station access |
| Hestercombe Christmas Market | Hestercombe, near Taunton | Fri 4 and Sat 5 December | £8, £7 after 3pm |
| Dunster Winter Festival | Dunster village | Fri 4 to Sun 6 December (provisional) | Some events ticketed |
| Wells Christmas Market | Wells city centre | Sat 12 and Sun 13 December | Street market |
Bath Christmas Market
The Bath Christmas Market opens on Thursday 26 November and runs daily until Sunday 13 December 2026. Entry is free and there is nothing to book. The stalls line Abbeygate Street, Bath Street, Milsom Street and New Bond Street rather than filling one square, so you walk the market as a loop through the centre, past Bath Abbey and the Roman Baths.
Opening hours are 10am to 7pm Monday to Wednesday, 10am to 8pm Thursday to Saturday and 10am to 6pm on Sunday. Evenings and weekends are the busiest times, so a weekday morning is the calmest slot for families with pushchairs.
The market is about a five-minute walk from Bath Spa station and the bus station, and Park and Ride buses run later in the evening while it is on. If you drive into the centre, check whether your car is charged in the Clean Air Zone first.
Staying in Bath: Alfred Street is a first-floor apartment for two opposite the Assembly Rooms, 300 metres from Milsom Street. It sits above a family-run restaurant, and the listing warns it can be noisy from 8pm. Circus Mews sleeps three in a quiet mews near the Circus, with one allocated parking space sized for a hatchback. Browse all places to stay in Bath and book early for the three market weekends.
Wells: two markets, a month apart
The first is the Christmas Artisan Market at the Bishop’s Palace on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 November 2026, 10am to 4pm. Around 70 makers and food producers take part, selling ceramics, silver jewellery, stained glass, lino-cut prints and wooden toys. A food and drink marquee is new this year. Tickets cost £9, or £7.50 after 2pm, and include the medieval Palace and its 14 acres of gardens. Wells City Band plays from noon to 2pm on the Saturday.
The second is the Wells Christmas Market on Saturday 12 December (9am to 3pm) and Sunday 13 December 2026 (10am to 3pm), when more than 200 artisan stalls spread through the city streets. Wells bus station is about five minutes on foot from Market Place. Pair either weekend with Wells Cathedral, next door to the Palace.
Staying in Wells: Spire View is a house for four in the middle of the city, with a woodburner in the lounge and a view of the spire from the bay window. It is reached up brick steps through the garden. 3 Lorne Place sleeps three, has off-road parking for one small car and takes dogs. See all places to stay in Wells.
Glastonbury Frost Fayre
The Glastonbury Frost Fayre is on Saturday 28 November 2026. Stalls and late-night shopping start at 10am, live music runs on five stages around the town, and the Market Square Christmas tree lights go on at 5pm before the event closes at 6pm. Children get fairground rides in St Dunstan’s Car Park and lantern-making at St John’s Church.
A Park n Ride runs from Herbies Field to St John’s Car Park from 8am to 7.30pm, with donations welcome. With a few hours spare, the walk from Glastonbury Abbey up Glastonbury Tor and back is about 3 miles, signposted along the High Street.
Staying in Glastonbury: The Piggin is a house for two within walking distance of the High Street, with a fire-pit on its enclosed patio and private parking for one car. More places to stay in Glastonbury.
Minehead Station Christmas Market
The West Somerset Railway holds a Christmas market at Minehead station on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 November 2026, from 10am to 4pm. Access to the station is free. The railway also runs a steam-hauled market train that leaves Bishops Lydeard at 10.30am and returns from Minehead at 3.30pm. It is for pre-booked passengers only, and the railway expects it to sell out. Read more about the line on our West Somerset Railway page.
This is the same weekend as the Glastonbury Frost Fayre, so pick one for the Saturday and save the other market for Sunday. Browse places to stay in Minehead.
Hestercombe Christmas Market
Hestercombe House and Gardens, north of Taunton, holds its Christmas market on Friday 4 and Saturday 5 December 2026 with The Somerset Collective. Around 60 independent Somerset and South West businesses, artists and makers take part.
Entry is by timed ticket. A slot between 10am and 2.30pm costs £8 for an adult, and entry after 3pm costs £7. Hestercombe members pay £6 and £5, and children under 15 go free. Parking is limited, so Hestercombe asks visitors to share cars where they can. Pets are not allowed inside Hestercombe House or Bampfylde Hall. Browse places to stay near Taunton.
Dunster Winter Festival
The Dunster Winter Festival is planned for Friday 4 to Sunday 6 December 2026, the village’s Christmas weekend since it replaced Dunster by Candlelight. Treat these dates as provisional until the full programme comes out in November. One event is already fixed: a ticketed Medieval Banquet at Dunster Tithe Barn on Friday 4 December. Dunster Castle sits above the village street.
Staying in Dunster: Castle View is a three-bedroom apartment over two floors of a Georgian house beside the church, sleeping five, with one allocated parking space. Fairview is a medieval hall house for eight that Channel 4’s Time Team dated to 1371, with a wood burner in an original fireplace. All places to stay near Dunster.
Planning a Somerset market weekend
- One weekend, two markets. On 28 and 29 November you can combine Bath with Glastonbury or Minehead. On 12 and 13 December, Bath’s last weekend falls on the same dates as the Wells street market.
- Book the tickets. The Bishop’s Palace, Hestercombe and the West Somerset Railway’s market train all sell tickets in advance. Bath, Wells in December, Glastonbury and Minehead station are free to walk round.
- Check before you travel. Times, park and ride details and traffic arrangements can change in the weeks before a market. Each event page links to its sources.
Questions about Somerset Christmas markets
When is Bath Christmas Market 2026? From Thursday 26 November to Sunday 13 December 2026, open every day. Hours are 10am to 7pm Monday to Wednesday, 10am to 8pm Thursday to Saturday and 10am to 6pm on Sunday.
Is Bath Christmas Market free? Yes. Entry is free and no booking is needed.
Which Somerset Christmas market opens first? The Christmas Artisan Market at the Bishop’s Palace in Wells, on 14 and 15 November 2026.
Do I need tickets for Hestercombe Christmas Market? Yes. Entry is by timed ticket: £8 for a 10am to 2.30pm slot or £7 after 3pm, with children under 15 free.
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