A week-by-week guide to which festive markets are open, when the rest arrive, and how to book Hyde Park without overpaying.
LONDON, England (UK London Info) – There are two kinds of visitor in a London Christmas market: the one who wants a mulled drink and a wander, and the one who has accidentally agreed to queue for forty minutes for a sausage. This guide is for the first kind, and for anyone willing to become them. It covers what is open now, what opens soon, and the booking rules for the biggest festive attraction of all.
Already open: the early starters
According to Time Out London’s market opening list, updated on 4 November, a handful of markets are already trading. The stalls around the Leicester Square ice rink opened on 31 October and run until 3 January, from 10am to 10pm. The Southbank Centre Winter Market opened on 2 November on Queen’s Walk, under Hungerford Bridge, with stalls open 11am to 10pm and the bars until 11pm. The Trafalgar Square Christmas Market opens on 6 November, around the Norway tree, from 10am to 10pm until 3 January.
Opening over the next fortnight
- Winter By The River, London Bridge City: opens 10 November, with chalets, a two-storey pop-up bar and curling, 11am to 10pm until 3 January.
- Old Spitalfields Market: from 11 November, with a Vinyl Market on 4 and 18 December and Urban Makers on Wednesdays.
- Covent Garden Christmas Market: 12 November to 2 January, Monday to Saturday 10am to 9pm. The list gives a puzzling Sunday time, so check the official page.
- Kingston Christmas Market: 12 November to 3 January in the Ancient Market Place.
- Greenwich Market at Christmas: from 18 November, 12pm to 9pm, with a vintage carousel and a 10-metre tree.
The later arrivals are Camden Market (26 November, with Thursday night markets until 9pm), King’s Cross Winter Market at Granary Square (26 November to 3 January, with a roller rink) and Christmas at Borough Market from 30 November. Time Out’s list does not give stations or prices, so use TfL’s journey planner for the first and each market’s own page for the second.
Winter Wonderland: how entry actually works
Hyde Park Winter Wonderland runs from 19 November to 3 January, open every day apart from Christmas Day, according to the official tickets guide. Standard hours are 10am to 10pm, with last entry at 9.30pm, though it opens later on some days: at midday on 19 and 20 November, 23 to 26 November, 30 November and 2 December, and at 2pm on 1 December.
Here is the part that surprises people. The site says entry is not free: everyone, from a toddler to a nonagenarian, needs an entry ticket. But you can get entry free if you spend 25 pounds in one online transaction on rides, attractions, packages, passes or food and drink deals. Tickets are sold through SeeTickets in one-hour slots between 10am and 8pm, booking fees are included, and popular slots can sell out. Advance prices run until 11.59pm the day before your visit.
The page describes three entry tiers: off-peak, standard and peak. Off-peak is said to apply every Monday to Thursday in November, and peak sessions fall mostly later in the day and at weekends. The figures I could read were 1.00, 5.50 and 8.25 pounds, but the page layout made it unclear which price belongs to which tier, and it also describes off-peak slots as always free to enter. So treat those numbers as a rough guide only, and read the price on the booking screen for your exact slot.
The smart way to book
If you were planning to ride and eat anyway, bundle everything in a single online order so that you cross the 25 pound line and pay no entry fee. If you only want a wander and a mulled drink, pick an off-peak weekday slot. Wrap up warm, because the park is exposed. Do not pretend you will go on the biggest rides if you will not.
Ice skating: dates and a rain plan
If your plans include a rink, Londonist’s ice rink list, last updated on 9 October, gives the following dates: Skate Leicester Square from 31 October, Glide at Battersea Power Station from 6 November, Somerset House from 11 November to 10 January, Queen’s House in Greenwich from 18 November, Hyde Park Winter Wonderland from 19 November and Hampton Court Palace from 20 November, all until 3 January unless stated. Canary Wharf’s rink is not returning this year.
Two useful tips from the same list: Queen’s House allows you to change the date or time of a booking up to 24 hours beforehand, handy if the forecast turns wet, and at Hampton Court skate aids cost 6 pounds to hire on a first-come basis. The Winter Wonderland rink prices for this year were not yet announced when the list was updated, so ignore any article quoting last year’s numbers as gospel.
A short note before you go
If the Christmas-market sausage queue has defeated you, consider a little reading. The London Prat is a good one for a bench break, and you can find more of my London visitor guides at The London Prat. There is a Cockney rhyming slang explainer to help you order like a local, a London humor website for the queue itself, and a short guide to what comedy commentary is and is not. The wider network at Bohiney Magazine is happy to take up the slack.
One final reminder: market dates, hours and ticket rules are set by the organisers and can change, so look at each official page before you travel. Then go, eat something fried, and keep one hand free for the mug.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com/