What is the start date for the Christmas Markets in Edinburgh?
The Christmas Markets in Edinburgh start on 14 November 2026
The 2026 calendar is partly confirmed: the first of the 12 markets on the map opens on Saturday 14 November 2026, when Edinburgh's Christmas Market returns to East Princes Street Gardens, and the latest confirmed closing date is Sunday 3 January 2027. The main wave of short fairs falls on the weekend of 5 and 6 December 2026. Three of the 12 markets have not announced their 2026 dates yet.
November brings four openings. After Edinburgh's Christmas Market, Winter in the West End Christmas Market starts trading at St John's Church on Thursday 19 November 2026, Castle Street Christmas Market follows on Wednesday 25 November, and Hopetoun House Christmas Shopping Fair runs for three days, from Friday 27 to Sunday 29 November, at Hopetoun near South Queensferry.
The first weekend of December brings five short fairs. Bethany Christian Trust Christmas Market runs on Friday 4 and Saturday 5 December, while Assembly Rooms Christmas Fair, Edinburgh Winter Makers Market, Summerhall Winter Market and MNB Winter Craft Market all take place on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December 2026.
For the Festive Family Funfair, West Princes Street Gardens, one of the three sites of Edinburgh's Christmas, the festival runs from 14 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, but dates and hours for the funfair site itself had not been published. Edinburgh Printmakers Christmas Market and Jupiter Artland Christmas Market have not announced their 2026 dates. The full guide to the Christmas Markets in Edinburgh covers where each market is and what it sells.
Edinburgh Christmas Market calendar 2026
The Christmas Market Edinburgh calendar for 2026, in map order, with the first and last day of each market:
| # | 1 |
|---|---|
| Christmas Market | Edinburgh's Christmas Market |
| Opens | Sat 14 Nov 2026 |
| Closes | Sun 3 Jan 2027 |
| Days | daily except 25 Dec |
| # | 2 |
|---|---|
| Christmas Market | Festive Family Funfair, West Princes Street Gardens |
| Opens | to be announced |
| Closes | to be announced |
| Days | to be announced |
| # | 3 |
|---|---|
| Christmas Market | Castle Street Christmas Market |
| Opens | Wed 25 Nov 2026 |
| Closes | Tue 22 Dec 2026 |
| Days | not published |
| # | 4 |
|---|---|
| Christmas Market | Winter in the West End Christmas Market |
| Opens | Thu 19 Nov 2026 |
| Closes | Sun 20 Dec 2026 |
| Days | 19 Nov to 2 Dec daily, 10 to 13 Dec, 17 to 20 Dec |
| # | 5 |
|---|---|
| Christmas Market | Assembly Rooms Christmas Fair |
| Opens | Sat 5 Dec 2026 |
| Closes | Sun 6 Dec 2026 |
| Days | Sat and Sun |
| # | 6 |
|---|---|
| Christmas Market | Edinburgh Winter Makers Market |
| Opens | Sat 5 Dec 2026 |
| Closes | Sun 6 Dec 2026 |
| Days | Sat and Sun |
| # | 7 |
|---|---|
| Christmas Market | Summerhall Winter Market |
| Opens | Sat 5 Dec 2026 |
| Closes | Sun 6 Dec 2026 |
| Days | Sat and Sun |
| # | 8 |
|---|---|
| Christmas Market | MNB Winter Craft Market |
| Opens | Sat 5 Dec 2026 |
| Closes | Sun 6 Dec 2026 |
| Days | Sat and Sun |
| # | 9 |
|---|---|
| Christmas Market | Edinburgh Printmakers Christmas Market |
| Opens | to be announced |
| Closes | to be announced |
| Days | to be announced |
| # | 10 |
|---|---|
| Christmas Market | Bethany Christian Trust Christmas Market |
| Opens | Fri 4 Dec 2026 |
| Closes | Sat 5 Dec 2026 |
| Days | Fri and Sat |
| # | 11 |
|---|---|
| Christmas Market | Hopetoun House Christmas Shopping Fair |
| Opens | Fri 27 Nov 2026 |
| Closes | Sun 29 Nov 2026 |
| Days | Fri to Sun |
| # | 12 |
|---|---|
| Christmas Market | Jupiter Artland Christmas Market |
| Opens | to be announced |
| Closes | to be announced |
| Days | to be announced |
The numbers match the Christmas Market map. Edinburgh's Christmas as a festival runs from 14 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, but the funfair site in West Princes Street Gardens has no separate dates yet. Castle Street Christmas Market has not published its trading days for 2026.
Dates for the main market, the festival and Castle Street: Traditional Christmas Markets dates in East Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh's Christmas festival dates on edinburgh.org and Castle Street Christmas Market dates.
When do the Christmas Markets in Edinburgh end?
Most of the Christmas Markets in Edinburgh close before Christmas. Hopetoun House Christmas Shopping Fair ends on Sunday 29 November 2026, Bethany Christian Trust Christmas Market on Saturday 5 December, and the four fairs of the first December weekend on Sunday 6 December. Winter in the West End Christmas Market trades for the last time on Sunday 20 December and Castle Street Christmas Market on Tuesday 22 December.
Edinburgh's Christmas Market is the only one with confirmed dates after Christmas. It opens on Christmas Eve (24 December), is closed on Christmas Day (25 December) and reopens on 26 December, then stays open through 31 December and 1 January until its last day, Sunday 3 January 2027. Opening times on 24, 26 and 31 December and on 1 and 3 January are shorter than usual, and all times are subject to change.
When do the Edinburgh Christmas Markets usually start each year?
Edinburgh's first Christmas Market took place in 1999 as the German Market in East Princes Street Gardens, selling sausages, waffles, pretzels and crafts. The same gardens host Edinburgh's Christmas Market today.
In 2025 the market opened on Saturday 15 November 2025 and ran until Sunday 4 January 2026. In 2026 it opens on Saturday 14 November and closes on Sunday 3 January 2027, so in both seasons the first day falls on a Saturday in mid-November and the last day on the first Sunday of January.
Some of the smaller fairs also have a long run behind them. Hopetoun House Christmas Shopping Fair celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2025, and the Drill Hall in Leith hosted Out of the Blue's Winter Arts Market for 20 years before MNB Winter Craft Market took over the December market in 2026.