Christmas Markets in Edinburgh 2026
The Christmas Markets in Edinburgh add up to 12 markets and fairs in 2026, from the chalets of Princes Street Gardens to maker fairs in the New Town, Old Town, Leith and Southside, plus a country house and a sculpture park in West Lothian. The first dates confirmed for 2026 run from 14 November 2026 to 3 January 2027. The mix takes in a traditional market, a family funfair, craft and design fairs, a charity market and ticketed fairs.
The Christmas Markets in Edinburgh at a glance
Edinburgh's Christmas, the city's winter festival, runs its market in East Princes Street Gardens and its funfair in West Princes Street Gardens, while independent organisers fill churches, galleries and arts venues across the city with shorter craft and design fairs. Each market carries its map number:
| # | 1 |
|---|---|
| Christmas Market | Edinburgh's Christmas Market |
| Where | East Princes Street Gardens, city centre |
| Type | traditional, festival |
| 2026 dates | 14 Nov to 3 Jan |
| # | 2 |
|---|---|
| Christmas Market | Festive Family Funfair, West Princes Street Gardens |
| Where | West Princes Street Gardens, city centre |
| Type | family funfair, food |
| 2026 dates | dates pending |
| # | 3 |
|---|---|
| Christmas Market | Castle Street Christmas Market |
| Where | Castle Street, New Town |
| Type | craft and design, food |
| 2026 dates | 25 Nov to 22 Dec |
| # | 4 |
|---|---|
| Christmas Market | Winter in the West End Christmas Market |
| Where | St John's Church, West End |
| Type | craft and design |
| 2026 dates | 19 Nov to 20 Dec, with breaks |
| # | 5 |
|---|---|
| Christmas Market | Assembly Rooms Christmas Fair |
| Where | George Street, New Town |
| Type | craft and design |
| 2026 dates | 5 and 6 Dec |
| # | 6 |
|---|---|
| Christmas Market | Edinburgh Winter Makers Market |
| Where | Fruitmarket, Market Street, Old Town |
| Type | craft and design, ticketed |
| 2026 dates | 5 and 6 Dec |
| # | 7 |
|---|---|
| Christmas Market | Summerhall Winter Market |
| Where | Summerhall, Southside |
| Type | craft and design |
| 2026 dates | 5 and 6 Dec |
| # | 8 |
|---|---|
| Christmas Market | MNB Winter Craft Market |
| Where | Drill Hall, Dalmeny Street, Leith |
| Type | craft and art |
| 2026 dates | 5 and 6 Dec |
| # | 9 |
|---|---|
| Christmas Market | Edinburgh Printmakers Christmas Market |
| Where | Castle Mills, Fountainbridge |
| Type | craft and art |
| 2026 dates | dates pending |
| # | 10 |
|---|---|
| Christmas Market | Bethany Christian Trust Christmas Market |
| Where | St Stephen's, Comely Bank |
| Type | charity, craft |
| 2026 dates | 4 and 5 Dec |
| # | 11 |
|---|---|
| Christmas Market | Hopetoun House Christmas Shopping Fair |
| Where | Hopetoun House, near South Queensferry |
| Type | craft and food, ticketed |
| 2026 dates | 27 to 29 Nov |
| # | 12 |
|---|---|
| Christmas Market | Jupiter Artland Christmas Market |
| Where | Jupiter Artland, Wilkieston |
| Type | craft and art, ticketed |
| 2026 dates | dates pending |
George Street, the festival's third site, has the Polar Ice Bar and the Coorie Inn but no market stalls, so it carries no number.
Edinburgh Christmas Markets, market by market
1. Edinburgh's Christmas Market
East Princes Street Gardens, below the Old Town and the Scott Monument, hosts the centrepiece of Edinburgh's Christmas, also listed as the Traditional Christmas Markets. Decorated chalets sell gifts, decorations and Scottish and European crafts, with mulled wine, hot chocolate and food huts; the LNER Big Wheel stands inside. No entry ticket is needed; rides are ticketed separately. Open daily from 14 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, except Christmas Day.
2. Festive Family Funfair, West Princes Street Gardens
West Princes Street Gardens, below Edinburgh Castle, is the funfair site of Edinburgh's Christmas, with family rides, concerts at the Ross Bandstand and food and drink stalls but no gift chalets. Santa's Stories runs here from 20 November to 24 December 2026. The festival runs from 14 November 2026 to 3 January 2027; separate funfair dates had not been published.
Photo: Frozen Ross Fountain, West Princes Street Gardens by Kay Williams (CC BY-SA 2.0)
3. Castle Street Christmas Market
Castle Street, between Princes Street and Rose Street in the New Town, hosts this open-air market run by LocalMotive Markets, with Edinburgh Castle as the backdrop. Independent traders sell arts and crafts, woodwork, jewellery, clothing, homeware, decorations, food and drink. LocalMotive's Castle Street markets have run since 2007; the Christmas edition opens from 25 November to 22 December 2026.
Photo: Castle Street Market by geek_love13 (CC BY 2.0)
4. Winter in the West End Christmas Market
3D2D Events runs this market in the heated marquee and hall of St John's Church, on the corner of Princes Street and Lothian Road. More than 45 artists, designers and makers sell only their own handmade work. First held in 2025, it opens from 19 November to 2 December, 10 to 13 December and 17 to 20 December 2026.
Photo: St John's Church, Princes Street by M J Richardson (CC BY-SA 2.0)
5. Assembly Rooms Christmas Fair
The Assembly Rooms at 54 George Street, in the New Town, host the indoor Christmas fair of 3D2D Events on 5 and 6 December 2026. Every exhibitor sells only their own work, and the 2025 edition brought textiles, clothing, homewares, art, jewellery and woodwork under one roof for the weekend.
Photo: Assembly Rooms, George Street by SylviaStanley (CC BY-SA 4.0)
6. Edinburgh Winter Makers Market
Endless Love Creative hosts this maker market in the ground-floor Warehouse of the Fruitmarket gallery on Market Street, next to Waverley station. Makers sell ceramics, jewellery, prints, knitwear, textiles, botanicals and homeware, and lead workshops during the two days. Only assistance dogs are admitted. The market runs on 5 and 6 December 2026.
Photo: Fruitmarket, Market Street by Stefan Schäfer, Lich (CC BY-SA 3.0)
7. Summerhall Winter Market
Summerhall, the arts venue at 1 Summerhall in the Southside, holds its Winter Market on 5 and 6 December 2026 with more than 60 stalls, a bigger edition than the last one. Independent makers and artisan producers from Edinburgh and beyond fill the building for the weekend.
Photo: Summerhall by CPClegg (CC BY-SA 4.0)
8. MNB Winter Craft Market
From 2026 MNB Scotland runs the December market at the Out of the Blue Drill Hall, 36 Dalmeny Street in Leith, taking over the slot of the Winter Arts Market, which Out of the Blue ran for 20 years. Independent makers sell handmade art and craft on 5 and 6 December 2026; Balfour Street is the nearest tram stop.
Photo: Out of the Blue Drill Hall by AlasdairW (CC BY-SA 4.0)
9. Edinburgh Printmakers Christmas Market
Edinburgh Printmakers holds this market in its Castle Mills building at 1 Dundee Street, Fountainbridge, where creatives and makers sell gifts and stocking fillers. The 2026 dates have not been announced; in 2025 the fourth edition of the market ran on 29 and 30 November.
Photo: Edinburgh Printmakers, Castle Mills by M J Richardson (CC BY-SA 2.0)
10. Bethany Christian Trust Christmas Market
St Stephen's Comely Bank hosts this two-day charity market of Bethany Christian Trust, where local vendors sell art, jewellery and other creative pieces, with light refreshments and live music on both days. It opens on 4 and 5 December 2026, and some vendors take cash only.
Photo: St Stephen's Comely Bank Church by Mainlymazza (CC BY-SA 4.0)
11. Hopetoun House Christmas Shopping Fair
Hopetoun House, near South Queensferry in West Lothian, opens its decorated Main House for this fair from 27 to 29 November 2026. More than 50 exhibitors bring artisan crafts, seasonal gifts and local produce, with live festive music and an outdoor Food Village. Entry is by ticket; the fair marked its 25th anniversary in 2025.
Photo: Hopetoun House by Godot13 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
12. Jupiter Artland Christmas Market
Jupiter Artland, the sculpture park at Wilkieston in West Lothian, about 30 minutes by bus from Edinburgh, holds a Christmas Market of handmade gifts, original artwork and crafts. The entry ticket covers the Festive Village with its nativity and choirs, the Elf Workshop and the sculpture park. The 2026 dates have not been announced.
Photo: Jupiter Artland steading by Jim Barton (CC BY-SA 2.0)
What to eat and drink at the Edinburgh Christmas Markets
Edinburgh Christmas Market food centres on the chalets of Edinburgh's Christmas Market, where mulled wine and hot chocolate are the signature drinks. In the 2025/26 season the seasonal favourites there also included hot roasted chestnuts, mulled cider and Dutch stroopwafels, thin waffles filled with caramel. The first market in the gardens, in 1999, was a German Market selling sausages, waffles and pretzels alongside crafts. Every Edinburgh's Christmas site is cashless, so stalls take cards only, and visitors may not bring their own alcohol.
Away from Princes Street Gardens the food is smaller in scale and tied to each venue. Hopetoun House sets up an outdoor Food Village with pizzas, hog roast, churros, hot chocolate and mulled wine, while its Stables Kitchen serves seasonal dishes. The Drill Hall Cafe looks after food and drinks at the MNB Winter Craft Market, the Fruitmarket café has a seasonal menu during the Winter Makers Market, and the Bethany Christian Trust market serves light refreshments. Castle Street mixes food and drink stalls into its craft line-up, and West Princes Street Gardens has festive food and drink stalls around the funfair.
Christmas Markets in Edinburgh in November and December
The Christmas Markets in Edinburgh in November begin with Edinburgh's Christmas Market on Saturday 14 November 2026. Winter in the West End follows on 19 November, Santa's Stories opens in West Princes Street Gardens on 20 November, Castle Street starts on 25 November and Hopetoun House holds its fair from 27 to 29 November.
Among the Christmas Markets in Edinburgh in December, five of the smaller ones share the weekend of 4 to 6 December: the Bethany Christian Trust market, the Assembly Rooms fair, the Winter Makers Market, Summerhall and the MNB Winter Craft Market. Winter in the West End closes on 20 December and Castle Street on 22 December. The main market is closed on Christmas Day and keeps special opening times on 24, 26 and 31 December.
Among the markets with 2026 dates, Edinburgh's Christmas Market is the only one that trades after Christmas, with 1 January on its calendar and a last day on 3 January 2027. The Polar Ice Bar on George Street stays open until 2 January 2027.