Sopwell House, St Albans 14 Nov

Enjoy festive nibbles and drinks while browsing a selection of luxury goods at Sopwell House. With 10% off from 7pm and the cost of the ticket (£20) redeemable on spa products, you’ve got every reason to bag yourself a luxe beauty product too.

St Albans’ Christmas Cracker, 17 Nov

Street performances at St Albans Christmas Cracker

This one’s a biggie and always worth a spot in your diary if you’re local. The streets of the city of St Albans will be buzzing with festive stalls, music from local choirs on stage in St Peter’s Street (plus young musical talent on stage in Market Place), a FREE Santa’s grotto, festive crafts for kids – including making snow globes, reindeer food and decorations – funfair rides and street performers. Plus street theatre and a stilt walking Christmas tree. Phew!

Christmas Lights Switch On, Ampthill, 17 Nov

Christmas market hut stall with fairy lights

Also on 17 Nov is this all-day festive fair in Ampthill. Featuring a funfair, live music, Father Christmas and stalls plus the town’s lights switch on at 5pm. Come eat, drink and be merry (from 2 – 6pm).

Knebworth Christmas Fair, Knebworth House, 22 – 24 Nov

Herts’ biggest Christmas Fair with over 250 stalls, selling gifts and food from all over the UK under one roof (well, kind of – it takes place in the halls and marquees at Knebworth Park). You can spend an entire day here getting all your shopping done in one fell swoop. Get afternoon only tickets (from 1.30 – 4pm) from £9 or allocated arrival time-slot tickets (from 10am – 4pm) from £10 (£5.50 for 5-15 year olds and under 5s go free) but be quick as most of Saturday has sold out and the other days are filling up fast!

Hertford Castle Christmas Market, 22 – 24 Nov

Once again, Hertford Castle will be the backdrop for this Festive spectacular. The Castle Lawn will be filled with market stalls, fairground rides and hot food and drinks and the chance to enjoy Storytime with Santa (£5 per child). And don’t miss the Christmas Gala on 22 Nov, when the town centre will be buzzing with food stalls, fairground rides, live music on stage from local performers, and a walkabout Santa, with the big light switch on at 6pm in Salisbury Square. Fri 22 Nov (3pm – 8pm); Sat 23 Nov (11am – 6pm); Sunday 24 Nov (11am – 5pm).

Letchworth Christmas Lights Switch On, 23 Nov

Letchworth Christmas Fair — Credit: Emily Packman Photography

The big switch on happens at 5pm but there’s a whole lot more to enjoy before then, including stalls from local stores, fun fair and amusements, stacks of local food and drink vendors, and you might even bump into Santa and some favourite characters (think Olaf, Minnie and Mickey) around the Garden Square Shopping Centre and Leys Avenue. Plus there’ll be a full schedule of on-stage entertainment and a parade from Leys Ave to Eastcheap with the Garden City Samba Band, Elsa and Anna and plenty more from 4.30pm. (12 noon – 7pm).

Berkhamsted Festival of Light, town centre, 24 Nov

The streets will be lined with arts and crafts stalls with the smell of mulled wine in the air. new for this year there’ll be a Santa’s parade and the ever popular elves posting house at the Civic Centre (pre-book only), where kids can write and send off their Christmas letters. All this plus a best dressed window comp and the big light switch on at 5.15pm. (From 3.30 – 6pm).

Harpenden Christmas Carnival, 24 Nov

As well as the market (including a farmer’s market, young enterprise and charity stalls), there’ll be a Santa’s Grotto, food, bars and fun fair. Make sure you stick around for the festive procession, and the Christmas Lights Switch on at 5pm. (12 – 8 pm).

Tring Christmas Festival, 30 Nov

Tring’s Victorian Christmas Festival is the town’s biggest free event – the High Street is closed off to traffic and becomes jam-packed with stalls offering gifts and refreshments (think hog roast and mulled wine). There’ll be funfair rides and performances from schools and community groups on stage in Church Square, whilst the High Street doors are kept open for some late night shopping, discounts (and often free nibbles). And there’s usually a Christmas tree competition, as well as the chance to meet Santa’s reindeer, or a light display in the Memorial Garden, too. (3.30 – 8.30pm).

Christmas Market, Standalone Farm, Letchworth, 30 Nov – 1 Dec and 7 – 8 Dec

Standalone will transform its farmyard into a festive wonderland over two weekends. There’ll be stalls from local makers, artists and producers, plus Christmas activities for kids as well as the chance to meet the farm animals. Tickets from £5.50 each (or £22 for two adults and two kids. Under 2s go free). Book a time slot and stay as long as you like (event closes at 4pm).

A Merry Little Cranfield Christmas Market, 1 Dec

House to Haven wooden christmas house decorations

For the third year, this traditional outdoor Christmas Market is popping up in the Bedfordshire village of Cranfield. Hosted in collaboration with local business House to Haven and Fil’s Hairstop it’s all in aid of Bowel Cancer UK. You’ll find hand selected stalls showcasing plenty of unique treats, gifts and decorations, from mulled wine and grazing boards to handmade ornaments and wax melts. Enjoy live music and Christmas Carols as you shop while little ones can visit the Grinch’s lair (a fun alternative to Santa’s grotto!). For £1 per child – meet the green fella, share your festive wishes and get a gift. There’ll also be a charity raffle.

Pop-up Christmas Farmer’s and Craft Market, Southern Maltings, Ware, 1 Dec

Explore two floors packed out with around handpicked curated stalls hawking lovely artisan gifts from local indy artists and makers, sharing the ‘shop small’ message this year. You’ll find everything from ceramics and jewellery to wreaths, as well as festive workshops, mulled wine and local fayre. There’s a £1 donation on entry (which goes towards the creative community work of the Southern Maltings charity), but no tickets are required and under 16s go free. (10am – 3pm).

Redbourn Christmas Market, 1 Dec

girls in hats and gloves with hot drinks in snow at market

More than 100 stalls will be popping up long the High Street and outside the Village Hall in this pretty village near St Albans for its annual yuletide market. Find all sorts of gorgeous gifts and crafts to whet your festive whistle, local talent performing carols and festive music and a yule raffle with prizes provided by local businesses. (11am – 5pm).

Ware Dickensian Evening, 6 Dec

The streets of Ware will close for the return of this annual festive extravaganza, when the shops stay open late, stalls pop up in town and there’ll be a craft fair in the Drill Hall as well as a funfair in Amwell End and live entertainment from local choirs and performing arts groups. (6.30 – 10pm)

Bishop Stortford Christmas Fayre, 7 Dec

There’ll be over 100 stalls, with some selling Christmassy wares alongside the usual Farmer’s market and Craft Market vendors. You can get your mitts on everything from food to beauty products and jewellery, as well as plenty of hot food stalls to keep up your spirits in the winter chill. There’ll be live entertainment throughout the town, and Santa will be making an appearance, too. (9.30am – 4.30pm).

Christmas Craft and Food Fayre Spectacular, Jordans Mill, Biggleswade, 7-8 December

If you’ve been to one of the popular monthly craft and fayres at this Victorian Heritage mill (of Jordans cereal fame!) you’ll have a pretty good idea of what to expect. They’re all about locally made artisan gifts and treats from a huge array of makers and creators, but these two markets will have an added festive flourish of course. There’ll be different stall holders each day and goody bags for the first 25 families to arrive, (9.30am – 3.30pm). There’s also a late night shopping event in the shop with discounts and tastings on 29 Nov (4 – 6pm).

Bedford Christmas Market Weekender, 7 – 8 Dec

Get your bobble hats on and reusable totes at the ready for this weekend extravaganza of Christmas shopping and festive cheer in the heart of Bedford. It’s put on by creative peeps, (artist and producer Talia Giles and artist Laura Holmes with BedfordBID), who bring you the fab monthly Bedford Flea, Affordable Art & Local Produce Market. You can expect artisan and flea stalls, street food, FREE bubble train rides, and festive rides at Harpur Suite and Harper Square. (7 Dec: 10am – 5pm, 8 Dec: 10am – 4pm).

Shuttleworth Christmas Gift Fair, 7 – 8 December

Held in the grand rooms and Garden Suite at Shuttleworth House (so you can take in the stunning interiors as you shop), the stalls will be full to the brim with food, crafts and gifts. There’ll also be hot food on the forecourt and a coffee and cake lounge in the Garden Suite. Admission is free but donations to the Shuttleworth Trust are welcomed. (10am – 4pm). Shuttleworth in Lights will also be on during the weekend if you want to really make the most of your visit, but you’ll need to pre-book your ticket for that.

Twilight Market, Dunstable, 13 – 15 Dec

The Square and Middle Row will be packed out with stalls for two evening markets: 13 – 14 Dec (3pm – 8pm) and one daytime one: 15 Dec (10am – 3pm). There’ll be twinkly lights, live music on stage from local groups, festive kids’ crafts, a FREE Santa’s grotto and children’s ride.

Waddesdon Christmas Fair and Light Trail, Aylesbury, Bucks 15 Nov – 5 Jan

Waddesdon Christmas Light Trail — Photo: Ben Crowther

This one is over the border in Bucks but Waddesdon Manor is worth the journey. It’s lighting up for Christmas once again, offering more festive cheer than you can shake a tinsel-covered stick at. This year it follows the story of Sleeping Beauty – the evil fairy, the dozing damsel and the dashing prince to the rescue. Wander through the indoor installations and get lost between the trees outside, illuminated by a kaleidoscope of colour. Be sure to also stop at Waddesdon’s Christmas Fair (15 Dec – 22 Dec) featuring a bespoke Food Village offering tasty takeaway food and drinks served from cute little chalets – gorge on everything from artisan kebabs to glazed doughnuts.

Fun of the fair! The best Christmas markets coming to Herts & Beds

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