Christmas markets in Kent 2026
Christmas markets are one of the easiest festive days out: most are free to visit, they pair well with lunch out, and many sit in a historic setting. These are the Kent markets with confirmed 2026 dates.
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Canterbury Christmas Market
Canterbury city centre and Cathedral Precincts, Canterbury · 12 November to 24 December 2026
Canterbury's Christmas market fills the city's streets with wooden huts selling gifts, decorations and seasonal food, with stalls reaching into the Cathedral Precincts. Families can book a Santa's Grotto, breakfast with Santa or VR experiences, and live music runs through the season. The city's lights are switched on across four stages on Friday 13 November.
- Price:
- Free
- Dates:
- Daily from 12 November to 24 December 2026 (the organiser lists 12 November; Visit Canterbury lists the market and light switch-on together on Friday 13 November). City light switch-on is Friday 13 November from 5pm
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Festive Marketplace at Folkestone Harbour Arm
Folkestone Harbour Arm, Folkestone · 13 November to 24 December 2026
Folkestone Harbour Arm's festive market runs on weekends from mid November and every day in the final week before Christmas, with stalls along the harbour and its food and drink traders. It opens with the Christmas lights switch-on on Friday 13 November. After Christmas, Crimbo Limbo keeps things going from 26 December to 3 January.
- Price:
- Free
- Dates:
- Fridays to Sundays from 13 November, then daily from 18 to 24 December 2026. Usually 11am to 7pm on Fridays and Saturdays and 11am to 6pm on Sundays (opening night 13 November 4pm to 8pm). The Christmas lights switch-on is on 13 November at 7pm.
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The Pantiles Boutique Christmas Markets
The Pantiles, Tunbridge Wells · 13 November to 24 December 2026
Wooden chalets line the Georgian colonnade of the Pantiles on weekends through November and December, selling gifts from independent makers. Live musicians, community choirs and local theatre groups perform, including mini pantomime shows. The market runs every day in the final week before Christmas.
- Price:
- Free
- Dates:
- Fridays to Sundays from 13 November, then daily from 18 to 24 December 2026. 11am to 8pm (6pm on 24 December)
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Christmas Gift Market at the Rare Breeds Centre
Rare Breeds Centre, Woodchurch, near Ashford · 14 November to 15 November 2026
A two-day Christmas gift market in Benson Barn at the Rare Breeds Centre, beside the car park, with free entry. It is a low-key place to start Christmas shopping, and the farm is open for a day out too.
- Price:
- Free
- Dates:
- Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 November 2026, 10am to 3.30pm, in Benson Barn next to the car park.
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Christmas Market at Chartwell
Chartwell (National Trust), Westerham · 19 November to 22 November 2026
Local makers and food producers sell handmade gifts in a covered marquee at Chartwell over four days in late November. The estate shop, one of the largest in the National Trust, is open for Churchill-themed presents. Buy a garden ticket if you want to hear the live carols in the grounds at the weekend.
- Price:
- Normal admission or membership applies for the garden, grounds and studio, including the weekend carols. Parking is paid unless you validate a membership card.
- Dates:
- Thursday 19 to Sunday 22 November 2026, 10am to 4pm. Carols in the grounds at the weekend
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Tonbridge Christmas Fest
Tonbridge Castle, Tonbridge · 27 November to 13 December 2026
A free festive market at Tonbridge Castle across three long weekends, with a market village of handmade gifts, a food village and a Christmas lounge. Families can book a grotto visit, shows and character meet and greets, while 18-plus evenings cater for adults. Santa's Post Office and a Christmas tree parade add to the atmosphere.
- Price:
- Free
- Dates:
- Three weekends: 27 to 29 November, 3 to 6 December and 10 to 13 December 2026. Weekdays 1pm to 7pm, weekends 10.30am to 7pm, early close on Sunday 29 November
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Rochester Dickensian Christmas Festival
Rochester High Street and Castle Gardens, Rochester · 5 December to 6 December 2026
Historic Rochester turns Victorian for a weekend, with costumed Dickens characters, parades and street performers filling the town centre. A Christmas market runs at Rochester Castle alongside a Bavarian-style food village and a funfair, and the organisers promise snow. Parking in the centre is limited, so the organisers recommend public transport.
- Price:
- Free
- Dates:
- Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December 2026, 10am to 6pm
Questions people ask
Are Christmas markets free to enter?
Town and city markets are usually free. Markets inside historic houses or gardens may require normal admission or a ticket, which each listing notes where published.