Get in the festive spirit and celebrate December with a very merry Christmas Market. With a wide range of markets to choose from, from your arts-and-crafts to your fairground-fun you can’t help but fall captive to London’s Christmas spirit. As soon as we get a hint of winter, out comes the mulled wine and cider and mince pies as a warming remedy after a day shopping or ice skating. So here are some of our favourite Christmas Markets in London which we recommend you visit whilst you’re here over the festive period.
Kew Gardens Christmas at Kew is an enchanting, illuminated trail through the gorgeous Kew Gardens. Take a walk through the mile-long trail and weave your way through a wonderland of lights and musical installations. It’s as if you’ve stepped into a night-time fairytale; a land of illuminated tulips, giant mistletoe, a tunnel of lights and a Santa’s Grotto. That’s not to mention the fairground and bumper cars for the kids, too. Everywhere you turn you’ll be serenaded with Christmas carols and classic festive tunes from Frank Sinatra to the Nut Cracker. It’s a great experience for families and kids, and especially romantic if it’s just the two of you. Open: 26th November 2014 – 3rd January 2015, 5pm to 10pm. Adult: £17; Child: £12
Winter Wonderland This Christmas Market-come-Extravaganza is a great one for everyone! Right in the middle of Hyde Park, Winter Wonderland is London’s most central Christmas experience and is exactly what it says on the tin; a veritable ‘wonderland’. With a Ferris wheel, ice skating, fairground rides, mini-rollercoasters and a Bavarian village complete with wooden chalet-style bars serving everything from ‘deer’s blood’ (aka mulled wine) to egg nog and hot cider, it’s a great place to go in both the evening and night. Winter Wonderland is also a great place to go for some artisan knick-knacks and you can find everything there from novelty scarves and slippers, to hand-made silver jewellery and candles. Make sure you’ve got plenty of stamina as there’s a lot to explore, but don’t worry you’ll be well fed and well watered along the way with a wide range of food and drink stalls to stop at. Open: 21st November – 4th January 2015, 10am – 10pm. Entry is free but attractions run on ‘token’ sold at various points inside.
Enchanted Woodland One of the lesser known Christmas experiences, the Enchanted Woodland at Syon Park is akin to the experience at Kew Gardens, and is pretty much around the corner in West London. Home to the Duke of Northumberland when he’s in London, Syon Park is another spectacular old estate whose gardens date back over 600 years. Syon Park is illuminated with dreamlike light installations and comes alive at night. It's a breath-taking walk through a quiet part of London and you won’t find any screaming children on merry-go-rounds here, so it might be a better option for those looking for a calmer, Christmas retreat. Catch it for its last weekend, before it closes 7th December. Open: 5pm - 9pm Fridays – Sunday. Adult: £7; Child: £3
Winterville Like any East London pop-up event, Winterville promises an alternative Christmas Market experience. With street food traders and a wide range of drink venues to choose from, it’s a great one to go to (especially for a younger crowd) if you want a mould-breaker of a market. Get your skates on if you fancy a go in the Ice Rink, or if you want something a bit more energetic there’s also a Roller Disco and the Wall of Death, a motordrome, where you can watch vintage motorcycles and daredevil stuntmen perform thrilling acts. Stick around in the evening when Winterville puts on Cabaret and Comedy nights, and even club events, too. You’ll have a Hot Cider Bar, Craft Beer area and an onsite Pub to choose from to keep you going well into the evening, so visit their website for more information if you fancy a bit of late night Christmas fun. Open: 2nd December – 1st January 2015, 10am – late. Entry is free but tickets for the attractions and events can be purchased at various points inside.
Winter Festival Southbank’s Winter Festival is back another year and is – arguably – one of the most picturesque Christmas Markets in London thanks to its unique riverside position. At any time of year the Southbank is bustling with visitors and locals who like to take a walk along the promenade overlooking the Thames, Westminster and London Eye and at Christmas it's even more enchanting. Lined up along the river are stalls and selling festive food, gifts and more - plus, this year, there's a new Viewing Deck Bar where you can take refuge from the cold and warm up with a mulled wine or cider. The Winter Festival also has a Christmas Tree Maze and a number of events and shows to enjoy from the world of circus and burlesque to stand-up comedy nights. Open: 5th November – 4th January 2015, 10am – late. Entry is free but tickets for the shows and events can be purchased at the ticket offices.
