Leeds Christmas Market 2026: Xmas Dates Announced

Until 2019, the Christkindelmarkt here was the real thing, organised with Frankfurt City Council and stocked by German traders. Rising travel and visa costs ended that, and the Leeds Christmas Market, which returned under a British operator, is a different event: heavier on rides and bars, lighter on craft stalls, and split across several sites rather than one.

Leeds Christmas Market 2026

Dates

Status: Confirmed
Leeds dates: 19th November to 23rd December 2026
Last checked: August 2026

Update: Dates were announced in August. Sign up for our newsletter to be notified of changes.

Source: Verified by Ultimate Christmas Markets via Leeds Christmas.

Note: The following details are for the central City Square market. Scroll down for details on the other markets.

Plan Your Visit

Location and Times

Location: City Square.
Opening times:
Monday to Wednesday: 10am to 7pm.
Thursday to Saturday: 10am to 9pm.
Sunday: 11am to 6pm.
Christmas Day: Closed.

Travel and Accommodation

Recommended tour: Highlights walking tour is popular.
Public transport: Train: Leeds Station. Buses run regularly.
Parking: Please take public transport to help limit congestion. Q-Park Albion Street is nearby.
Payments: Most stalls accept card payments, but carrying some cash is advisable.
Travel tip: There are many events and the ice rink taking place this year. Visit early in the day and during the week to avoid the expected crowds.
Where to stay: Quebecs Hotel is just around the corner from City Square.

Amenities and Attractions

Admission: Free.
Lights switch-on: Not announced.
Santa: Father Christmas Grotto.
Advent Calendar: Open during Advent.
Ice skating: Ice Cube at Millennium Square.

Dietary Options

Vegetarian: Plenty of options.
Vegan: Some options.
Gluten-free: Limited. Ask individual vendors, but beware of cross-contamination.
Food specialities: Hog roast, Italian chocolates, and German specialties like gluhwein, bratwurst and schnitzel.

Accessibility

Accessible: Yes. City Square is step-free and centrally located, making it accessible for most visitors.
Toilets: Near THOR’s tipi bar.
Pet-friendly: Dogs are allowed in outdoor areas. Please note the market can get busy during peak periods.

Convenient Hotels

Millennium Square is north of the City Centre, with most hotels just to the south. The Quebecs Hotel at City Square is good value in this area and is a 6-minute walk from Millennium Square.

Read my hotels in Leeds guide for more options on where to stay.

Discover more places to go with my UK Christmas Markets list.

Visitor Feedback

What Visitors Loved

• The two main sites sit close together with stalls along the route between them, so you can cover the lot without planning anything.
• Food gets the most consistent praise, particularly the range of nationalities represented rather than a straight German line-up.
• The Ice Cube rink and the fairground rides carry the family appeal, and they run on past the market’s closing date.
• Several visitors said the wider city centre lighting was the best part, worth a wander even if you don’t stop at a single stall.

Common Complaints

• Repetition is the biggest gripe. Visitors report seeing the same products across multiple stalls, with crepes and sweets particularly over-represented.
• People who have been to York, Manchester or Birmingham consistently rate Leeds below them, and anyone expecting a German market is usually disappointed.
• Regulars from the pre-2019 years say rides have taken over from stalls, especially at Millennium Square, which now reads more funfair than market.
• Drink pricing draws complaints, with the cup deposit on mulled wine catching people out on top of an already steep price.
• Friday and Saturday evenings between 6pm and 8pm get badly congested, and queues at popular stalls block access to the ones either side.

The Bottom Line

Leeds is a good add-on to a shopping trip or a night out rather than a market worth travelling for, and if you are choosing between Yorkshire cities, York wins on atmosphere. Go on a weekday, eat your way round City Square, and treat Millennium Square as the kids’ half of the day.

Market Location

Additional Markets

Little Bird Artisan Market

Little Bird runs makers markets across Yorkshire and brings the same stallholders to Bond Court, just off Park Row. This is where the handmade goods actually are, so it is worth the five minute detour if the main market’s stock feels repetitive.

Status: Confirmed
Dates: 20th December 2026
Location: Briggate, Leeds
Opening times: 11am to 5pm
Christmas Day: Closed.
Website: Little Bird

Leeds Corn Exchange

Cuthbert Brodrick’s domed Victorian trading hall now houses independent retailers year round, and it puts on a run of seasonal events underneath the glass roof. Craft fairs, live music and evening markets bring in local restaurants alongside Yorkshire distilleries and breweries.

Status: Expected, based on previous years
Little Fox Charity Craft Fair: TBA
The Mindful Lock-In Night Market: TBA – 6pm to 9pm.
Location: Leeds Corn Exchange
Website: More information

Kirkgate Market

Michael Marks set up his penny bazaar here in 1884, making this the birthplace of Marks and Spencer, and the Grade I listed hall is still a working market rather than a tourist attraction. Seasonal pop-ups join the permanent food and produce traders through November and December.

Status: Expected, based on previous years
Little Fox Charity Craft Fair: TBA
Location: Vicar Lane
Opening times:
Monday to Wednesday: 8am to 5pm
Thursday to Saturday: 7:30am to 5pm
Sunday: Closed
Website: More information

Christmas at Harewood

Held at Harewood House, 25 minutes north of Leeds, showcasing local crafts and artisanal products in a historic setting. In collaboration with Little Bird Made.

Status: Confirmed
Christmas at Harewood: 6th November 2026 to 3rd January 2027
Christmas Market: 6th to 8th and 27th to 29th November 2026
Location: North Park Walk, Harewood House
Tickets: Book online

Sunny Bank Mills

A former woollen mill in Farsley, now studios and a gallery, hosting an artist and makers market across three days. The work here leans towards art, ceramics and textiles rather than seasonal gifts, which makes it the pick if you want something you will not see on a market stall.

Status: Confirmed
Dates: 27th to 29th November 2026
Location: Sunny Bank Mills
Opening times:
Friday: 2pm to 8pm.
Saturday and Sunday: 10am to 5pm (different stalls each day).
Admission: £3.50 at the door.
Website: Full details available here.

What to Expect

City Square holds the food and craft chalets under the Christkindelmarkt name, along with the covered bars. Millennium Square, Victoria Gardens and Cookridge Street go the other way entirely: the Ice Cube rink, the Wheel of Light, the Starflyer and a funfair aimed at families. The two are a short walk apart via Park Row and the Headrow, with stalls dotted along the way.

Food is the strongest part of the offering. The German staples are there, but so are Portuguese, French and Chinese vendors, plus the hog roast and Yorkshire pudding wraps that give it some regional character.

For anything handmade, head away from the two main squares. Little Bird at Bond Court, the Corn Exchange evening events and Kirkgate Market are where the independent makers and Yorkshire producers are, and all three are within a few minutes of City Square.

Food Specialties

• Yorkshire pudding wrap: roast meat, veg and gravy rolled into a Yorkshire pudding, the one genuinely local thing on the market
• Hog roast: carved to order with stuffing and apple sauce
• Bratwurst and currywurst: the German holdovers, served from the City Square chalets
• Glühwein: mulled wine sold from the covered bars, usually with a cup deposit on top of the drink price
• International stalls: Portuguese, French and Chinese vendors sit alongside the German ones, which is unusual for a UK market
• Italian chocolates: a long-running fixture among the sweet stalls

Sustainability

• Skip the car: Leeds Station opens directly onto City Square, so you can be at the market within two minutes of stepping off the platform.
• Shop the independents: Little Bird at Bond Court and the Corn Exchange traders sell handmade and Yorkshire-produced goods, which is not true of much of the main market stock.
• Buy food at Kirkgate Market: one of the UK’s largest indoor markets, with independent stallholders and fresh produce a few minutes’ walk from the festive sites.
• Return your cup: the bars charge a deposit on souvenir cups. Hand it back rather than binning it if you don’t want to take it home.
• Bring a bottle: refill points around the city centre save you buying single-use plastic.
• Spread your spending: Harewood and Sunny Bank Mills sit outside the centre and get a fraction of the footfall, so your money goes further for the traders there.