Southbank Christmas Market 2026: A Night Out in London

This is the London market to come to for dinner rather than presents. Wooden chalets of street food and pop-up bars line the river, and the Southbank Christmas Market is at its best with a hot drink in hand once the lights come on across the water. It’s an easy hour on a riverside walk, and a better one after dark.

Southbank Christmas Market 2026

Dates

Status: Confirmed
Dates: 2nd November 2026 to 4th January 2027
Last checked: November 2026

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

Source: Verified by Ultimate Christmas Markets via Southbank Centre.

Plan Your Visit

Location and Times

Location: Queen’s Walk under Hungerford Bridge
Opening times:
Craft stalls: 11am to 9pm
Food stalls: 11am to 10pm
Bars: 11am to 11pm
Christmas Day: Closed
New Year’s Eve: Closed
New Year’s Day: Closed

Travel and Accommodation

Recommended tour: Take a river cruise on the Thames or skip the line to go up the London Eye.
Public transport: Nearest stations, Waterloo and Embankment
Parking: Please take public transport to help limit congestion.
Where to stay: CitizenM London is excellent value for money in this area.

Amenities and Attractions

Admission: Free
Payments: Card only
Santa: No
Ice skating: No
Ferris wheel: Yes
Reason to visit: Live performances, street food, cosy wooden chalets and pop-up bars.

Dietary Options

Vegetarian: Plenty of options.
Vegan: Plenty of options.
Gluten free: Limited options.
Specialties: Mulled wine, duck wraps, chocolate fruit, gourmet burgers, mince pies.

Accessibility

Pet-friendly: Yes, dogs are allowed on a lead.

Convenient Hotels

Finding a hotel in London can be difficult if you don’t know the city well and the best areas to stay in. This studio is a great option if you want to be near Southbank.

But I generally wouldn’t recommend staying in this part of the city if you’re visiting as a tourist. Where to stay obviously depends on why you’re in London. But if you want to be fairly central with shopping, theatre and museums at your door, I think Covent Garden or Soho are great options.

I suggest staying at the Covent Garden Hotel for its location and lovely rooms.

If you’re looking for something more affordable, then CitizenM London Victoria is a great choice.

Visitor Feedback

What Visitors Loved

• The setting does a lot of the work: the river, the bridges and the lights across the water make it one of London’s more atmospheric spots for a mulled wine after dark.
• The food gets the most praise, from duck wraps and truffle burgers to raclette and Dutch pancakes, and vegetarians are well looked after.
• It’s free to wander, and most people find an hour or two is plenty, which makes it easy to fold into a longer walk along the river.

Common Complaints

• The walkway is narrow, and on Friday and Saturday evenings it slows to a shoulder to shoulder shuffle.
• Food and drink come at London prices, and a round of mulled wine plus a couple of mains adds up quickly.
• Anyone expecting a traditional German-style market finds the gift stalls thin, as most of the chalets are food and bars.

The Bottom Line

A weekday evening gives you the lights on the water without the weekend shuffle. If you’ve got longer, the Southbank Centre’s winter concerts and shows next door are an easy way to fill the rest of the night.

Event Location

What to Expect

The market is a ribbon of wooden chalets and pop-up bars along the riverside walkway, so you walk through it rather than around it. It’s part of the Southbank Centre’s winter season, which means concerts and shows in the Royal Festival Hall next door and the skateboarders in the undercroft carrying on regardless. Upstream, the London Eye is lit up against the sky, and across the water the Embankment glows.

Food Stalls

• Duck wraps: Shredded, slow-cooked duck rolled up with sauce and fresh greens. It’s the dish that turns up in nearly every write-up of this market.
• Raclette and fondue: Melted cheese scraped over bread and potatoes, or a pot of fondue to share, with raclette burgers if you’d rather eat standing up.
• Truffle burgers: A gourmet burger stall that leans hard on truffle, and one of the busier counters on a cold night.
• Cheese toasties: Thick toasties layered with different cheeses, chutneys and caramelised onion, with vegetarian and vegan fillings too.
• Lobster rolls: Buttered, toasted rolls stuffed with lobster, for when you’ve had enough melted cheese.
• Dutch pancakes (poffertjes): Small, puffy pancakes dusted with icing sugar, sold alongside churros and cookies on the sweet stalls.
• Hot chocolate and toasted marshmallows: Rich, heavy hot chocolates, and marshmallows to toast over the fire.
• Mulled wine and hot cider: Poured from the pop-up bars strung along the walkway.
• Weekend food market: From Friday to Sunday, the Southbank Centre Food Market on the Belvedere Road side of the Royal Festival Hall adds dozens more street food traders.

Unique Gifts

• Jewellery: Pieces from independent jewellers, much of it handmade.
• Prints and illustrations: London scenes by local illustrators, and easy to pack flat.
• London decorations: Tree ornaments featuring the city’s landmarks.
• Food gifts: Teas, spices and preserves that survive the trip home in a suitcase.
• Second-hand books: The South Bank Book Market under Waterloo Bridge, a few minutes along the river, sells used books and prints from trestle tables and is open daily.
• Makers’ fair: The SoLo Craft Fair has set up between the bridges on Sundays in the run-up to Christmas, with south London makers selling ceramics, candles and screen-printed T-shirts.

Sustainability Tips

• Walk over from Embankment: The Golden Jubilee footbridges on either side of the Hungerford railway bridge take you from Embankment station straight down to the market in a few minutes.
• Arrive by river bus: Uber Boat by Thames Clippers stops at London Eye Waterloo Pier, a short walk from the chalets, and you can tap in with Oyster or contactless.
• Hire a Santander Cycle: The nearest docking station is on Concert Hall Approach behind the Royal Festival Hall, with cycle parking in Southbank Centre Square if you bring your own.
• Keep walking east: Queen’s Walk is a car-free riverside path, so you can continue past the book market and the BFI to Tate Modern, away from traffic.
• A plastic-free site: The Southbank Centre holds plastic-free status across its site and is working to remove the last of its single-use plastic.