Brocksbushes opens on 12 November. Ford and Etal's 70-stall market is 28 and 29 November; Alnwick's is indoors at the Garden on three December weekends.

Six Northumberland Christmas markets and fairs have 2026 dates confirmed by their organisers. The season opens near Hexham on Thursday 12 November and runs to Alnwick’s last festive market on Sunday 20 December. The biggest in the north of the county, Ford and Etal, spreads more than 70 stalls across three villages and a castle on 28 and 29 November.

The quick answer

  • First: Brocksbushes Christmas Fayre near Hexham, Thursday 12 to Sunday 15 November.
  • Biggest: Ford and Etal Christmas Market, Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 November, 10am to 4pm, over 70 stalls.
  • Alnwick: the festive markets move indoors to The Alnwick Garden’s Pavilion on 5 and 6, 12 and 13, and 19 and 20 December, free.

Every confirmed date

Market Where Dates Times Entry
Brocksbushes Christmas Fayre Brocksbushes, near Hexham Thu 12 to Sun 15 Nov Not yet published Tickets on sale early October
The Alnwick Garden Christmas Fair The Pavilion, Alnwick Garden Sat 21, Sun 22 Nov 10.30am to 3.30pm Free
Ford and Etal Christmas Market Ford, Etal and Heatherslaw Sat 28, Sun 29 Nov 10am to 4pm Ticketed, details to come
Aln Valley Railway Christmas Fair Lionheart Station, Alnwick Sun 29 Nov Not yet published Not yet published
Festive Alnwick Markets The Pavilion, Alnwick Garden 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20 Dec 10am to 3pm Free
Hexham Farmers’ Market Hexham Sat 12 Dec 9am to 1.30pm Free

Brocksbushes Christmas Fayre, near Hexham

The farm shop’s Christmas Fayre runs over four days, Thursday 12 to Sunday 15 November 2026, with parking free. It has been going since 1998. The farm says tickets go on sale “from early October”.

The Alnwick Garden Christmas Fair

Seasonal traders, gifts and handmade crafts in The Pavilion on 21 and 22 November, 10.30am to 3.30pm. The Garden’s fair page says it is free and you do not need a Garden ticket. The same weekend, Blyth has its lights switch-on on Saturday 21 November; see the Christmas lights page.

Ford and Etal Christmas Market

The estate’s Christmas Market 2026 runs Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 November, 10am to 4pm. Stalls are spread across Ford, Etal and Heatherslaw, with entertainment in four hubs, and some are inside Ford Castle, which is normally closed to the public. There are over 70 stalls of food, drink, crafts and gifts.

Admission is paid. Tickets, which include the vintage buses between the villages, are sold at information points in Etal, Heatherslaw and Ford, and the estate says advance tickets may follow. Dogs are welcome on a lead. The trader and entertainment guide is due in November.

Aln Valley Railway Christmas Fair

Stalls in the main locomotive shed with steam trains running, on Sunday 29 November, according to the railway’s times and tickets page. The railway’s Santa trains follow in December: see our Santa grottos and trains page.

Festive Alnwick Markets

Alnwick Markets are running festive weekend markets indoors in The Pavilion at The Alnwick Garden on 5 and 6, 12 and 13, and 19 and 20 December, 10am to 3pm. The Garden’s market page says entry is free with no Garden ticket, and that the move is because of the £6.5 million refurbishment of Bailiffgate Museum and Gallery, which is about to start. Enquiries go to alnwick.market@gmail.com. The regular Thursday and Saturday market carries on, the town council’s events list shows.

Hexham Farmers’ Market

The farmers’ market runs on the second and fourth Saturday of the month, 9am to 1.30pm, on 14 and 28 November and 12 December. It says it stays until 3pm when it coincides with a Christmas market in December; no such event has been announced for 2026 yet.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Ford and Etal Christmas Market 2026?

Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 November 2026, 10am to 4pm, across Ford, Etal and Heatherslaw, with some stalls inside Ford Castle.

Is there a Christmas market in Alnwick in 2026?

Yes, but not in the Market Place. Alnwick Markets are holding festive markets indoors in The Pavilion at The Alnwick Garden on 5 and 6, 12 and 13, and 19 and 20 December, 10am to 3pm, free and without a Garden ticket.

Do I need a ticket for the Alnwick Garden Christmas Fair?

No. The fair on 21 and 22 November is free, and you do not need a Garden entry ticket.

Still to be confirmed

  • Brocksbushes opening times and ticket prices: on sale in early October.
  • Ford and Etal admission prices and the trader guide, due in November.
  • Christmas markets in Morpeth, Hexham town centre and Berwick: none has published a 2026 date. Morpeth Town Council’s events calendar shows nothing in December yet.

For Father Christmas visits, see the Santa grottos page; for the Garden’s light trail, the Winter Lights page. Parking for each town is on our parking page.