Christmas Markets are extremely popular in Yorkshire

For Christmas 2011 listings, please click the red links below for North, East, South or West Yorkshire Christmas Markets:

North Yorkshire Christmas Markets 2011
for Christmas Fayres and Markets across North Yorkshire including Castle Howard, York, Harrogate, Skipton, Bedale, Grassington and more

East Yorkshire Christmas Markets 2011
for Christmas Fayres and Markets across East Yorkshire including Beverley, Hull, Driffield and more

South Yorkshire Christmas Markets 2011
for Christmas Fayres and Markets across South Yorkshire including Sheffield, Barnsley, Doncaster and more

West Yorkshire Christmas Markets 2011
for Christmas Fayres and Markets across West Yorkshire, including Bradford, Leeds, Huddersfield, Holmfirth, Otley, Heckmondwike, Marsden and more

The details below are for 2010 markets – use the links above to find Christmas Markets in 2011/12 broken down by area of Yorkshire.

2010 Christmas Markets (see above for 2011/12 Christmas Markets)

Christmas, and the lead up to Christmas, is extra special in Yorkshire and you’ll find an array of varied Christmas markets and festivals throughout the area. We’ve detailed some below, in alphabetical order by town or city.

BARNSLEY

Barnsley Christkindmarkt Christmas Market

Barnsley Town Centre

26-28 November 2010

Friday 9am to 7pm, Saturday 9am to 5pm and Sunday 9am to 4pm

This German style market provides a festive treat for all the family – there’s traditional German Christmas fare – Glühwein (spicy mulled wine) and bratwurst (German sausage) and lots of other fabulous foods and drinks (try the stollen  – German fruit cake – if you’ve not had it before. Mm, delicious).

The stalls also have plenty of gifts and decorations to buy in good time for Christmas. Handmade toys, jewellery, speciality foods and lots more.

And the atmosphere is completed by the lights and decorations. Great for all the family – and an exciting treat for the kids.

BRADFORD

Bradford Christmas Market

2-5 December

Darley Street, Kirkgate, Bank Street and Tyrell Street, Bradford

Over 30 stalls with loads of Christmas treats for everyone in the family. And there’s also some great festive food on offer.

CASTLE HOWARD

Craft & Produce Market

More than 20 stalls selling handcrafted gifts and the best of Yorkshire produce. The market is located in the Stable Courtyard at Castle Howard.

Tue 7, Wed 8 Dec 2010 10:00 to 16:00

Tue 14 Dec 2010 10:00 to 16:00

For accommodation in the area, check out York Hotels, Yorkshire Bed and Breakfast and Leeds Hotels on Hello Yorkshire.

EASINGWOLD

Parish Church Christmas Bazaar

Parish Rooms, Tanpit Lane, Easingwold, York

20 November from 10.00 am

Cakes, Christmas stall, mystery parcels,  raffle for a Christmas hamper, refreshments, stocking fillers, tombola

GREEN HAMMERTON

21 November: Christmas Fair in aid of St Leonard’s Hospice

HARROGATE

Harrogate Christmas Lights Switch-On at Victoria Shopping Centre

Thursday 18 Nov 2010 at 4 pm

Victoria Shopping Centre, Harrogate

Free entry

The celebrations start at 4 pm in the Piazza outside the shopping centre. The “Big Switch-On” with Father Christmas is at 6pm, and this will be followed by a carol service at St Peter’s Church, Cambridge Street at 7pm.

HAWORTH

Haworth Christmas Market

20 & 21 November

Main Street, Haworth

20-25 stalls, with seasonal gifts – something for everyone

HOLMFIRTH

Holmfirth Christmas Market and Lights Switch On

Holmfirth Town Centre

27 November 2010 – 5.00pm

The fun starts with a Christmas Market from 10.00 am, Santa arrives with in his Sleigh at 2.00 pm, then there’s the Brass Band in the Central Car Park with carols and the big Switch On is at 5.30 pm. Fun for all the family.

HUDDERSFIELD

Huddersfield Christmas Lights Switch On

Thursday 18 November 2010 – 4.00pm – 6.30pm

Nelson Mandela Square, Victoria Lane, Huddersfield

Great fun to be had in the Nelson Mandela Corner (at the rear of the library) with the Pulse road and lots of local talent.. The Huddersfield Town players will be there to get the crowd going and Santa, along with some young assistants from the public, will turn the lights on at 6.30 pm.

Huddersfield French Market

New Street, Huddersfield

25 – 28 November 2010 9.30 – 5.30pm

A marvellous mixture of bustle, colour, vibrancy and Ooh la la! in the town centre. The French market provides a great opportunity to buy some of the finest produce from France and other European countries.

KNARESBOROUGH

Knaresborough Christmas Fayre

Saturday & Sunday, 4 & 5 December

Market Square, Knaresborough

The Knaresborough Christmas Market is held every year on the first weekend in December, in the historic market town’s Market Square which becomes transformed into a Christmas dreamscape from years gone by.

Street entertainers roam through the crowds, the shop windows are cheerfully decorated and at the centre, a beautiful Christmas tree with lights glowing provides a heartwarming focal point. Smell the delicious aromas of mulled wine, roasting chestnuts and hot mince pies.

And there’s a vast array of local foods and some of our finest regional specialities. Cheeses from Wensleydale and Swaledale, local meat and game, and pork pies made in Knaresborough. Ah, and there’s sumptuous Christmas cakes and puds. And sweets, toffees and locally-made fudge which will remind you of your childhood (and maybe your parents of theirs).

LEEDS

Christkindelmarkt, Millennium Square, Leeds

A little piece of Germany in the heart of Leeds City Centre

Friday  12 November – Sunday 19 December

Christkindelmarkt, Leeds – a long-established and one of the biggest German Christmas Markets in the country, with carousel rides, traditional wooden stalls, colourful lights and festive greenery to create a very special Christmas setting – a touch of Germany comes to the heart of Leeds.

Over 40 wooden chalet stalls manned by traders from Germany provide a range of gifts and decorations, delicacies and drinks. Plus there are dodgems, and children’s rides and attractions.

And, to complete the picture, there’s Frankfurter-Scheune – an authentic German bier-keller, with a German Show Band and plenty of the best German beer on tap. Great for a Christmas party with a difference.

The maket is open daily from:

10.30am to 9pm* Monday – Saturday and 10.30am to 8pm on Sundays.

* Frankfurter-Scheune and selected stalls open until 11pm

Leeds Lights Switch On

Victoria Gardens (outside Leeds Art Gallery), The Headrow

Thursday 18 November 2010 – entertainment starts from 7pm

One of the largest city centre displays in the UK – with stage-based variety entertainment for all the family with special guest celebrities, chart-topping stars, well-known children’s characters and sporting heroes from the locality.

LIGHTWATER VALLEY

Lightwater Shopping Village Dickensian Festival

Lightwater Valley, North Stainley, Ripon HG4 3HT

Wednesday 1st – Sunday 5th December 2010

10:00am – 5:00pm every day

Free entry & free parking

Ranked by the Daily Telegraph as one of the top 10 Christmas Markets in the UK, this five-day event has over 75 stalls offering one of the widest ranges of Christmas fare, decorations and gifts and has a delightful and enchanting ambience. Ideal for stocking-fillers, hand-made jewellery, Yorkshire crafts, bespoke art, millinery, and fine glassware.

Yorkshire is rightly famed for some of the finest food in the country and this festival has lots of stalls with some of the best North Yorkshire produce – beers and wines, cheeses and meats.

And there’s some great entertainment laid on too:

• Barrel Organs
• Birds of Prey flying demonstrations
• Festive Carol Singers
• Handbell Ringers
• Jazz Bands
• Punch & Judy shows
• Santa’s Grotto
• Stilt Walkers & Fire Eaters
• Superb Local Choirs
• Victorian Flea Circus

And if you get a bit tired after all that, then you can relax and enjoy some delicious food in the Granary Restaurant – if you’ve not already had too full after mulled wine and the hog roast, the roast chestnuts and . . . . . well there’s so much to tell you about, you’d better come along to find out for yourself!

NEWTON-ON-OUSE

Christmas Fayre

Parish Hall, Back Lane, Newton-on-Ouse, York YO300 2DF

20 & 21 November 2010 – 10.30 am – 4.00 pm

Cards, Christmas produce, gifts, jewellery, plants and Santa’s Grotto

SALTAIRE

Saltaire Local Produce Market

18 December

Caroline Street car park, Victoria Rd, Saltaire

A great opportunity to buy locally sourced goods in time for Christmas. See what some of the region’s best local producers can provide to make your Christmas a really special one.

SHEFFIELD

Sheffield Christmas Market

The Peace Gardens, Sheffield

18 November to 23 December

The Sheffield Christmas market combines the best of the British traditional Christmas with a flavour of Germany and France – you can sample Glühwein (a German mulled wine), German beer, bratwurst sausage or a delicious crêpe. But there are also old favourites from the UK such as gingerbread hearts, a hog roast and Aberdeen Angus burgers, all accompanied by carols and other Christmas songs.

More than 70 festive stalls, with gifts, decorations and food, an outdoor ice-rink and Santa’s grotto help make the centre of Sheffield a magical place.

SHIPLEY

Shipley Christmas Market

10 & 11h December

Shipley Market Square

Right next to Shipley Open Market, with an additional 20-25 stalls with some terrific seasonal treats – something for all the family to enjoy.

SKIPTON

Skipton’s Yuletide Festival & Christmas Market 2010

5th & 12th December

High Street, Skipton

Skipton – “Gateway to the Dales” – is holding Yuletide Festivals and Markets on the first two Sundays of December down the full length of its remarkable High Street (named as Britain’s Best Street in the UK in 2009).

And it won’t just be stalls and the rightly renowned range of independent shops that makes these two of the premier events in Yorkshire – it will also be the excellent entertainment from the likes of the Tap Dancing Turkeys, Bjorn the Polar Bear, Winter Rose – the old lady puppet, Musical Ruth and her piano, Break Dancing Santas, and Mr Scratchit and Mr Scrooge. And music will be provided by the Skipton Brass Band, the Accrington Pipe Band and the Barnoldswick Brass Band.

Shopping in Skipton is a marvellous experience at any time of year, but at Christmas it’s really special. There are many famous brand names and two department stores, and plenty of cafés and restaurants to rest weary legs when it’s time for a break.

As well as the Market in the High Street, there’ll be plenty of other Christmas entertainment in other locations throughout the town, and on both days of the Festival, the celebrations will finish with a procession from the High Street to Holy Trinity Church at 4 pm for a traditional service of carols in the grounds.

Together with the market there will be a full range of entertainment in the Town Centre throughout the day, both in the main High Street Arena and at locations across the Town. The whole of Skipton truly has a real Christmassy feel…

Each day of the Festival rounds off with a procession up the High Street to Holy Trinity Church (starting at 4pm) where a traditional Christmas carol service takes place in the grounds,

YORK

Children’s Christmas Fayre

Parliament Street, York

Free entry

Thursday 18 – Sunday 21 November 2010

The perfect place to buy small gifts for children with sweets, wooden models, toys and a range of stocking-fillers with a real Christmassy atmosphere amongst the colourful stalls.

York International Christmas Fayre

Parliament Street, York

Free entry

Wed 1 Dec 2010 09:00 to 18:00

Thu 2 Dec 2010 09:00 to 20:00

Fri 3 – Wed 8 Dec 2010 09:00 to 18:00

Thu 9 Dec 2010 09:00 to 20:00

Fri 10 – Wed 15 Dec 2010 09:00 to 18:00

Thu 16 Dec 2010 09:00 to 20:00

Fri 17 – Sun 19 Dec 2010 09:00 to 18:00

Try foods from a host of different countries – each with its own exotic aromas and mouth-watering flavours. It’s a celebration of Christmas traditions from around the world in York’s own distinctive Christmas style, with festive decorations and lights.

Guildhall Christmas Fayre

The Guildhall, St Helens Square, York

Admission free

Thu 9 Dec 2010 10:00 to 14:00

Come Christmas shopping at the Guildhall in York, where you’ll find lots of different stalls. There’s an Annual Grand Raffle – with cash prizes! And there’ll be refreshments available.

Christmas at Monks Cross

Thu 9 – Sun 12 Dec 2010

Admission free

Not just the usual large stores but visiting traders too, offering their wares.

Made In Yorkshire Christmas Market

St Sampson’s Sq, York

Thu 2 Dec 2010

Free entry

This market specialises in crafts such as jewellery making, ceramics, glass, woodwork, textiles, pottery and painting – and all hand-crafted by local artists and craftspeople. It’s the ideal place for a unique and rather special Christmas gift.

Festival of Angels

Saturday 11 & Sunday 12 December

Swinegate, Back Swinegate and Grape Lane, York

Free entry

This festival, in some of York’s quaintest and most interesting streets, is a unique mixture of stalls, ice sculptures, live ice carving, street entertainment, al fresco dining. Oh, and “snow” showers are guaranteed! This part of York is known for its mix of eclectic shops and boutiques, and some of the city’s finest bars and restaurants.

York Festive Farmers Market

Tue 21 Dec 2010, 09:00 to 16:00

Parliament Street, York YO1 8SE

Free entry

The Farmers Market in York is a regular monthly occurrence, but at Christmas, everyone pulls out all the stops to make it something really special. There’ll be ostrich, venison, organic lamb burgers, home-grown organic vegetables, local cheeses, and Yorkshire Punch (mm! Delicious). In fact, you’ll just about everything you need to turn Christmas dinner into a Yuletide feast!

St Nicholas Fayre

25 - 28 November 2010

Parliament Street, St Sampson’s Square and Coppergate, York.

The Guildhall, St Helen’s Square, York

Barley Hall, off Stonegate, York

St William’s College, College St, York

Since it was established in 1992, thousands of people have come to York each year for the annual St Nicholas Fayre – one of the country’s most popular Christmas markets.

The outdoor markets (in Parliament Street, St Sampson’s Square and Coppergate) feature a wide range of crafts, gifts and some fine local produce. In the Guildhall, one of York’s finest medieval buildings, you’ll find local artists and craftspeople – a “Made in Yorkshire” special display. The Barley Hall also dates back to the middle ages and this former town house will host a special medieval market with craftspeople and traders in appropriate costumes (look out for the mulled wine – as popular in days of yore as it is now). There’s also an arts and crafts market in St William’s College where you’ll find fine, hand-crafted products not found in shops.

To complete the festive atmosphere, carol singers and buskers will be present in abundance, and there’s something for everyone. (Hint, to avoid the crowds, visit on the Thursday or Friday.)

For other Christmas blogs, see below:

Grassington Dickensian Festival

Christmas theatre, ballets and pantomimes in Yorkshire

And you can find a list of some great Easter events here.