The best Christmas markets in London for 2024

The team behind Shepherds’s Bush record store and natty wine bar Next Door Records have a busy year, having opened their second location on Stokey High Street back in May. They’re rounding out a successful 2024 with Christmas markets at both locations, where you’ll find a curated selection of clothing, prints, ceramics, jewellery, homeware and accessories crafted by a roster of talented London makers sourced with the help of slow design collective Goood Things. Looking for a tasteful gift for your coolest friend? This is the place to find it. 

Opening Dates: December 8 (Shepherd’s Bush) and December 15 (Stoke Newington)

Best For: Hip handmade gifts

Every winter the Southbank Centre turns the banks of the Thames into a frosty wonderland, full of little wooden Alpine-style cabins selling gifts, warming drinks, and snacks. This year, you can cosy up at Fire And Fromage with its heated riverside igloos where you can snaffle down cheese fondue. Further down, you’ll find huts serving up truffle burgers, duck wraps, and many more tasty morsels to keep you full and warm. Or grab a glass of mulled wine while you look through gifts, jewellery and decorations made by independent craft traders and take in those sparking riverside views. 

Opening Dates: November 1-December 26

Best For: Snazzy decorations and jewellery

The rides, rink and performances might make Winter Wonderland, but that’s not all there is to Hyde Park’s big festive takeover. In the Scandinavian-themed market square, you’ll find a more peaceful escape, with quaint huts housing stalls selling gifts and trinkets to give your loved ones (or yourself). Live music from the bandstand will soundtrack your shopping, and after, you can take a rest at the fire pit to much on some meatballs and waffles and other market staples.

Opening Dates: November 21-January 5

Best For: Heightening your hygge

The regenerated King’s Cross area will once again be transformed into a Christmas paradise from November, with eight different markets popping up over the course of five weeks. The Lower Stable Street Market offers up everything from food and drinks to homeware, art, books and clothing. Christmas under the Canopy will be showcasing some of London’s best artisan traders and food stalls, with a special vegan Christmas market over one weekend of its run.

Elsewhere, the Mexican Christmas Market will provide a spicy twist on the festive season, with piñatas and a roaming cumbia band while you shop for artisanal clothing, accessories, ornaments and crafts from the country. After its 2023 debut, lifestyle brand TOAST returns to Coal Drops Yard, bringing with it handcrafted and sustainably made lifestyle products, from textiles to stationery. The Illustrators Fair will highlight local independent artists, the Crafty Fox Markets will showcase more than 100 designers and makers in the fields of jewellery, homeware and more, and the Shōtengai Christmas Market will bring a taste of Japan to London. Talk about shopping til you drop!

Opening Dates: November 21-December 22

Best For: Gifts with an international flavour

Spitalfields always gets in the festive spirit come Christmas time and 2024 is no exception. As well as all the usual stalls, stocking stuffers, and toasty food and drinks, there’ll be special discounts, advent calendars and late-night shopping so you can squeeze in some present-buying after work. If scouring the stands gets too much, head to 30 Spital Square to catch Wildefolk Theatre’s family-friendly adaptation of classic winter tale The Overcoat. 

Opening Dates: November 26

Best For: Stylish stocking stuffers

Need to buy something for that friend who always has the most on-point decor and an eye for unique and chic trinkets? Head to the North London Makers’ Market, a veritable treasure trove for all things arty and aesthetically pleasing. Over 60 artists, designers and makers will be showcasing their wares at this special festive edition of the monthly Stoke Newington market, so there’ll be plenty of opportunity to pick up the perfect goodies.

Opening Dates: December 14-15

Best For: Aesthetic homeware for those with an eye for design

Croydon is getting in the Christmas spirit with a lovely festive market popping up by the Centrale & Whitgift Shopping Centre. For 10 days in the run-up to Christmas Day, local makers and bakers will be manning stalls in Whitgift Square, providing gift inspo and tasty morsels to make your Yuletide extra yummy. Expect to find handmade cards, vegan cakes, mulled wine, scented candle, art pieces and much more for sale, while you can make your own goodies at one of the free workshops that takes place every day. Learn how to make your own Christmas ornament, DIY stocking, or decorate a gingerbread house plus more.

There’s a Bavarian flavour to Kingston Christmas Market, so much so you might be fooled into thinking you’ve stumbled through a portal into Germany. As you shop its many stalls, you can keep you energy up with bratwurst and mulled wine or take a pit stop at the Bavarian curling lanes. Live music and Christmas carol singers will also soundtrack the activities to really get you in the mood for Yuletide.

Opening Dates: December 7

Best For: Raising your festive spirit