Brighton has a Christmas market at Valley Gardens from 26 November to 27 December, open noon to 9pm daily with craft stalls. Checked November 2026.

Brighton will have a Christmas market this year, for the first time since 2024. It runs at Valley Gardens, in front of the Royal Pavilion, from Thursday 26 November to Sunday 27 December.

It will be open from 12 noon to 9pm every day, according to the council’s announcement on 4 November. The council calls it “a small traditional Christmas market”.

What will be there

The council lists:

  • Christmas craft stalls
  • live music on selected dates
  • hot chocolate and mulled wine
  • a Bavarian grill
  • cheese and dessert cabins

The site is the new public space created by the final phase of Valley Gardens, which opened in October.

Councillor David McGregor, the Cabinet member for economy, culture, heritage and tourism, said: “It’s great to be bringing a traditional Christmas Market to Valley Gardens and making good use of our newest public space.”

He said the location would draw visitors to the city centre. He added that the council looks forward to “hosting many more events at Valley Gardens throughout next year”.

Why this matters

Brighton has struggled to keep a Christmas market going. The last was the Brighton Winter Fayre on St Peter’s Square in December 2024, which cancelled its final weekend because of forecast high winds. There was no main market in 2025. Until this week we were telling readers that none had been announced for 2026, and our Christmas lights and market page has now been updated.

There is no ice rink in the city centre to go with it this year. McGregor said the rink returns “to a new venue at the Old Steine for Christmas 2027”. We have the detail on the rink’s move and on the nearest rinks this winter.

What we do not know yet

The announcement leaves several questions open:

  • who is running the market, as no operator is named
  • how many stalls there will be
  • which dates have live music
  • whether it opens on Christmas Day, which the words “every day” would cover but the release does not address directly

We will update this page when the details are published.

What it means for you

Put the dates in the diary if you were planning a festive trip into town. The market sits close to the bus stops around the Old Steine and is a walk of about ten minutes from Brighton station. Our parking in Brighton page covers the nearest car parks.

If you prefer an indoor fair, the Brighton Etsy Christmas Fair and the Festive Makers Fair are both free to enter in December.