The Warrington Christmas Artisan Market is booked for Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 November on Bridge Street. Only one weekend is published, against three in 2025.

The Warrington Christmas Artisan Market has a confirmed 2026 date. The organiser, Independent Street, lists it for Saturday 14 November, 10am to 7pm, and Sunday 15 November, 11am to 5pm, on Bridge Street in the town centre, WA1 1LY. (independentstreet.co.uk)

Independent Street describes it as its fifth year in Warrington, “proudly delivering the Warrington Christmas Markets alongside Warrington BID, Warrington Borough Council and Golden Square Shopping Centre”. Both dates and both sets of hours are published on its own Warrington page and repeated word for word on its Christmas listings page.

One weekend so far, not three

This is the thing to watch. In 2025 the town centre ran three weekends of festive markets. Warrington BID’s own campaign page says so plainly: “Don’t miss the three weekends of festive markets from 15th to 30th November”. (wearewarringtonbid.co.uk)

For 2026, the organiser has published exactly one Warrington weekend. That could mean the later weekends are not booked yet, or it could mean the run is shorter this year. Nobody has said which. If you are relying on a market weekend in late November, do not assume it yet.

Warrington BID has not published anything at all about Christmas 2026. As of 6 September its news feed runs only as far as Warrington Mela, which took place in the town centre on Sunday 6 September. On last year’s record the BID’s festive announcements arrived in early November, about a week before the events.

Does this fix the lights switch-on date?

Not on its own, but it is the strongest clue anyone has.

In 2025 the market weekend and the Christmas lights switch-on were the same weekend: the switch-on ran on Saturday 15 November from 6pm to 7pm in Golden Square, with the markets across Saturday and Sunday. (wearewarringtonbid.co.uk)

The 2026 market is booked for Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 November. If the two are paired again, the switch-on lands on Saturday 14 November. That is our inference, not an announcement. Our Warrington Christmas lights switch-on page tracks the confirmed date.

What a Warrington market weekend actually looks like

The 2026 programme is not out. What follows is the 2025 weekend as the BID published it at the time, which is the best guide to the scale of the thing.

  • Over 70 stalls selling art, craft, food, drink and vintage, spread across Horsemarket Street, Market Gate, Buttermarket Street, Bridge Street and Dolmans Lane.
  • A funfair, open Saturday 10am to 7pm and Sunday 11am to 5pm.
  • Costume walkabouts with published times in both squares. In 2025 it was “Icy Days” characters on the Saturday and the Grinch and Cindy Lou on the Sunday.
  • Bar Hütte’s alpine village in Golden Square, with festive drinks, karaoke and live music.
  • The Grinch in Whooville Grotto in Time Square, and 24 Days of Choirs in Golden Square.

Independent Street’s own pitch for 2026 promises “an incredible programme of festive entertainment throughout the town centre”, without naming any of it yet.

Getting there, and parking

Bridge Street is pedestrianised at its northern end and the market spills across the surrounding streets, so the practical question is where to leave the car. Our parking in Warrington page has the council car park tariffs, including the Sunday rates that catch people out. Check roadworks and travel before you set off, since mid November is usually a busy stretch for town centre works.

Other Christmas markets within reach

Independent Street runs the same operation across the North West, and several of its other 2026 dates are already published. These are its own listings, and none of them is in Warrington borough.

Market Date Times
Alderley Edge light switch-on Saturday 21 November TBC
Frodsham Christmas Artisan Market Saturday 28 November 10am to 8pm
Earlestown light switch-on Saturday 28 November TBC
Prestbury Christmas Fair Sunday 6 December 2pm to 6pm
Southport Christmas Market cabins 4 to 6, 10 to 13 and 17 to 20 December varies by day

Closer to home, Lymm Dickensian Day is the borough’s other big festive street event. Its 2026 date is not confirmed either. See our Lymm Dickensian Day page for where that stands.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Warrington Christmas market 2026?

Saturday 14 November, 10am to 7pm, and Sunday 15 November, 11am to 5pm. Those are the only Warrington dates Independent Street has published for 2026.

Where is the Warrington Christmas market held?

Bridge Street in the town centre, postcode WA1 1LY. In 2025 the stalls spread across Horsemarket Street, Market Gate, Buttermarket Street, Bridge Street and Dolmans Lane, so expect it to cover more than Bridge Street alone.

How much does it cost to get in?

Neither Independent Street nor Warrington BID lists an admission charge for the 2026 market, and the 2025 markets were open street markets running across five town centre streets.

How many stalls are there?

Not published for 2026. In 2025 Warrington BID counted over 70 stalls selling art, craft, food, drink and vintage.

Is the Christmas lights switch-on the same weekend?

It was in 2025, when the switch-on ran on the Saturday evening of the market weekend. Nobody has confirmed the 2026 switch-on date. If the pairing holds, it would fall on Saturday 14 November, but that is our inference and not an announcement.

What we are waiting on

Whether the 2026 run is one weekend or three, the stall map, the funfair times and the wider Warrington Unwrapped programme, all of which come from Warrington BID rather than the market organiser. Expect them in early November. We will update this page when they land.

More of the season: things to do in Warrington.

Checked 6 September 2026.