A Cotswolds Christmas: markets, fairs and festive days out
Town-hall fairs, evening shopping streets and separately ticketed estate visits, with a country inn between them.
Archive 2018. Photo: Brian Robert Marshall / CC BY-SA 2.0
Our verdict
Our pick
Choose one main event each day
Match the town fair or shopping evening to its published dates, then choose a nearby base. Add Sudeley or Westonbirt only with its own trail booking and arrival plan.
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Saturday outdoor market noon–5pm; Town Hall market Saturday and Sunday 10am–5pm.
Make the High Street your Saturday starting point: the Christmas market brings food stalls to Market Square and gifts into the Town Hall. Stay for the lights at dusk, or choose Sunday for the indoor market. The outdoor celebration is Saturday only, so match your visit to the experience you want.
Tickets and timing
Visitor admission charges are not stated on the organiser’s page. The notice about booked-out outdoor spaces concerns stallholders, not visitor admission.
Getting there
For Saturday, the town’s Christmas page directs parking to Chipping Campden School, Cider Mill Lane, and warns of the High Street closure. Moreton-in-Marsh and Evesham are the nearby rail options; check onward buses or pre-book a taxi and return journey.
Accessibility
The indoor market uses both Town Hall floors. An event-specific step-free route or lift arrangement is not published; ask the organiser before travelling if stairs are a barrier.
A High Street coaching-inn base in Chipping Campden, with bedrooms, a bar, restaurant and coffee shop. Handy for spending market day in town; confirm parking and room access directly.
Photo: Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK / CC BY 2.0
The Lygon Arms
Broadway’s High Street hotel has bedrooms, dining and a spa. Choose it for an overnight stop after late shopping; book treatments and dinner separately where required.
Tetbury’s craft-market evening is a compact Christmas shopping stop rather than an all-day fair. Browse for gifts, then make your own dinner plans in town. The council’s notice confirms the date and hours, but the 2026 stallholder and food line-up is still to be published.
Tickets and timing
The council has not published a visitor admission price on the announcement.
Getting there
Kemble is the nearby mainline station for Tetbury: arrange an onward taxi and an evening return. Town parking includes the Old Railyard, The Chipping and West Street; follow the council’s current restrictions and any event closures.
Accessibility
Event-specific wheelchair routes, accessible toilets and dog rules have not been published. Contact Tetbury Town Council for the arrangement that matters to you.
Rooms above a bar and restaurant on Tetbury’s Market Place. An appealing town-centre option if you want to stay close to the shops and craft-market evening.
A country hotel at Westonbirt, outside Tetbury, with rooms and dining. A practical southern Cotswolds base when combining Tetbury with the arboretum; arrange onward travel for evening events.
28 Nov 10am–6pm; 29 Nov council calendar lists 9am–5pm (tourism listing differs: recheck before travel); 5 Dec 9am–5pm; 6 Dec 10am–4pm.
Cirencester gives you two different Christmas weekends to choose from. Start with the Advent market and lights celebration on 28 November, with more market shopping the following day, or return for the 5–6 December Christmas market. Market Place makes a natural centre for browsing, with the town’s cafés and shops around it. No named food stalls or makers are promised here until the council confirms them.
Tickets and timing
No visitor ticket or admission price is stated on the council’s Advent announcement.
Getting there
Use the council’s parking guide for Abbey Grounds, Beeches, Brewery or Waterloo, and allow for Advent town-centre road closures. Arrive by train at Kemble and check an onward bus or pre-book a taxi.
Accessibility
The council warns that Advent can be very crowded and advises against bringing pet dogs; assistance dogs are the exception. Event-specific step-free routes and accessible toilet arrangements need checking with the council.
A characterful hotel on Cirencester’s Market Place, with rooms, a restaurant and bar. A central base for the town’s Christmas shopping dates; check festive dining arrangements before booking.
An inn in Cirencester’s centre, with individually styled bedrooms and food downstairs. A good choice for keeping a market visit and an overnight stay together in town.
Choose Broadway for an evening spent among Christmas shop windows rather than a single enclosed market. Shops and eateries stay open late, with music, entertainment and festive food adding to the High Street atmosphere. Leave room in your plans for supper, and book it if there is somewhere you particularly want to eat.
Tickets and timing
No street-event admission charge is published. Purchases and meals are extra.
Getting there
Use the village’s signed public car parks and check the final bus before committing to an evening without a car. The town’s travel guide lists Evesham, Honeybourne and Moreton-in-Marsh as rail gateways; pre-book a taxi if the bus timetable does not fit.
Accessibility
Specific 2026 accessible routes, toilet arrangements and dog policy are not set out in the late-shopping announcement; check with the organisers for your requirements.
The Lygon Arms Hotel in Broadway, 2005. Photo: Szilas / Public domain
The Lygon Arms
Broadway’s High Street hotel has bedrooms, dining and a spa. Choose it for an overnight stop after late shopping; book treatments and dinner separately where required.
Noel Arms Hotel in Chipping Campden, 2013. Photo: Ian S / CC BY-SA 2.0
Noel Arms Hotel
A High Street coaching-inn base in Chipping Campden, with bedrooms, a bar, restaurant and coffee shop. Handy for spending market day in town; confirm parking and room access directly.
Winchcombe spreads the celebration over a Thursday street market and a Friday shopping trail. Come on Thursday for the larger gathering of stalls, with music and Christmas trees in the streets; Friday is the smaller pop-up and shop-browsing day. Treat them as different outings, and leave time for the town’s own cafés and pubs.
Tickets and timing
The festival announcement does not state a visitor admission fee.
Getting there
Back Lane is the main town car park, with signed alternatives in town. The town’s travel page lists Cheltenham Spa and Evesham as mainline rail gateways and buses from Cheltenham; verify the evening return or arrange a taxi.
Accessibility
The town travel page identifies disabled bays in Back Lane, Bull Lane, Abbey Terrace and North Street. The festival has not published a detailed 2026 surface/step-free route or accessible-toilet plan.
A Winchcombe town-centre inn with bedrooms, a bar and an eatery. Choose it for staying in town after the Christmas festival; reserve your room and meal directly or through the linked booking page.
A restored coaching inn in Winchcombe with boutique bedrooms and pub dining. A characterful base for the festival and a separately booked Sudeley evening.
At Warwick Hall, Burford’s Christmas fair brings gifts and artisan food together for a daytime shopping visit. The organiser also advertises a free children’s Christmas trail and a chocolate stand raising funds for St John’s Church. Specific makers have not yet been listed on the organiser’s dedicated page, so this guide does not fill in the gaps with guesses.
Tickets and timing
Free entry, as stated on the organiser’s dedicated listing.
Getting there
The venue is Warwick Hall, Church Lane, BurfordOX184RY. The organiser’s listing mentions free parking but does not give a car-park location: check before arrival. Charlbury is the nearest mainline station identified by the Lamb Inn; arrange the onward taxi and return.
Accessibility
The organiser welcomes dogs in outdoor areas only and describes the event as family-friendly. Step-free access, accessible toilets and indoor dog rules should be confirmed with Warwick Hall or the organiser.
A Burford inn on Sheep Street, with characterful rooms and seasonal food. An inviting place to return to after browsing the Warwick Hall Christmas market.
A Burford hotel with individually furnished rooms and a garden setting. Useful for a Christmas shopping break with dinner and a night in the same town.
2026 visitor hours not yet confirmed on the council source.
Put Moreton-in-Marsh on your list for28November: the council has confirmed its Christmas Lights Market and Switch-On for that Saturday. Keep the day flexible until the detailed programme is released. The council source does not yet confirm market hours, food stalls, makers or the switch-on time, so those details are deliberately left open.
Tickets and timing
2026 visitor admission terms have not been confirmed on the council source.
Getting there
Moreton-in-Marsh has a mainline railway station. Check your train and final return before travel;2026event parking and road closures have not been confirmed, so use council updates as the date approaches.
Accessibility
2026event-specific step-free routes, accessible toilets and dog rules have not yet been published. Ask the Christmas Lights Committee or Town Council about your requirements.
Noel Arms Hotel on Chipping Campden High Street, 2009. Photo: Kenneth Allen / CC BY-SA 2.0
Noel Arms Hotel
A High Street coaching-inn base in Chipping Campden, with bedrooms, a bar, restaurant and coffee shop. Handy for spending market day in town; confirm parking and room access directly.
The Lygon Arms Hotel in Broadway, 2018. Photo: Alinangel / CC BY-SA 4.0
The Lygon Arms
Broadway’s High Street hotel has bedrooms, dining and a spa. Choose it for an overnight stop after late shopping; book treatments and dinner separately where required.
Grotto slots9.45am–6.30pm; Christmas ticket holders can enter the Farm Park from9.30am.
For younger children, this is a booked Father Christmas day rather than a Christmas craft fair. The experience includes a private Santa visit, a gift, a teddy-bear workshop and gingerbread decorating, with farm access from the morning. The Ox Shed serves festive food and drinks, and marshmallow toasting adds an outdoor stop between activities.
Tickets and timing
Book a dated, timed Christmas experience. Select participating children, toddlers or babies first, then accompanying guests. Live prices depend on the ticket selection; no unverified headline price is quoted.
Getting there
UseGL545FL and follow the farm’s brown tourist signs. Parking is free, with disabled spaces near the entrance. The farm says there is no direct public-transport route; Moreton-in-Marsh or Kingham stations require a pre-booked onward taxi.
Accessibility
The farm has a Changing Places toilet and accessible parking. Paths include concrete, gravel and grass, with slopes that can be demanding in a manual wheelchair. Working assistance dogs are allowed; pet dogs cannot enter the farm park. Discuss any specific Christmas-route requirements in advance.
The White Hart Inn in Winchcombe, 2021. Photo: JThomas / CC BY-SA 2.0
The White Hart Inn
A Winchcombe town-centre inn with bedrooms, a bar and an eatery. Choose it for staying in town after the Christmas festival; reserve your room and meal directly or through the linked booking page.
A High Street coaching-inn base in Chipping Campden, with bedrooms, a bar, restaurant and coffee shop. Handy for spending market day in town; confirm parking and room access directly.
Set aside a shopping day for the fair on the Todenham Manor Farm estate. More than220 independent brands and makers are joined by bookable creative workshops and demonstrations. The Potted Goose and Herd cafés provide places to pause for food; all fair profits support WellChild. This is the estate event site, not the farm shop.
Tickets and timing
Tickets are on sale for the2026fair; choose your parking option when booking. Workshops cost extra, while demonstrations are included but need reserving. Children over12need tickets; younger children and babies enter free. Check live prices rather than relying on an old tariff.
Getting there
Follow event signs from Todenham Road toGL569NW, not the farm shop or Fire College. Free tracked-field parking and paid pre-bookable hardstanding are available. The closest station is Moreton-in-Marsh, with an onward taxi required; book both journeys.
Accessibility
The marquee is accessible to wheelchair users and has accessible toilets, but the field route from parking can be uneven. Ask parking staff for help. The fair permits guide dogs only; pet dogs are not admitted.
A High Street coaching-inn base in Chipping Campden, with bedrooms, a bar, restaurant and coffee shop. Handy for spending market day in town; confirm parking and room access directly.
The Lygon Arms Hotel in Broadway, 2007. Photo: Derek Bradley / CC BY-SA 2.0
The Lygon Arms
Broadway’s High Street hotel has bedrooms, dining and a spa. Choose it for an overnight stop after late shopping; book treatments and dinner separately where required.
Saturday5December: Chipping Campden, then stay local
Begin with breakfast in town before the outdoor Christmas market opens at noon. Browse the High Street and Town Hall, pause for lunch, then stay for the lights at dusk. Choose a Campden room if you want to finish the day without a cross-country drive; reserve supper rather than relying on a walk-in table.
Sunday6December: a family farm day, or a quieter indoor browse
For families, book a6December Christmas-on-the-Farm slot and make the farm park your main day out: activities begin from9.30am for ticket holders. If you prefer more gift shopping, Campden’s Town Hall market continues on Sunday. Choose one main plan, check your onward transport and leave the rest of the afternoon unhurried.
Five Cotswolds places to stay
Noel Arms Hotel
A High Street coaching-inn base in Chipping Campden, with bedrooms, a bar, restaurant and coffee shop. Handy for spending market day in town; confirm parking and room access directly.
The Lygon Arms Hotel in Broadway, 2014. Photo: James Allan / CC BY-SA 2.0
The Lygon Arms
Broadway’s High Street hotel has bedrooms, dining and a spa. Choose it for an overnight stop after late shopping; book treatments and dinner separately where required.
A country hotel at Westonbirt, outside Tetbury, with rooms and dining. A practical southern Cotswolds base when combining Tetbury with the arboretum; arrange onward travel for evening events.
A characterful hotel on Cirencester’s Market Place, with rooms, a restaurant and bar. A central base for the town’s Christmas shopping dates; check festive dining arrangements before booking.
The White Hart Inn in Winchcombe, 2025. Photo: David Smith / CC BY-SA 2.0
The White Hart Inn
A Winchcombe town-centre inn with bedrooms, a bar and an eatery. Choose it for staying in town after the Christmas festival; reserve your room and meal directly or through the linked booking page.
Cheltenham and Gloucester Quays have their own event dates and full visitor guides. Compare them with your town or estate visit rather than assuming everything trades on the same day.
Check the live booking calendar for your chosen event, including timed arrival, parking and any separate house admission. We avoid inferring a sell-out date from a previous season; availability is set by the organiser.
