Christmas in Harrogate, Knaresborough & Ripon 2026

Looking for somewhere magical to visit this Christmas? Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon are packed with festive experiences in 2026 – and some of the best are worth putting in your diary now.

Think Christmas markets, ice skating, Santa experiences, fireworks, candlelit concerts, festive food and cosy hotel breaks.

Whether you’re planning a day with the children, Christmas shopping with friends or a romantic winter escape, here’s some inspiration to get you started.

✨ Pick Your Perfect Christmas Day Out

🎅 Taking the children? Meet Father Christmas, explore magical woodland attractions and hunt for festive surprises.

🎁 Love Christmas shopping? Browse bustling markets, independent shops and artisan stalls for gifts you won’t find everywhere else.

❤️ Planning something special? Try a candlelit concert, festive afternoon tea, spa break or Christmas hotel stay.

💷 Looking for free festive fun? Wrap up warm and enjoy Christmas lights, winter walks, decorated trees and atmospheric town centres.

🎄 Christmas in Harrogate

Harrogate is made for Christmas.

Start with shopping, stop for coffee and cake, enjoy a festive attraction and stay into the evening when the lights really begin to sparkle.

⛸️ NEW – Go Ice Skating in Valley Gardens

One of the biggest additions for Christmas 2026 is the new covered Harrogate Ice Pavilion in Valley Gardens.

Opening from 17 December 2026 until 3 January 2027, excluding Christmas Day, it provides another reason to make Harrogate a family destination during the school holidays.

Why not make a day of it?

⛸️ Go ice skating
🛍️ Explore the shops
☕ Warm up with hot chocolate
🍽️ Stay for dinner
✨ See Harrogate sparkle after dark

🎁 Christmas Markets Galore

Love discovering unusual Christmas presents?

You’ll have plenty of opportunities in Harrogate.

The Great Yorkshire Christmas Fair runs from 26–29 November, while the Little Bird Made Christmas Market comes to Valley Gardens on 5–6 December.

Festive markets are also planned for Cambridge Street across three weekends in December, bringing stalls, crafts and street food into the heart of town.

Don’t just browse the market – explore the surrounding streets and discover Harrogate’s independent shops too.

🎅 Santa, Snow Globes & Ice Sculptures

There’s even more family fun planned.

Look out for Santa’s Grotto, interactive curling, a giant snow globe and an Ice Trail featuring five spectacular sculptures.

The Ice Trail takes place on Saturday 12 December.

Can you find all five?

Make the hunt part of your Christmas shopping trip and discover cafés, shops and restaurants along the way.

🏨 Fancy Spending Christmas in Harrogate?

Want someone else to take care of Christmas this year?

Harrogate’s hotels offer everything from party nights and festive dining to complete Christmas breaks.

The Old Swan Hotel has a three-night “A Christmas Well Told” experience from 24–27 December, with packages from £550 per person.

You can also discover festive celebrations at The Majestic Hotel & Spa and The Crown Hotel.

Perfect if your idea of Christmas involves less cooking and more relaxing.

🎅 Christmas in Knaresborough

Christmas market stalls, independent shops, decorated trees, riverside walks and fireworks – Knaresborough packs a lot into one festive weekend.

🎄 Knaresborough Christmas Market – 5 & 6 December

Save Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December 2026.

Knaresborough’s historic Market Place will fill with stalls, festive food and entertainment from 10am–5pm.

But don’t stop at the market.

➡️ Wander along Castlegate
➡️ Explore quirky Green Dragon Yard
➡️ Visit the independent shops
➡️ Walk down to Waterside
➡️ Take in the famous viaduct view
➡️ Discover the Christmas Tree Festival

It’s a Christmas market that gives you an excuse to explore the whole town.

🎄 Can You Find More Than 70 Christmas Trees?

Head towards St John’s Church and you’ll discover one of Knaresborough’s loveliest Christmas traditions.

The Christmas Tree Festival features more than 70 individually decorated trees created by local organisations and community groups.

It’s an easy addition to your Christmas Market visit – and a great way to escape the December weather for a while.

🎆 Stay for the Fireworks

Don’t rush home on Sunday.

At 4.30pm on 6 December, Knaresborough’s Christmas Market weekend reaches its finale with a spectacular firework display over the river area.

Find a viewpoint overlooking the Nidd and enjoy the show.

🎅 Mother Shipton’s at Christmas

Want to make meeting Santa feel like a proper adventure?

Head into Mother Shipton’s winter woodland for a Magical Christmas Experience, complete with festive displays, elves, a Christmas Village and a special visit with Father Christmas.

It could be one of those experiences the children talk about long after Christmas is over.

🎄 Christmas in Ripon

If Christmas markets and music inside a magnificent cathedral sound like your kind of festive day out, head to Ripon.

🎁 Christmas Food & Gift Fair – 20 & 21 November

Christmas begins early at Ripon Cathedral with its popular Christmas Food & Gift Fair.

Taking place on 20 and 21 November, the cathedral will welcome more than 100 stalls filled with Christmas gifts, food and seasonal treats.

Entry is £5, with under-16s free.

Afterwards, wander into Ripon’s historic centre, browse the independent shops and stop for something warming to eat.

🕯️ Christmas by Candlelight

Imagine Christmas music filling Ripon Cathedral while the magnificent interior glows by candlelight.

Rat Pack – A Swingin’ Christmas by Candlelight arrives on Friday, 4 December, bringing a glamorous evening of festive music to the city.

🎶 G4 Christmas

Come back the following night, and you’ll find something completely different.

G4 Christmas takes over Ripon Cathedral on Saturday 5 December, bringing the group’s trademark harmonies and festive favourites to this spectacular setting.

💷 Looking for Christmas Fun Without Spending a Fortune?

Not every Christmas memory needs an expensive ticket.

Try a winter walk through Valley Gardens, explore Harrogate’s Christmas lights, admire festive shop windows or wander around Knaresborough before taking in the famous castle and viaduct view.

Visit Christmas markets simply for the atmosphere, explore independent shops and stop for a warming drink when you’ve had enough of the cold.

Sometimes the simplest Christmas days are the best ones.

❤️ Three Towns – Three Very Different Christmas Experiences

Harrogate – Ice skating, Christmas shopping, markets, restaurants, hotels and sparkling attractions.

Knaresborough – Christmas market, independent shops, decorated trees, riverside views and fireworks.

Ripon – Cathedral markets, candlelit concerts, historic streets and traditional Christmas atmosphere.

Can’t decide?

Visit all three.

They’re close enough to experience across the festive season, but different enough to make every visit feel like a new Christmas adventure.

🎄 Don’t Just Visit – Explore

Pick an event that catches your eye, but don’t make it the only reason you visit.

Arrive early. Wander down a street you’ve never explored. Find an independent shop. Stop for coffee and cake. Stay for dinner. See what the town looks like after dark.

Christmas 2026 isn’t just about what’s happening.

It’s about what you discover along the way.

Event dates, times, prices and programmes can change. Please check with individual organisers before travelling.

Click here to see Christmas Events