Best Christmas Markets in London: 45 events this week (23 Sept to 28 Sept)

London does Christmas markets in two flavours: the big set-piece ones that take over a park or a square for weeks, and the smaller pop-ups that land in a courtyard or a churchyard for a weekend and then vanish. Knowing which kind you're walking into changes what you should expect.

The large markets lean into scale. Rows of wooden chalets, mulled wine queues, a big wheel or an ice rink nearby, and enough stalls that you'll want a plan rather than a wander. They suit a group outing or an afternoon where you want the full production. The smaller ones are quieter and more local, often tied to a specific neighbourhood or a single green space, and they're better if you want to actually browse rather than shuffle through a crowd.

South Bank and the areas around the big central parks tend to host the ones built for volume, so expect longer opening hours and a steadier flow of stalls through most of December. East London and the more residential pockets favour the smaller, single-weekend format, often timed to the first two or three weekends of the month. Either way, weekday evenings are calmer than weekends if you'd rather not queue.

Stalls themselves are fairly consistent across markets: food that leans German and Nordic, mulled wine and hot chocolate, handmade gifts, and the odd craft stand worth stopping at. What varies is the setting. A market wrapped around a historic building or set against string lights after dark feels different to one plonked in an open square at midday, even if the stalls are similar.

Because the list below pulls from what's actually scheduled this week, check it rather than assuming a market you remember from last year is back in the same spot. Locations and run dates shift year to year, and some only appear for a single weekend.