Wooden Southbank Centre Winter Market chalets with festive lights and crowds on Queen's Walk, Big Ben behind, at dusk

Photo: Southbank Centre

Southbank Centre Winter Market

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Queen's Walk, Riverside Terrace, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London · SE1 8XX · Seasonal: typically early November to early January; Daily 11am to 10pm (craft and gift traders until approx 9pm); Closed Christmas Day and New Year's Eve

The Southbank Centre Winter Market is a seasonal Christmas market that sets up each year along Queen's Walk on the riverside terrace beside the Thames, typically from early November to early January. A run of alpine-style wooden chalets, strung with fairy lights, lines the walkway between Jubilee Gardens and Waterloo Bridge, glowing against the London skyline after dark. Entry is free and you only pay for what you buy. It is one of the more atmospheric stretches of the South Bank during winter, drawing strollers, festive food fans and gift shoppers, though as a seasonal market it is open only over the Christmas period and not year round.

Opening times

The Winter Market is seasonal, running roughly from early November to early January (the 2025 to 2026 edition ran 3 November to 4 January). It opens daily, usually 11am to 10pm, with craft and gift traders winding down a little earlier, around 9pm. It is normally closed on Christmas Day and New Year's Eve. Like much of the South Bank it is busiest in the early evening once the chalet lights come on, and at weekends. Because dates shift slightly each year, check the official Southbank Centre listing before travelling, especially outside the core December weeks.

What's on the stalls

The chalets split between festive food and drink and independent gift makers. Expect street food such as duck wraps, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, dumplings, Yorkshire pudding wraps and New Orleans-style sandwiches, plus sweet stalls selling Dutch pancakes, churros and cookies. To warm up there is mulled wine, hot cider and hot chocolate. The retail chalets, curated with independent creatives, sell handmade gifts, jewellery, decorations and fashion. Payment is card or contactless only; the market is cash-free.

Around the market / getting there

The market lines Queen's Walk on the riverside terrace outside the Southbank Centre, in the South Bank district of the London Borough of Lambeth, between Jubilee Gardens and Waterloo Bridge. The nearest stations are Waterloo and Waterloo East (a short walk inland) and Embankment across Hungerford Bridge, with Westminster also close by. It sits in the middle of the wider Southbank Centre Winter Festival, so you can easily combine a visit with the Royal Festival Hall, the London Eye and a riverside walk along the Thames.

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Common questions

What are Southbank Centre Winter Market opening times?
The market is seasonal, running roughly early November to early January, and opens daily from about 11am to 10pm, with craft and gift traders closing nearer 9pm. It is normally closed on Christmas Day and New Year's Eve. Dates vary slightly each year, so check the official listing.
Is Southbank Centre Winter Market free?
Yes. Entry to the Winter Market is free. You only pay for the food, drink and gifts you choose to buy, and the market is card or contactless only (cash-free).
What is the best time to visit Southbank Centre Winter Market?
Early evening on a weekday is the most atmospheric and least crowded, once the chalet fairy lights are lit against the river. Weekends and the run-up to Christmas are the busiest.
Where is Southbank Centre Winter Market?
It runs along Queen's Walk on the riverside terrace outside the Southbank Centre in South Bank, in the London Borough of Lambeth (SE1 8XX area), between Jubilee Gardens and Waterloo Bridge. The nearest stations are Waterloo, Waterloo East and Embankment.

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