Christmas markets and fairs near Sevenoaks in 2026: the Bligh's Walk market, Hever's Christmas Fair on 6 November, Chiddingstone Castle and Tonbridge.

The Christmas markets near Sevenoaks split into two kinds, and knowing which is which saves you a wasted afternoon. There is the town’s own market at Bligh’s Walk, which runs every day for a fortnight and is there whenever you happen to be passing, and there are the one day fairs at the big houses, which are ticketed, sell out, and need booking weeks ahead. The first big fair of the 2026 season is already confirmed: Hever Castle’s Christmas Fair on Friday 6 November.

Below are the dates that are confirmed for 2026, the annual fixtures whose dates land in the autumn, and what each one actually costs to get into.

Christmas markets and fairs near Sevenoaks 2026

Christmas markets and fairs in and around Sevenoaks, by type
Market or fairWhere2026 statusEntry
Hever Christmas FairGuthrie Pavilion, Hever CastleConfirmed, Fri 6 NovemberAdult £10, child £5
Sevenoaks Christmas MarketBligh's Walk, SevenoaksAnnual, mid DecemberFree
Chiddingstone Castle Christmas FairChiddingstone CastleAnnual, late November£8 advance in 2025
Tonbridge Castle artisan marketTonbridge CastleAnnual, late NovemberFree
Tonbridge Rotary Christmas FestivalTonbridge High StreetAnnual, late NovemberFree
Bligh's Saturday MarketBligh's Walk, SevenoaksWeekly, all yearFree
Decision panel splitting Christmas markets near Sevenoaks into ticketed fairs to book ahead, Hever on 6 November at £10 and Chiddingstone in late November, and free just-turn-up markets: the Bligh's Walk market in December, the lights switch-on and the Tonbridge markets
The two kinds of Christmas shopping near Sevenoaks: the ticketed fairs that sell out, and the free markets you can simply drop into.

Hever Christmas Fair: Friday 6 November 2026

The one with a confirmed date and published prices, and the earliest in the season by a fortnight. Hever’s Christmas Fair runs on Friday 6 November 2026 from 10.30am to 3.30pm in the Guthrie Pavilion, with the grounds staying open until 4.30pm, selling gifts, gadgets, textiles and decorations (Hever Castle).

Admission is £10 for adults and concessions, £5 for children aged 5 to 17, and £3 for Hever annual members paid on entry to the fair. Entry to the grounds and the castle is included in that price, and £3 of every ticket goes to Hever Primary School and St Peter’s Church (Hever Castle). Dogs other than assistance dogs are not allowed inside the pavilion.

What it means for you: £10 that also buys you the castle and gardens is the best value on this page, and it is worth treating as a day out rather than an hour of shopping. It is a Friday, so book the day off if you want it without the weekend crowds, and note it falls in the middle of the Bonfire Night weekend if you are planning both.

Sevenoaks Christmas Market, Bligh’s Walk

The town’s own market, run by Sevenoaks Town Council in Bligh’s Walk. It runs daily from 9am to 4pm across the fortnight before Christmas, with artisan crafts, jewellery, homeware, scarves, clothes and accessories alongside gourmet food stalls doing cheeses, cakes, chocolate and freshly baked bread. In 2025 it ran from 11 to 24 December (Sevenoaks Town Council).

The 2026 dates normally go up on the town council site in the autumn and follow the same pattern, opening in the second week of December and running through to Christmas Eve.

What it means for you: this is the one you do not need to plan. It is free, it is in the middle of town, and being open every day it works for the panic shop on 23 December as well as a leisurely Saturday.

Sevenoaks Christmas lights switch-on

The event that opens the season in the town. It takes place on the High Street on a Saturday in late November, and since 2024 it has run in a daytime slot rather than the evening, from 3pm to 5.30pm with the Mayor switching the lights on at 4.30pm (Sevenoaks Town Council).

The 2026 date is announced by the town council in the autumn. If you have small children, the afternoon timing is the point: it finishes before tea rather than after bedtime.

Bligh’s Saturday Market, every week

Not a Christmas market, but the reason the town has decent gift shopping every Saturday from October onwards. Bligh’s Saturday Market runs 9am to 4pm weekly with artisan and handmade jewellery, ceramics, candles, accessories and prints, plus speciality foods including gourmet cheeses and patisserie, and the town council is developing it further into a farmers market with local wines, cakes and fudges (Sevenoaks Town Council).

Chiddingstone Castle Christmas Fair

The best of the local one day fairs, and the one people book for. Over 60 hand curated stalls of artisan, craft, vintage and creative small businesses spread through the castle rooms and a large heated marquee in the grounds, selling gifts, decorations and food and drink (Chiddingstone Castle).

In 2025 it ran on Saturday 29 November from 10am to 4pm, with advance online tickets at £8 for adults and £4 for children, rising to £10 and £7 on the day, plus £3 per car for parking paid through the Ringo app (My Tunbridge Wells). The castle has confirmed the fair returns and says tickets go on sale in early autumn (Chiddingstone Castle).

What it means for you: buy in advance. The £2 to £3 saving per ticket is the smaller reason. The bigger one is that it is genuinely busy, and the heated marquee matters on a wet November Saturday.

Tonbridge: the castle market and the High Street festival

Twenty minutes away, Tonbridge runs two separate free events and they are easy to confuse.

The Christmas artisan market at Tonbridge Castle is a free indoor and outdoor market of handmade gifts, seasonal treats and crafts from local makers. In 2025 it ran on 23 November from 10am to 3pm (Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council). The castle’s events page currently lists nothing past 1 November 2026, so the Christmas date has not been published yet (Tonbridge Castle).

The Tonbridge Rotary Christmas Festival is the bigger one: the High Street closes, a Christmas market of local shops and food vendors fills it, there is a main stage, a family funfair in the Sovereign Way car park, a lights switch-on at 5pm and fireworks. Entry is free with donations welcome, and in 2025 it ran on 30 November from 2pm to 6pm (Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council).

School and church fairs

Sevenoaks has a lot of these and almost none of them are findable online. Village school and church Christmas fairs are advertised through school newsletters, parish magazines, noticeboards and local Facebook groups, and they mostly land on the last two Saturdays of November. If you are new to the area, the practical answer is to check the noticeboard outside your nearest church and primary school in early November rather than searching for a listing that does not exist.

Making a day of it

Several of the fairs sit inside a bigger festive day out. Christmas at Hever Castle runs from 20 November 2026 to 2 January 2027 with the castle dressed for Christmas and the grounds lit after 4pm, which is a different event from the November fair (Hever Castle). Groombridge Place has run a Christmas market alongside its festive day, and we cover the Santa side of both in our guide to where to see Father Christmas near Sevenoaks. For the evening half of December, see pantomimes near Sevenoaks, and for the rest of the year the what’s on listings.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a Christmas market in Sevenoaks town centre? Yes. Sevenoaks Town Council runs a Christmas market in Bligh’s Walk, open daily from 9am to 4pm across the fortnight before Christmas, with artisan crafts and gourmet food stalls. It is free to walk around (Sevenoaks Town Council).

When is the first Christmas fair near Sevenoaks in 2026? Hever Castle’s Christmas Fair on Friday 6 November 2026, 10.30am to 3.30pm in the Guthrie Pavilion. It is the earliest confirmed one and the only major fair with published 2026 prices (Hever Castle).

How much does the Hever Christmas Fair cost? £10 for adults and concessions, £5 for children aged 5 to 17 and £3 for annual members, with entry to the grounds and castle included and £3 from every ticket going to Hever Primary School and St Peter’s Church (Hever Castle).

Are there free Christmas markets near Sevenoaks? Several. The Sevenoaks market at Bligh’s Walk is free, as is the weekly Bligh’s Saturday Market, the Christmas artisan market at Tonbridge Castle and the Tonbridge Rotary Christmas Festival on the High Street (Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council).

When is the Sevenoaks Christmas lights switch-on? A Saturday in late November, with the date confirmed by the town council in the autumn. Since 2024 it has run as an afternoon event from 3pm to 5.30pm, with the lights switched on at 4.30pm (Sevenoaks Town Council).

Which Christmas fair is best for proper handmade gifts? Chiddingstone Castle, on the strength of its 60 plus hand curated stalls of artisan, craft and vintage sellers across the castle rooms and a heated marquee (Chiddingstone Castle). Book in advance, because tickets are cheaper online than on the gate.

Sources

Dates and prices were checked against each organiser’s own website in August 2026. Most of the one day fairs confirm their dates and open ticket sales in early autumn, so check before you plan around them.