Off to the Christmas Market — yellow rubber duck in a festive hat and scarfGood trips start hereOff to the
Christmas Market
Leeds City Square Christmas tree seen from the station at night inDecember 1997

Leeds / Christmas 2026

Leeds Christmas Market

Millennium Square puts the market close to Leeds city-centre shopping.

19 November–23 December 2026 · Free entry. Separately booked attractions cost extra.

By The Off to the… team · Updated 24 October 2026

See the 2026 dates

Archive 1997. Photo: Jonathan Schilling / CC BY-SA 4.0

At a glance

2026 dates
19 November–23 December 2026
Opening hours
Trader Village and street food Sunday–Wednesday 10.30am–7pm; Thursday–Saturday 10.30am–8pm. THOR’S Highland Lodge and Folié Ski Bar Sunday–Tuesday 11am–9pm; Wednesday–Saturday 11am–11pm.
Entry
Free entry. Separately booked attractions cost extra.
Rail / nearest useful station
Leeds station, directly beside City Square.
Best time to go
Weekday morning or early afternoon (organiser advice)
Setting
City Square, Leeds LS1 2HA

Parking: See parking and park-and-ride

Dogs: Compare the published pet policies

Our verdict

Go if…

You want stalls within a wider Leeds visit.

Skip if…

You need a guarantee that every activity shares the stall hours.

Best day to go

Weekday mornings or early afternoons: the organiser’s suggested times for an easier browse.

Our top tip

Start at City Square beside Leeds station; fit THOR’S Highland Lodge or Folié Après Ski Bar around the stalls’ separate hours.

How we choose and check our guides

The market

City Square gives a Leeds Christmas visit an easy starting point: step out from the station and the market is right there. The current organiser describes a setting of Christmas trees, Yorkshire makers, local street food and live performances, with more than 60 retailers to browse. Take a first wander before deciding where to eat, and leave room in your bag for the gift that catches your eye on a second circuit. Towards dusk, the illuminated stalls and themed bars make it a natural place to linger after a day in the shops.

The emphasis is on mixing a proper browse with time to sit, eat and enjoy the occasion. THOR’S Highland Lodge and Folié Après Ski Bar form part of the City Square offer, while Ice Cube at Millennium Square is a separate festive attraction to work into your plans. Combining the two can make a full afternoon and evening, but book and plan the activities individually. If you are mainly here for presents, stay with the maker stalls and give yourself time to talk, compare and choose rather than chasing every attraction across the centre.

Leeds has a longer Christmas-market story than this current layout. Its German Christkindelmarkt began in 2002 as a partnership with Frankfurt, becoming a familiar Millennium Square tradition. A new expanded city-centre Christmas market arrived in 2023; by 2024 the principal locations were City Square and the Millennium Square area. Today’s City Square focus keeps that festive meeting-place spirit while bringing Yorkshire businesses and local street food to the fore. The named traders below come from the organiser’s current 2026 directory.

Official current 2026 programme ↗ · Official current 2026 traders ↗ · Council history: Christkindelmarkt established in 2002 ↗ · Official tourism account of the 2023 expansion and 2024 layout ↗

Nearby: Historic and modern buildings beside City Square in Leeds
Nearby: Historic and modern buildings beside City Square in Leeds. Photo: Tim Green / CC BY 2.0

Two cosy bar settings

Choose THOR’S Highland Lodge or Folié Après Ski Bar for a pause after shopping; their hours differ from the stalls.

Two cosy bar settings — leedschristmas.co.uk

Eat and drink

Misu Tiramisu

Tiramisu

Find Misu Tiramisu on the official trader list and save room for a sweet finish.

2026 line-up2026 market listing ↗
Crumble Pots

Crumble

Choose a crumble stop after your first circuit of the stalls; check the live menu for toppings and allergens.

2026 line-up2026 market listing ↗
Bratwurst

Bratwurst

A classic savoury market stop on the published trader list. Ask the stall about the day’s options.

2026 line-up2026 market listing ↗
Food type: churros with dark chocolate sauce from the Chocolatería San Churro.Churros with Chocolate Sauce - Choclateria San Churro
Food photograph. Photo: Alpha from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia / CC BY-SA 2.0
Churros

Churros

Share a sweet treat between browsing stops; the organiser lists Churros for 2026.

2026 line-up2026 market listing ↗
Johnsons’ Toffees

Toffee

Pick up something sweet to take home from this named 2026 trader.

2026 line-up2026 market listing ↗
Gander Coffee

Coffee

Make this your warm-drink pause before another round of gift hunting.

2026 line-up2026 market listing ↗
The Savvy Baker

Baked treats

A Leeds-listed bakery stop to work into your afternoon; check the stall’s current selection.

2026 line-up2026 market listing ↗

Makers to look for

Where we’d stay

Leeds centre

Choose a central room for an evening browse and an easy return after dinner.

Around the railway station

Useful with luggage or an early departure; compare the actual route and cancellation policy.

See all stays in Leeds ↗

We may earn a commission if you book through our links, at no extra cost to you. Affiliate disclosure.

Book early for weekends. The walking times are measured routes to City Square Leeds; give yourself a little longer for a relaxed stroll through the market.

Map

Find the market streets, arrival points, parking and places to stay. The map loads as you approach this section; mouse-wheel scrolling stays with the page.

Map waiting to load. The places list below works without it.

Market streetsRail & coachParking & park and ridePlaces to stayAccessible toilets

Choose Explore the map to pan and pinch to zoom; choose Finish exploring or press Escape to return to page scrolling. Pins show places, not the precise position of individual stalls.

Open in Google Maps ↗

All map places, as a list

Coordinates: OpenStreetMap contributors. Organiser toilet and access information. Temporary toilet locations use the named street/site as a navigation point; ask staff for the exact unit.

A perfect day

  1. Late morning

    Arrive with time to settle in

    Drop your bags if staying, check the return journey and make your first relaxed circuit of the stalls.

  2. Lunchtime

    Choose a warm lunch

    Look through the food stalls before deciding, then leave space for a sweet treat later.

  3. Afternoon

    Meet the makers

    Return to the gifts that caught your eye and take an indoor break before the lights come on.

  4. After dusk

    One more glowing circuit

    Enjoy a final look at the lights before making your way to the station for your chosen departure.

    Check the details ↗
  5. 23:32 example

    A late Northern train to York

    For Saturday 21 November 2026, Northern’s published N35 table shows its final Leeds–York rail departure at 23:32, arriving 00:07 on Sunday. This is the last Northern train shown on this route, not every operator’s last departure. The timetable is valid 17 May–12 December 2026; check your exact journey for engineering changes, keep an earlier fallback, and use the new timetable after 12 December.

    Check the details ↗

On Instagram

A little festive inspiration from organisers, makers and visitors. Tap any tile to load all 4 Instagram posts on this page. Instagram may receive your IP address and set cookies; read the privacy note. Until then, nothing loads from Instagram.

Instagram is off until you choose to load it.

Practical information

Getting there and back

Leeds station puts you directly beside City Square, making a train arrival a lovely easy start. Browse the stalls before heading further into the centre, then leave time to return for your platform and any onward connection. Check the operator’s planner for your chosen date, including engineering changes and the final service home.

Compare Christmas market trips by train from five UK cities

Parking and park-and-ride

Use Elland Road, Temple Green or Stourton park and ride, or choose Albion Street, Sovereign Square or The Light for a city-centre stay.

Park-and-ride

  • Leeds’ three bus park-and-ride sites are Elland Road (PR1), Temple Green (PR2) and Stourton (PR3). Parking is free at these sites; the onward bus has its own ticket arrangements. Official park-and-ride source · checked 24 October 2026.

City-centre car parks

Pre-booking

  • Online pre-booking is published for Q-Park Albion Street. CitiPark Merrion Centre also has a pre-booking form if that location suits your trip. Official pre-booking source · checked 24 October 2026.

Blue Badge parking

  • Use the council’s city-centre disabled-bay map. The council states that off-street car parks have separate owner-set rules; a Blue Badge does not establish free parking in every private car park. Official blue badge parking source · checked 24 October 2026.

Christmas services and changes

  • No specific 2026 Christmas extension is stated in the checked general park-and-ride material; use the operator’s dated service information for the chosen day. Official christmas services and changes source · checked 24 October 2026.
On the day

Bars are cashless; most traders accept cards, and the organiser recommends some cash. Dogs are welcome on leads. Toilets are outside the festive bars; ask the team about the accessible facilities you need.

Before and after

Make City Square the easy first stop of your Leeds break, with time for food before a separately booked visit to Ice Cube at Millennium Square. They are separate attractions, so plan each stop in its own right. The next morning, enjoy an indoor city activity before collecting your bags; check its festive opening hours when you book.

Accessibility

City Square is step-free, though it can be busy at peak times. Assistance dogs are welcome. Weekday mornings and early afternoons are the organiser’s suggested times for an easier browse.

Frequently asked questions

Questions before you go

When is Leeds Christmas market in 2026?

19 November–23 December 2026

Official market information →

What are the opening hours?

Trader Village and street food Sunday–Wednesday 10.30am–7pm; Thursday–Saturday 10.30am–8pm. THOR’S Highland Lodge and Folié Ski Bar Sunday–Tuesday 11am–9pm; Wednesday–Saturday 11am–11pm.

Check the organiser’s hours →

Do I need an entry ticket?

Free entry. Separately booked attractions cost extra.

Official entry information →

How can I arrive by train?

Leeds station, directly beside City Square.

Check the full guide and sources

Can I bring my dog?

Dogs are welcome on leads.

Check the full guide and sources →

What access information should I check?

City Square is step-free, though it can be busy at peak times. Assistance dogs are welcome. Weekday mornings and early afternoons are the organiser’s suggested times for an easier browse.

Check the full guide and sources

Official links

Keep exploring

More market trips

Back to the full market calendar

How it compares: see our top 15 UK Christmas markets.

More market trips in this region

Christmas markets in north of england