Christmas markets near Sevenoaks 2026: Hever's fair 6 November, Chiddingstone 21 November with £8 tickets on sale, lights switch-on 28 November.

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. Most of the 2026 season is now confirmed: Hever Castle’s fair on Friday 6 November, Chiddingstone Castle on Saturday 21 November with tickets already on sale, and the Sevenoaks lights switch-on on Saturday 28 November.

Below are the dates that are confirmed for 2026, the two annual fixtures still to announce, 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
Chiddingstone Castle Christmas FairChiddingstone CastleConfirmed, Sat 21 November£8 advance, on sale now
Christmas lights switch-onSevenoaks High StreetConfirmed, Sat 28 NovemberFree
Tonbridge Rotary Christmas FestivalTonbridge High StreetConfirmed, Sun 29 NovemberFree
Sevenoaks Christmas MarketBligh's Walk, SevenoaksAnnual, mid December, dates TBCFree
Tonbridge Castle artisan marketTonbridge CastleAnnual, 2026 date not yet listedFree
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 on 21 November at £8 advance, and free just-turn-up markets: the lights switch-on on 28 November, the Tonbridge Rotary festival on 29 November and the Bligh's Walk market in December
The two kinds of Christmas shopping near Sevenoaks: the ticketed fairs that sell out, and the free markets you can simply drop into.
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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, listing archived July 2025).

The 2026 dates are not published yet. The town council launched a new website in September 2026 and its events calendar listed nothing for the market when we checked on 17 September, so expect the dates to appear there in the autumn, following the usual pattern of opening in the second week of December and running through to Christmas Eve (Sevenoaks Town Council events).

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: Saturday 28 November 2026

The event that opens the season in the town, and the 2026 date is now confirmed: Saturday 28 November, from 3pm to 5.30pm, with the Mayor switching the lights on in the High Street at 4.30pm (Sevenoaks Town Council).

It is more of a market day than it used to be. The council’s own listing promises live entertainment, fairground rides, a Santa’s Grotto, stalls, and food and drink, and the High Street and part of Akehurst Lane close to traffic from 1.30pm to 7pm (Sevenoaks Town Council).

If you have small children, the afternoon timing is the point: it finishes before tea rather than after bedtime. Our full guide to the Sevenoaks Christmas lights switch-on has the timings, the road closure and where to park.

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 every week with artisan and handmade jewellery, ceramics, candles, accessories and prints, plus speciality foods including gourmet cheeses and patisserie (Sevenoaks Town Council).

Chiddingstone Castle Christmas Fair: Saturday 21 November 2026

The best of the local one day fairs, and the one people book for. The 2026 date is confirmed as Saturday 21 November, a week earlier than last year, and tickets are already on sale (Chiddingstone Castle). 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.

Doors open at 10am and the fair runs to 4pm. Booked online, tickets cost £8 for adults and £4 for children up to midnight on Friday 20 November, rising to £10 and £5 on the day, with member tickets at £4 and £2.50 (Chiddingstone Castle tickets). One genuine improvement on 2025: parking is free this year. The ticket page says there will be no parking charges on the day, where last year’s fair charged £3 per car through the Ringo app.

What it means for you: buy in advance. The £2 saving per adult 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 runs its ordinary artisan markets on the last Sunday of the month, with 27 September and 25 October listed, but its events page still shows nothing past the 1 November fireworks, so the Christmas date has not been published yet (Tonbridge Castle).

The Tonbridge Rotary Christmas Festival is the bigger one, and its 2026 date is confirmed on the Rotary club’s own site: Sunday 29 November (Tonbridge Rotary). 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 and fireworks. Entry is free with donations welcome. The 2026 times are not published yet; in 2025 it ran from 2pm to 6pm with the switch-on at 5pm (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, closed on 23 and 24 November and on 25 and 26 December, with the castle dressed for Christmas and the grounds lit after 4pm. It 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 (Hever Castle). Chiddingstone Castle follows on Saturday 21 November, then the Sevenoaks lights switch-on on Saturday 28 November.

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? Saturday 28 November 2026, from 3pm to 5.30pm, with the Mayor switching the lights on at 4.30pm. The High Street and part of Akehurst Lane close to traffic from 1.30pm to 7pm (Sevenoaks Town Council).

Which Christmas fair is best for proper handmade gifts? Chiddingstone Castle, on Saturday 21 November 2026, 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 by midnight on 20 November: £8 an adult in advance against £10 on the day, and parking is free this year (tickets).

Sources

Dates and prices were rechecked against each organiser’s own website on 17 September 2026. Two dates are still unpublished: the Bligh’s Walk Christmas market and the Tonbridge Castle artisan market, so check those two again in October.