Christmas Markets in Jesmond

Jesmond has a particular advantage at Christmas: it is close enough to Newcastle city centre to walk to the biggest market in the region, and far enough out to have a couple of smaller, calmer ones of its own. One is a single afternoon in a country-house hotel, the other is a twice-monthly food market on a bridge over the Dene.

Here is what is on, what has been confirmed for 2026, and what is still to be announced.

The Christmas Market at Jesmond Dene House

Jesmond Dene House holds its Christmas Market on Sunday 29 November 2026, 11am to 3pm. The hotel has confirmed the date, and tickets are £8 per person plus a booking fee, with under-14s free. The price includes a glass of mulled wine or a mocktail on arrival.

Pre-booking is required through the hotel's events calendar, although walk-ins may be possible on the day if there is space. The market is held inside the Arts and Crafts house on Jesmond Dene Road, so it is indoors and warm. Previous years have had a deliberately small, selected set of stalls covering food, drink, crafts and local boutiques, rather than rows of chalets.

It is also the earliest of the local Christmas markets, which makes it a sensible place to start the present list rather than finish it.

Best for:

Best for: an unhurried Sunday browse with a mulled wine in hand, and a walk down into the Dene afterwards.

Jesmond Food Market on Armstrong Bridge

Jesmond Food Market is not a Christmas market as such, but in December it does the job of one. It is run by Local Heroes NE on Armstrong Bridge, Benton Bank (NE7 7BQ), on the first and third Saturday of every month, 10am to 3pm, and is free to browse.

On that pattern the December markets fall on Saturday 5 and Saturday 19 December 2026. The organisers have not announced any Christmas specials or changes to the usual times, so check their Facebook or Instagram before you set off, especially if the weather turns. The bridge is open to the elements.

Around 30 stalls sell bread, cheese, meat, sweet things and hot street food, which makes the 19 December market the obvious place to collect the cheeseboard and the edible presents for the week ahead. November's dates are the 7th and 21st if you want to get ahead.

Best for:

Best for: Christmas food shopping from North East producers, with the Dene on both sides of you.

Newcastle Christmas Market, a mile down the road

The big one is in the city centre. Newcastle Christmas Market runs from Thursday 19 November to Wednesday 23 December 2026, according to NE1, the city's business improvement district. More than 70 traders will be spread along Grey Street, Grainger Street, Nelson Street and around Grey's Monument, and NE1 says most of them are based within 20 miles of the city. It is free to browse.

Daily opening hours for 2026 have not been published yet. NE1 says the details will go up on newcastleschristmas.com nearer the time.

From Jesmond it is a few minutes on the Metro from Jesmond or West Jesmond to Monument, or a 20 to 25 minute walk down Osborne Road and through the Haymarket. Leave the car at home. City-centre parking in the weeks before Christmas is not worth the effort.

Best for:

Best for: the full Christmas market experience, with food, drink and gifts all within one walk of the Monument.

Durham Christmas Festival

If you want a day out, the Durham Christmas Festival runs from Friday 4 to Sunday 6 December 2026. The main Craft and Producers' Marquee on Palace Green has more than 120 stalls, open 9am to 6pm on the Friday and Saturday and 9am to 4.30pm on the Sunday, with street food and live music between the marquee and the cathedral. Advance tickets for the marquee are already on sale through the festival's booking page, and tickets will also be sold on the door. The 2026 entry price is not shown in what we have seen, so check before you go.

Durham is around 15 minutes on the train from Newcastle Central, and the festival is a steep but short walk up from the station.

Gifts closer to home

For something that is not from a market stall, The Biscuit Factory on Stoddart Street, a short walk from Jesmond's southern edge, sells original art, prints, ceramics, jewellery and design-led homewares, and usually runs a festive programme of shopping events and workshops. Its 2026 Christmas plans have not been published yet, so check the gallery's website nearer the time.

What is still to be confirmed

As of mid-October, the following have not been published for 2026:

• Daily opening hours for Newcastle Christmas Market
• Any Christmas-specific dates or changes at Jesmond Food Market
• The entry price for the Durham Christmas Festival marquee
• The Biscuit Factory's Christmas programme

We will update this guide as details are announced. For pantomimes, light trails and the rest of the region's festive calendar, see Christmas in the North East.

Know of a Jesmond Christmas fair or makers' market we have missed? Get in touch via our contact page.