Expanded trader line-up announced for 2026 with 10 more traders, joining returning favourites and fresh new faces.
Event dates: Thursday 19th November to Wednesday 23rd December
Opening times: 10am – 8pm Monday to Saturday, and 10am – 5pm Sundays.
Newcastle’s Christmas Market will return to the heart of Newcastle city centre this year, launching on Thursday, 19th November and remaining open until Wednesday, 23rd December 2026.
Newcastle City Council and NE1 have worked closely again this year to curate a high-quality market with a distinctive North East flavour. Almost 90% of the 70 chosen traders are based within 20 miles of Newcastle city centre, reinforcing Newcastle City Council and NE1’s commitment to showcasing local businesses, those that ensure the market has a regional flavour, and help put Newcastle on the map as a must-visit destination for festive fun seekers looking for a truly unique event.
The market is central to the city’s festive offer, complementing the wider seasonal activities happening across the city. Artists, jewellers, and gift retailers will trade alongside festive-inspired hot food vendors operating across the market on Grainger Street, Grey Street, around Grey’s Monument, Old Eldon Square, and Nelson Street, which was successfully added to the market last year.
An impressive array of businesses from across the region will give visitors the chance to discover and support local producers, makers and retailers. The festive selection will include a small number of high-quality festive food traders and a wide selection of specialist retailers complementing and adding to the city’s existing shops and hospitality venues to make the city a compelling place to visit at this key time of the year.
Visitors can eat their way around the market, sampling the food and drink on offer while browsing and buying an exciting range of handmade gifts and products. All traders were specially selected to bring theatre, spectacle, and discovery to the market, with food prepared in front of crowds and gifts personalised and hand-crafted on-site; visitors will experience unique, festive moments throughout the event.
Located at the heart of Newcastle’s retail core, the market encourages visitors to explore beyond the stalls, enjoy the city’s retail offer and visit its many shops and hospitality businesses while experiencing the festive fun provided by the market and the nearby Christmas village at Old Eldon Square. The Christmas Village is a unique addition to Newcastle’s Christmas Market, a dedicated zone packed with things to see and do for families and young people, including Mrs Claus’ Bakery, the biggest Ferris wheel the market has ever seen, and Santa Stories with the ‘real’ Father Christmas.
Regular visitors to Newcastle’s Christmas Market will be delighted to see the return of award-winning Crumbling, who took home the Newcastle Christmas Market Trader of the Year 2025 award. Their apple crumble and custard drew the crowds last year, and warmed thousands of market visitors as they browsed the stalls.
Another delectable returnee, Twisted Cheesecake, will make their welcome return, selling their famous Reindeer and other cheesecakes on a stick, which were best-sellers last year.
Another award-winning business back for 2026 is Powder Butterfly with its North-East inspired artistic gifts, which earned it the title of Best Newcomer at last year’s Market.
Bringing a distinct North East and Geordie flavour to the Market will be NEtoon Creative, which specialises in high-quality, handmade North East gifts and Geordie souvenirs celebrating everything people love about the Toon and the wider region. The collection includes designs inspired by the Angel of the North and Newcastle’s iconic bridges, as well as witty Geordie-themed cards and pin badges.
Alongside these well-established stallholders, the Market will welcome a whole host of new names and faces, giving visitors plenty of reasons to visit.
Alpine Cheese will be well suited to the festive chalets, offering an après-ski-style cheese raclette stall that will create Instagrammable moments and a festive food experience for market-goers.
A new retailer at Newcastle’s Christmas Market will be OROVA a Newcastle-based independent brand specialising in personalised leather accessories and customised gifts. Market-goers can see their gifts being personalised on-site with bespoke embossing and monogramming, ideal gifts for the festive season.
Sport lovers and those buying for football enthusiasts will be delighted by the presence of The Back Page, a Newcastle company that has had a shop in the city for over 22 years. Bringing an extensive range of football and sports memorabilia, books and bespoke local Geordie merchandise, The Back Page Christmas stall will be a magnet for Newcastle United supporters and those looking for gifts for the football and sports fans in their lives.
Another newcomer to this year’s Market is Northumberland-based skincare brand, Fat Cow Skincare. A regular at local markets across the North East, the brand will be showcasing its range of beef-tallow-based skincare products which have gone viral on social media and have gathered a loyal following for its innovative range and novel approach to skincare.
Ben Whitfeld, Director of Communications at NE1, said: “Adding some seasonal sparkle to an already vibrant festive retail offer in the heart of the city is what Newcastle’s Christmas Market is all about, and timed to support one of the most important times of the year for our retailers and businesses.
“Working closely with Newcastle City Council, we’ve carefully curated a high-quality, regionally focused market that complements the city’s fantastic retail and hospitality businesses. We want visitors to enjoy the atmosphere at the market, discover new local businesses and then explore everything Newcastle has to offer. We’ve been delighted by the response from local businesses keen to come back, and new businesses excited to take part for the first time. All traders have been selected for the quality and individuality of their offer, but also for their passion to play their part in creating something unique to Newcastle and the North East.
“Together we have a shared ambition to make Newcastle and Newcastle’s Christmas Market a must-visit festive destination across the UK and beyond, and we intend to build on this year on year.”
Jemma Robson from Crumbling said:
“We are so happy to be coming back to Newcastle’s Christmas Market this year. Last year was our first time and, being a small local business, I really didn’t know what to expect. The support we received was honestly so lovely and I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who came along and bought a crumble from us.
“Being invited back again this Christmas means a lot. We’re really looking forward to seeing some familiar faces, meeting lots of new ones and just being part of the Christmas atmosphere in Newcastle again. We feel very lucky to be there and can’t wait to get started!”
Cllr Rob Austin, Cabinet Member for Culture, Communities and Youth Services at Newcastle City Council, said: “Our Christmas Market is a much-loved part of what makes Newcastle special at this time of year. By working closely with NE1 to showcase local businesses, makers and producers, we’re creating a festive experience with a real local identity, while helping businesses thrive and encouraging people to explore everything our city has to offer. It’s about bringing people together, supporting our local economy and creating Christmas magic that feels uniquely Newcastle.”
For a full list of traders and their locations, visit www.newcastleschristmas.com
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