Quick answer: Truro is the Christmas market in Cornwall — 34 days on Lemon Quay, Saturday 21 November to Thursday 24 December 2026, open daily, with a second market on Boscawen Street every Wednesday and Saturday. Ignore the listings saying it ends on 21 December; the organisers say Christmas Eve. After that, Cornwall does not really do big continental-style markets — what it has instead is ticketed Christmas fairs at venues like Eden and Wadebridge, and town festive weekends at Falmouth and Fowey. Plan around Truro and treat the rest as a bonus.
“Cornwall Christmas markets” is a search that sets people up for disappointment, because the county has nothing like Bath or Winchester and the listings sites imply otherwise. What it does have is one proper city market that runs for over a month, a handful of ticketed fairs in good venues, and some excellent town festive weekends. This is what is actually on, what is confirmed and what is not. Our Christmas in Cornwall guide covers the wider season and our December guide covers the month itself.
Table of Contents
- Truro: the one that actually is a Christmas market
- The ticketed fairs, which are a different proposition
- Town festive weekends
- The two Cornish Christmas events that are not markets
- Getting there, and when to go
- FAQ
- References and resources
Truro: the one that actually is a Christmas market
Everything else on this page is an event. Truro is a market, and it runs for 34 days.
| 2026 | |
|---|---|
| Dates | Saturday 21 November – Thursday 24 December, open daily |
| Where | Lemon Quay (main site), plus Boscawen Street on Wednesdays and Saturdays |
| Sunday hours | 10am – 4pm |
| Other days | 9am – 5pm |
| Late Wednesdays | 2, 9, 16 and 23 December: 9am – 9pm |
| Christmas Eve | 9am – 3pm |
A warning about the dates, because this one is circulating. Several listing sites give the end date as 21 December. The organisers’ own pages say 24 December, and their own “34 days” count only works from 21 November to Christmas Eve. If you are planning the week before Christmas, the market is open.
Boscawen Street is a separate thing
Worth knowing, because it is easy to turn up on the wrong day. The Lemon Quay market runs every day; Boscawen Street comes alive on Wednesdays and Saturdays only, 9am to 5pm on Saturdays and 9am to 9pm on Wednesdays. It is run by Truro Farmers Market, Cornwall Shop Small and Truro BID, so the stallholders differ from the main market.
The rest of Truro’s Christmas
- Christmas lights switch-on: the afternoon of Saturday 21 November, the same day the market opens.
- Father Christmas Parade: Wednesday 2 December — Rock Choir at 6pm, parade at 6.30pm, on one of the late shopping evenings.
- Late-night shopping across the city on Wednesdays 2, 9, 16 and 23 December, with shops open until 9pm.
- Father Christmas at the Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery, 12 to 24 December, booked through the museum.
- New Year’s Eve fireworks, 31 December — a family display at 7.30pm and a midnight one, both free and viewable from Lemon Quay.
Two things the organisers do not state, so we will not either: whether entry is charged, and whether there is an ice rink. Several third-party pages mention a rink; nothing official we could find does. Check before building a day around one.
The ticketed fairs, which are a different proposition
These are indoor craft and gift fairs at venues, usually over a weekend and usually paid. They are closer to a good country show than a Christmas market, and several are genuinely excellent.
- Cornwall Christmas Fair, the Eden Project — listed for 18 to 19 November 2026, ticketed. Eden in November is worth the trip on its own; our Eden Project guide covers the site.
- Cornwall Christmas Market, Wadebridge — listed for 11 to 13 December 2026, ticketed, at the showground.
- Truro Cathedral — listed for 25 to 28 November 2026.
- Makers Cornwall Christmas Fair at the Penryn campus, which ran 6 to 8 November 2026 with over seventy stalls. Noted for next year rather than this one.
These dates come from listings rather than from the organisers themselves, and in researching this guide the listings disagreed with each other more than once. Check the venue’s own page and buy tickets from it directly.
Town festive weekends
The format most Cornish towns actually use: a lights switch-on, street stalls, music, and shops open late, over one weekend rather than a month.
- Falmouth — Christmas lights on 26 November 2026, with a festive weekend listed for 12 to 13 December including a market.
- Fowey — a Christmas market listed provisionally for 4 to 6 December 2026.
- Launceston, Mevagissey, Charlestown and others run their own switch-ons and parades through late November and December, usually announced locally and late.
The practical advice for all of these: check the town council or BID page, not an aggregator. Small-town Christmas dates are confirmed late, change, and are reported inconsistently. A town council’s own page is worth more than five travel sites agreeing with each other.
The two Cornish Christmas events that are not markets
If you came looking for a Christmas market and would settle for the best thing on, these are it.
- Padstow Christmas Fayre guide — 3 to 6 December 2026, free to enter. A food festival rather than a gift market: chef masterclasses, an artisan market round the harbour, a lantern parade on the Friday evening and fireworks after it. The county’s one large winter food event.
- Mousehole lights guide — the harbour lights, 10 December to 3 January. Not a market at all, and the best single evening in the Cornish winter.
Both are covered properly in their own guides, and both need more planning than they look like they do. Our Christmas in Cornwall guide has the rest of the season, including Montol in Penzance and Tom Bawcock’s Eve, and the New Year’s Eve guide covers the end of it.
Getting there, and when to go
- Truro by train. The city is on the main line and the market is a few minutes’ walk from the station. In December this is comfortably the better option — our branch lines guide covers the network.
- Or use Park for Truro. Langarth and Tregurra between them hold over 2,500 spaces, Monday to Saturday. Central Truro car parks are small and fill early on a December Saturday. Our parking guide has the detail.
- Go on a weekday. The market runs 34 days; Saturdays are the busiest by a distance, and the late Wednesdays give you the evening atmosphere without the Saturday crush.
- Dress for standing about outdoors. It is the wind rather than the cold — our weather guide covers what December actually does.
- Eat locally while you are there. Our what to eat guide covers what to look for and the drinks trail guide covers the Cornish wine, cider and gin you will see on the stalls.
And consider coming for the whole week rather than the day. Cornwall in December is cheap, quiet and open — our coastal towns in winter guide covers which towns stay alive, the off-season guide covers what else is running, and the where to stay guide covers where to base yourself.
FAQ
Q: When is the Truro Christmas market 2026?
A: Saturday 21 November to Thursday 24 December 2026, open daily on Lemon Quay. Several listing sites give 21 December as the end date, but the organisers say Christmas Eve, and their own count of 34 days only works from 21 November to 24 December.
Q: What are the Truro Christmas market opening hours?
A: 9am to 5pm most days, 10am to 4pm on Sundays, and 9am to 3pm on Christmas Eve. On Wednesdays 2, 9, 16 and 23 December it opens 9am to 9pm, which are also the city’s late-night shopping evenings.
Q: Is there more than one Christmas market in Truro?
A: Yes. Lemon Quay is the main site and runs daily. Boscawen Street hosts a separate market on Wednesdays and Saturdays only, run by Truro Farmers Market, Cornwall Shop Small and Truro BID, with different stallholders.
Q: Does Cornwall have proper Christmas markets?
A: One, in Truro. Elsewhere the county runs ticketed indoor Christmas fairs at venues such as the Eden Project and Wadebridge showground, and town festive weekends with a lights switch-on and street stalls. If you are expecting Bath or Winchester, Cornwall does something different.
Q: What Christmas fairs are on in Cornwall in 2026?
A: Listings give the Cornwall Christmas Fair at the Eden Project as 18 to 19 November, the Cornwall Christmas Market at Wadebridge as 11 to 13 December, and Truro Cathedral as 25 to 28 November, all ticketed. These come from listings rather than organisers, so confirm on the venue’s own page.
Q: Where do you park for the Truro Christmas market?
A: Use the train, or Park for Truro at Langarth or Tregurra, which hold over 2,500 spaces between them and run Monday to Saturday. Central Truro car parks are small and fill early on December Saturdays.
Q: When is the best time to visit the Truro Christmas market?
A: A weekday rather than a Saturday, and one of the late Wednesdays if you want the evening atmosphere. The market runs for 34 days, so there is no need to go on the busiest one.
References and resources
- Truro Christmas Market: www.trurochristmas.co.uk
- Visit Truro — Christmas in Truro: www.visittruro.org.uk
- Cornwall Council — Park for Truro: www.cornwall.gov.uk
- Visit Cornwall: www.visitcornwall.com
