Liverpool Christmas Market 2026 runs 21 November to 3 January at St George's Plateau as Skate St George's, with an ice rink, market and Big Wheel.
Updated: 2 October 2026. Details were checked against the official event websites, Liverpool City Council announcements and the operators' own pages on that date. Some information, including the full market trader list and the council's pop-up market dates, had not been published yet. Those gaps are marked clearly below.
Liverpool's Christmas market is not run by the same people this year. After a competitive tender, Liverpool City Council awarded the St George's Plateau contract to live entertainment company Underbelly, the operator behind Christmas in Leicester Square and Edinburgh's Christmas. The result is Skate St George's: an open-air ice rink, Christmas market, rooftop bar and fairground attractions running from Saturday 21 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027. On the waterfront, a separate new event, Liverpool Christmas Wonderland @ Pier Head, runs from Friday 20 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027. Entry to both sites is free. Skating and the main rides are ticketed.
If you visited in 2025, the short version is: the market starts later than the old mid-November opening, it stays open after Christmas for the first time, an ice rink is now the centrepiece of the plateau, and some familiar traders will not be there because of a sharp rise in stall costs.
The changes this year are structural, not cosmetic:
Dates: Saturday 21 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027, closed on Christmas Day.
Standard opening hours: 10am to 10pm. The first skating session starts at 10.15am and the last at 9.15pm.
Exceptions, according to the official Skate St George's website:
Entry: Free to enter the site, browse the market and watch the entertainment. Ice skating is ticketed. VisitLiverpool lists rink tickets from £11.50 for adults and £10 for children, with family tickets from £38, bookable through the Skate St George's booking page. Tickets for other attractions, including the Big Wheel, Christmas Tree Maze and Carousel, are bought separately at each ride, by card.
Payment: Card only at the on-site box office. Booking online in advance is advised for peak sessions, though on-the-day tickets are sold subject to availability.
Children: The site is open to all ages, but the operator suggests children are accompanied by someone aged 16 or over.
One practical note: the council's Christmas market page and some older listings still show the 2025 dates (15 November to 24 December, 11am to 10pm). Those relate to the previous market and do not apply this year.
Confirmed by Underbelly and VisitLiverpool:
The change of operator has brought a dispute over stall costs that will affect what the market looks like this year.
The BBC reported in August that Alex Healy, a Gateacre jeweller who had traded at the market since 2021 with her business Pare de Bijoux, would not return because the cost of her chalet had more than doubled. She told reporters she paid £6,780 including VAT and electricity last year, and that the equivalent total for 2026 came to just under £14,000 before additional charges.
The Liverpool Echo has reported similar accounts from other traders. O'Donnell Moonshine, a craft spirits business that had traded at the market for five years, said its quoted terms rose from around £10,000 to around £14,000 plus 10 per cent of gross takings, which it estimated could take its total cost to between £20,000 and £25,000. Traders also described extra charges for electricity, waste, water and a mandatory electronic point-of-sale system, and said takings would be paid out up to 90 days after the market ends. These are the traders' accounts of the terms they were offered, not figures confirmed by the operator.
Liverpool City Council has said the markets are managed independently by the operators. The Echo said Underbelly had not responded to its approaches about the concerns. The practical effect for visitors is that some long-standing stalls are unlikely to appear, and Underbelly says its trader selection is aimed at a balanced market offer. How different the stalls feel in practice will only be clear once the trader list is published.
The waterfront event is the bigger of the two sites this year. Run by Icebox Live, it occupies the Pier Head in front of the Three Graces from Friday 20 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027, open daily 11am to 9pm and closed on Christmas Day.
Entry is free. What has been confirmed by the operator and VisitLiverpool:
The two sites are about 15 to 20 minutes apart on foot, down through the city centre shopping streets. If you are planning to do both in one day, the Pier Head site's covered rink is the more weatherproof option.
The two big sites are not the only festive markets. Confirmed dates for the 2026 season so far:
Pop Up at the Palm House Winter Market, Sefton Park, 20 to 22 November. Independent makers, artists, designers, food and live music inside the Sefton Park Palm House. Friday 2pm to 7pm, Saturday and Sunday 10.30am to 5pm. Details on the Palm House events page.
Liverpool's Christmas Craft and Flea Market, Metropolitan Cathedral, Saturday 21 November. Around 11am to 4pm in the Lutyens Crypt under the Metropolitan Cathedral on Brownlow Hill, a market of local makers and vintage sellers in one of the city's more unusual spaces. Listing and ticket details are on the event page; check entry arrangements before travelling.
Metquarter Christmas markets, 28 and 29 November and 12 and 13 December. Announced on the venue's social channels, 11am to 5pm, organised by local independent artists. Check Metquarter's What's On page nearer the time, as its website had not been updated with 2026 details when this article was written.
Granby Street Market, Toxteth, Saturday 5 December. The monthly community market, 10am to 3pm, with bric-a-brac, vintage clothing, crafts and food. The December edition is usually expanded into a Christmas market, but confirm with the organisers before travelling.
Baltic Market, Baltic Triangle, through December. The street food hall on Stanhope Street runs a Christmas programme each year with seasonal traders, markets and events. Its 2026 calendar was being announced in stages at the time of writing; balticmarket.co.uk has the current line-up. For more of the city's year-round independent food scene, our Liverpool markets and street food guide covers the regulars beyond the festive pop-ups.
Council pop-up markets at Basnett Street and the Cunard Building. Announced as part of the city's 2026 festive programme, featuring local and independent businesses, but the selected dates had not been published when this article was updated. The council's markets page is where dates are likely to appear first.
Royal Albert Dock ran a Light Up Your Christmas programme of projections and weekend entertainment in 2025. Its 2026 plans had not been announced at the time of writing.
If you are making a day or evening of it, these confirmed events sit close to the two main sites:
Skate St George's (St George's Plateau, L1 1JJ): Liverpool Lime Street station is directly opposite, under five minutes on foot. Liverpool Central is about ten minutes. Queen Square bus station is around five minutes away. There is no event parking. The nearest car parks include St John's Shopping Centre, Queen Square, Lime Street station long stay and the council's Mount Pleasant multi-storey (open 24 hours, but note there are currently no lifts in service). Current charges are on the council's car parks page. On-street and council car park charges rose in early 2026, so check prices before driving in.
Liverpool Christmas Wonderland (Pier Head, L3 1DP): James Street is the closest Merseyrail station, around four minutes on foot, with Moorfields also within ten minutes. The site is about ten minutes from Liverpool ONE and fifteen from Lime Street. There is no parking on site; the King's Dock multi-storey is the closest large council car park.
Walking between the two sites takes 15 to 20 minutes through the retail core, which is where the Liverpool ONE decorations sit, so combining them on foot is straightforward. Our Liverpool city centre guide covers the streets, shops and stations between the two sites in more detail. For buses, trains and ferries over the festive period, including any engineering works, check Merseytravel before travelling. One known disruption: Merseyrail's Northern Line is closed south of Liverpool Central until 6 November, before the markets open, but it is a reminder that works can affect December travel too.
Do I need tickets for Liverpool Christmas Market 2026?
No for entry. Both Skate St George's and Liverpool Christmas Wonderland are free to enter. You pay for skating, the grotto and the rides.
Should I book skating in advance?
Both operators recommend it for peak times: Friday and Saturday evenings, the weekends before Christmas and the school holidays. On-the-day tickets exist but are subject to availability.
Is the market still on William Brown Street?
The event is centred on St George's Plateau with a reworked layout around the rink. The exact footprint for 2026, including how far stalls extend towards William Brown Street, has not been published.
Are there toilets and step-free access?
The Pier Head operator says its site is step-free. Detailed accessibility and facilities information for Skate St George's, including toilets, had not been published when this article was updated. St George's Hall itself has accessible toilets and a Changing Places facility, but event-specific arrangements on the plateau should be checked with the operator before visiting.
When is it quietest?
Weekday afternoons in the first two weeks of the run are usually the calmest. Friday and Saturday evenings in December, and the final weekend before Christmas, draw the biggest crowds, and the city centre is busy with shoppers and theatregoers at the same time.
How long should I allow?
An hour covers a walk through the market and a drink. Add your skating session, the Big Wheel or food and it becomes two to three hours. Both sites together, with the walk between them, fill most of an afternoon or evening.
As of 2 October 2026, the following was still outstanding and this article will be updated as it is confirmed:
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