Christmas comes to Thirsk in the middle of November this year, with a three-day artisan market in town from Friday 13 November, and it runs right up to the Sunday before Christmas, when the makers come back to the square.
Checked 5 October 2026 against each organiser's own page. Everything below is on what's on in Thirsk, and we're at 87 Market Place, where every drive time below starts.
The season at a glance
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Fri 13 to Sun 15 Nov | Artisan market | Thirsk |
| Fri 20 Nov | Christmas food and gift fair | Ripon Cathedral |
| From Sat 28 Nov | Christmas trail and A Christmas Carol | Fountains Abbey |
| Sat 28 Nov to Thu 24 Dec | Santa's grotto and Christmas trail | Thorp Perrow, near Bedale |
| Sun 29 Nov | Artisan Christmas market | Fountains Abbey |
| Fri 11 Dec | Christmas party night | Thirsk Racecourse |
| Fri 18 Dec | Goldilocks, the pantomime | Thirsk Town Hall |
| Sun 20 Dec | Artisan market | Thirsk Market Place |
In Thirsk
The Thirsk artisan market is the one on our doorstep. Little Bird Made brings makers selling their own work to town for three days in November, Friday 13 to Sunday 15, and back to the Market Place on Sunday 20 December, the last chance for handmade presents in town.
The pantomime is Goldilocks, Rural Arts' touring show, at the Town Hall on Westgate on Friday 18 December. It goes on to village halls after that, so the Thirsk night is the one to book.
Thirsk Racecourse also holds a shared Christmas party night on Friday 11 December, which is a party rather than racing, ticketed by the course.
The town's Christmas lights switch-on date has not been announced yet. When it is, it goes on our What's On page.
Half an hour away
Ripon, under half an hour's drive, has the largest fair on this list: the Christmas food and gift fair inside Ripon Cathedral on Friday 20 November, with over a hundred stalls. Under-16s go in free, and Little Bird runs a Christmas market in Ripon the same weekend.
Thorp Perrow, near Bedale and about twenty-five minutes away, opens its Santa's grotto and Christmas trail on Saturday 28 November and runs it to Christmas Eve, so it works on a weekday in the school holidays as well as a weekend.
Fountains Abbey, about thirty-five minutes away, does Christmas at Fountains from 28 November to 3 January: a Christmas trail, A Christmas Carol at Fountains Hall, music in the abbey and carols round the tree. Its artisan Christmas market is on Sunday 29 November only, the Saturday having been cancelled. Carols by Candlelight tickets go on sale on Friday 6 November.
Getting there
The Thirsk events are all on foot from the square. Ripon, Thorp Perrow and Fountains need a car, and our guide to getting around covers the rest. On market days the square fills up, so the town car parks are the better bet.
Worth knowing
Carols by Candlelight is ticketed and the pantomime is booked through Rural Arts, so book those first and fit the markets around them. December days are short, and the afternoons are dark by four, so do the outdoor trails in the morning.
Over Christmas we close early on Christmas Eve, and we are shut on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day; our Christmas hours have the details. If you are planning a party of your own, the room upstairs takes up to 20.
Where we fit
On a Thirsk market Sunday we are on the square the stalls are on. The menu has hot chocolate and soup for a cold morning's shopping, and if there are six or more of you, book a table.
