Knutsford Christmas Market 2026: December dates and a separate lights switch-on

Knutsford’s Christmas Market will take place on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December 2026, with the town’s Christmas lights switch-on scheduled separately for Saturday 21 November.

The dates are confirmed on Knutsford Town Council’s Christmas Market page. Anyone planning a visit should treat them as two different events rather than expecting the lights ceremony during the market weekend.

What has been announced?

The council says the two-day market will feature more than 120 traders per day, selling food, drink, crafts and gifts, alongside live entertainment. Its event page does not yet give a full 2026 daily timetable, so check back before deciding an arrival time.

The published shuttle information describes a service for the market weekend. Check the final operating times and accessibility arrangements before relying on it; it should not be assumed to cover the separate lights event.

Plans for the November lights event

An April 2026 report to the council’s events committee set out plans to bring a lantern parade back into the lights programme. It also discussed additional marshals and a longer procession route.

Those are planning details, not a final visitor timetable. The confirmed date is 21 November; a precise switch-on time and final parade instructions should come from the council’s published event programme nearer the occasion.

Is the Christmas Market on the lights switch-on weekend?

No. The announced dates are two weeks apart: the lights event on 21 November and the market on 5–6 December.

Can I use last year’s market times?

No. Use the 2026 programme when it is published. Earlier market dates, opening times and road-closure arrangements may not apply this year.

Photograph: Buildings and bunting along King Street in Knutsford (31 May 2012). Tricia Neal / Geograph, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0. Archive image, resized and compressed.