# Colchester Christmas Market 2026 > Colchester Christmas Market runs 6 December 2026 in Colchester. Opening times, where it is and entry cost, checked against the official tourism board on 11 October 2026. Source: https://bestchristmasmarkets.co.uk/markets/colchester/ Colchester, [Essex](https://bestchristmasmarkets.co.uk/areas/essex/) One day only: Sunday 6 December 2026 | Dates | Sunday 6 December 2026 | | --- | --- | | Opening Times | Sunday: **10am to 5pm** | | Where | Colchester High Street, closed to traffic for the day [Open in Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=51.8896,0.901) | | Entry | Free to enter | | Organiser | Colchester Market and Colchester BID. [Official page](https://www.visitcolchester.com/event/colchester-christmas-market/266927101/) | ## Checked Against the Source These dates and times come from the official tourism board's own page, not from another guide. - [Visit Colchester (official tourism site of Colchester City Council)](https://www.visitcolchester.com/event/colchester-christmas-market/266927101/), checked 11 October 2026 Organisers sometimes change hours or close early in bad weather. On the day, check the [official page](https://www.visitcolchester.com/event/colchester-christmas-market/266927101/). Spotted something out of date? [Tell us](https://bestchristmasmarkets.co.uk/contact/). ## Colchester Christmas Market: Quick Answers ### When is Colchester Christmas Market in 2026? It is on Sunday 6 December 2026, for one day only. ### What time does Colchester Christmas Market open and close? Sunday 10am to 5pm. ### Is Colchester Christmas Market free to enter? Yes. ### Where is Colchester Christmas Market? Colchester High Street, closed to traffic for the day, Colchester. ## About Colchester Christmas Market A one-day Sunday market of up to 80 stalls along the pedestrianised High Street, with street food, live music and funfair rides. ## Where Is Colchester Christmas Market? Colchester High Street, closed to traffic for the day, Colchester. The other dots are nearby markets. ## Getting There and Parking ### By Train Colchester has two stations that are useful here, both managed by Greater Anglia. Colchester Town, at St Botolph's, is the city centre one, about a quarter of a mile from the High Street in a straight line (worked out from coordinates). It is on a branch line. The main-line station, Colchester (also called Colchester North), is on the London Liverpool Street to Norwich line; Visit Colchester puts it around a 20 minute walk from the centre and says there are regular buses to and from it. Visit Colchester also warns that some stations have limited services on certain days, so check the Sunday trains before counting on Colchester Town. Source: [Visit Colchester (Colchester City Council)](https://www.visitcolchester.com/plan-your-visit/travel-information/), checked 12 October 2026; [National Rail](https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/colchester-town/), [page 2](https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/colchester/), checked 12 October 2026. ### Park and Ride Colchester's park and ride, at junction 28 of the A12, does not run on Sundays, so it is no help for this market on Sunday 6 December. Essex County Council gives its opening times as Monday to Friday 6.30am to 7.30pm and Saturday 7am to 7.30pm, and Visit Colchester describes it as a Monday to Saturday service. The park and ride page lists no extra Sunday buses for the market. For other days, an adult ticket is £3.20 and a group ticket for up to two adults and three children arriving in one car is £5.40 (read October 2026). Source: [Travel Essex (Essex County Council)](https://www.travelessex.co.uk/park-and-ride/colchester-park-and-ride), checked 12 October 2026; [Visit Colchester (Colchester City Council)](https://www.visitcolchester.com/plan-your-visit/travel-information/), checked 12 October 2026. ### Parking With no park and ride on a Sunday, drivers need a city centre car park. Colchester City Council charges the same rates Monday to Sunday. St Mary's and St John's are the two big multi-storeys; Priory Street and Vineyard Street are smaller. St John's is locked from 7pm to 5am, and St Mary's closes its entrance at 10pm from Friday to Sunday, though you can still drive out. Blue Badge holders park free for up to three hours in any ordinary bay with the badge and clock on display. The council also has a cheaper four-hour rate of £3.70 through the MiPermit app (read October 2026). The High Street itself is given over to the stalls. | Car Park | Spaces | Price | | --- | --- | --- | | St Mary's multi-storey | 577, with 11 disabled bays | £4.00 up to 2 hours, £5.50 up to 4 hours, £15.00 up to 12 hours (October 2026) | | St John's multi-storey | 645, with 14 disabled bays | £4.00 up to 2 hours, £5.50 up to 4 hours, £15.00 up to 12 hours (October 2026) | | Priory Street | 169, with 7 disabled bays | £4.00 up to 2 hours, £5.00 up to 4 hours, £13.80 up to 12 hours (October 2026) | | Vineyard Street | 80, with 5 disabled bays | £3.40 up to 1 hour, £5.60 up to 2 hours (October 2026) | Source: [Colchester City Council](https://www.new.colchester.gov.uk/city-centre-car-parks/st-marys), [page 2](https://www.new.colchester.gov.uk/city-centre-car-parks/st-johns), [page 3](https://www.new.colchester.gov.uk/city-centre-car-parks/priory-street), [page 4](https://www.new.colchester.gov.uk/city-centre-car-parks/vineyard-street), checked 12 October 2026; [Visit Colchester (Colchester City Council)](https://www.visitcolchester.com/event/colchester-christmas-market/266927101/), checked 12 October 2026. ### Accessibility Nothing specific has been published for the market. Visit Colchester's access page says Blue Badge holders get three hours free in all city council car parks, and in the Blue Badge bays on the High Street, North Hill and Museum Street/Castle Bailey. The page does not say whether the High Street bays stay in use when the street is filled with stalls, so plan on a car park or the other streets. St Mary's car park has 11 disabled bays and 8 Shopmobility bays. Visit Colchester adds that several local buses are low-floor, some with space for a wheelchair. Source: [Visit Colchester (Colchester City Council)](https://www.visitcolchester.com/plan-your-visit/accessibility/accessible-transport-and-parking/), checked 12 October 2026; [Colchester City Council](https://www.new.colchester.gov.uk/city-centre-car-parks/st-marys), checked 12 October 2026. ### What Else Is On On the same day, Sunday 6 December 2026, the Moot Hall Christmas Gift Market is inside Colchester Town Hall from 10am to 4pm. The Colchester Ice Rink in Culver Square is listed from Saturday 5 December 2026 into the new year, and booking is advised. Visit Colchester's guided walk, A Colchester Christmas, is on Saturday 5 December. The season opens three weeks earlier with the Christmas Light Switch-On Parade on Saturday 14 November, from 5pm, going from the Mercury Theatre along the High Street. Source: [Visit Colchester (Colchester City Council)](https://www.visitcolchester.com/event/moot-hall-christmas-fair/266934101/), [page 2](https://www.visitcolchester.com/event/colchester-ice-rink-in-culver-square/267077101/), [page 3](https://www.visitcolchester.com/event/guided-tour%3a-a-colchester-christmas/250934101/), [page 4](https://www.visitcolchester.com/event/colchester-christmas-light-switch-on-parade/266930101/), checked 12 October 2026. ### Where to Stay The High Street runs through the middle of the old walled town, with Colchester Castle and Castle Park at its east end. Anywhere inside the line of the Roman wall is a few minutes' walk from the stalls, and so is the area around Colchester Town station. The main-line station is about 20 minutes away on foot, down the hill to the north, with buses in between. **Staying the night?** See hotels and rooms near the stalls on a map, priced for Sunday 6 December. Map by Stay22. [affiliate](https://bestchristmasmarkets.co.uk/affiliate-disclosure/) **Making a weekend of it?** A cottage within reach of the market gives you an early start before the day trippers arrive. [Holiday cottages from Sykes](https://www.sykescottages.co.uk/) ## Questions People Ask **When is Colchester Christmas Market in 2026?** Sunday 6 December 2026, from 10am to 5pm, on the High Street. It is a one-day market. **Is Colchester Christmas Market free?** Yes. Visit Colchester describes it as a free event. **Does the Colchester park and ride run for the Christmas market?** No. The park and ride is open Monday to Saturday only and the market is on a Sunday, so you need a city centre car park or the train. **Which station is nearest to Colchester Christmas Market?** Colchester Town, about a quarter of a mile from the High Street in a straight line. The main-line station, Colchester (North), is around a 20 minute walk from the centre. **How much is parking in Colchester on a Sunday?** The same as any other day in the city council's car parks: at St Mary's, £4.00 for up to two hours and £5.50 for up to four (October 2026). Blue Badge holders get three hours free. ## Have You Been to Colchester Christmas Market? Tell other visitors whether it was worth the trip. One vote per market, no account needed. ## Other Christmas Markets Nearby [Suffolk County Christmas Fair at Hintlesham Hall Hintlesham, Suffolk 20 to 22 Nov 2026 13 miles away](https://bestchristmasmarkets.co.uk/markets/hintlesham-hall/) [Light Up Maldon Maldon, Essex 26 Nov 2026 15 miles away](https://bestchristmasmarkets.co.uk/markets/maldon/) ['Keep' Christmastide Market Castle Hedingham, near Halstead, Essex 18 to 20 Dec 2026 15 miles away](https://bestchristmasmarkets.co.uk/markets/hedingham-castle/) [Ipswich Town Hall Christmas Fayre Ipswich, Suffolk 21 to 22 Nov 2026 16 miles away](https://bestchristmasmarkets.co.uk/markets/ipswich/) [Essex County Christmas Fair at Boreham House Boreham, Essex 13 to 15 Nov 2026 18 miles away](https://bestchristmasmarkets.co.uk/markets/boreham-house/) See all [Christmas markets near Ipswich](https://bestchristmasmarkets.co.uk/near/ipswich/). More in [East of England](https://bestchristmasmarkets.co.uk/regions/east-of-england/), or see [every market's 2026 dates](https://bestchristmasmarkets.co.uk/dates/).