Stratford-upon-Avon Christmas Markets 2026

Stratford-upon-Avon station on Station Road is the one for the market; it is managed by West Midlands Railway. The district council's access statement for the market, written for the 2025 event and still the one linked from the 2026 page, puts the station about ten minutes' walk from the stalls, along a route with dropped kerbs and tactile paving at the main junctions. The town's second station, Stratford-upon-Avon Parkway, shares its car park with the park and ride at Bishopton, so it is the one to use only if you are leaving a car there.

The council asks market visitors who drive to use the Stratford Park and Ride at Bishopton (CV37 0RJ), off Bishopton Lane by the A46 and A3400 roundabout. It has more than 700 spaces. Parking is £1 for the day if you arrive after 9am and the bus is £2.50 adult return, £1.50 child, or £4 for a group of up to five (October 2026); the council says normal charges apply on market days. Buses run later than usual for the market: up to 8.30pm on Saturdays, and until 6.40pm on Sundays with one last bus at 7.30pm. With Bridge Street closed, they pick up and drop off at Windsor Street Coach Park. The car park has a 2.1m height limit.

Bridge Street and Waterside are closed for the market from 6pm on the Friday before each weekend, and High Street becomes one way, so expect delays around the centre. The council says none of the public car parks in the town centre are affected. The nearest to the stalls are the two Bridgeway car parks by the river and Windsor Street, with charges as read in October 2026. Bridgeway is pay on return by number plate, card only, with the first hour free. Both multi-storeys have a 1.8m height limit and Windsor Street has no lifts. Guild Street is a tiny Blue Badge only car park with a three hour limit.

The council's access statement linked from the 2026 page is still the 2025 edition, so treat the detail as last year's. It says the market is on level ground, with portable dropped kerbs put out around the town centre. Park and ride buses have a wheelchair or buggy space. Changing Places toilets are at Bell Court on Rother Street (CV37 6JP) and at Stratford Leisure Centre on Bridgeway. Shopmobility is on Level 2 of Bridgeway Multi-Storey (01789 414534), and Blue Badge holders in that car park must register with Shopmobility to park free. On-street Blue Badge bays in Chapel Lane, Church Street, Sheep Street, Southern Lane, Henley Street and Union Street were unaffected by the closures.

The old town is compact and the stalls are in the middle of it, on Bridge Street, Waterside and Henley Street. Anywhere in the centre is a few minutes' walk, as are the streets across the river by Bridgefoot and those between the centre and the railway station. Places out by the park and ride at Bishopton need the bus, which runs later than usual on market days.