Christmas Markets in Morpeth

Morpeth has been a market town since 1199, and in December it still behaves like one. There is no month-long chalet market here of the kind Newcastle puts on, but there is a farmers' market in the Market Place, a makers' market in a barn a short drive north, and a run of independent shops between the Clock Tower and Bridge Street that make the Christmas shop easier than it is in most towns this size.

The happy accident of 2026 is that the first weekend of December lines almost everything up at once.

Morpeth Farmers' Market, Saturday 5 December

Morpeth Farmers' Market runs on the first Saturday of every month in the Market Place, and the organisers' published 2026 dates put the last one of the year on Saturday 5 December. Expect the usual mix of Northumberland meat and game, bread, cheese, preserves, hot food and a handful of craft stalls, from 9am to 3pm. Entry is free.

December is the one to get to early. It is the market where people buy the cheese board, the chutney and the edible presents, and the better stalls thin out well before lunch. Our guide to Morpeth Farmers Market covers parking and the regular traders in more detail.

The traditional general market also runs in the same square every Wednesday through December, which is useful for wrapping, cards and the bits nobody remembers until the week before.

Best for:

Best for: Christmas food shopping in the middle of town, with the Town Hall and Clock Tower as a backdrop.

Forage Christmas Market at Rigg & Furrow, 5 and 6 December

The best dedicated Christmas makers' market within easy reach of Morpeth is out at Acklington, about a twenty-minute drive north. The Forage markets are held in the End Hemmel barn at Rigg & Furrow, the farmhouse brewery at Acklington Park Farm, and the organisers have confirmed the Christmas market for Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December 2026, 12pm to 5pm.

It brings together over 50 independent makers, designers and food vendors, so it leans towards prints, ceramics, candles, jewellery and the sort of present you cannot buy online. Entry is £2 for adults, with under-16s and dogs free, and tickets can be bought in advance or on the door. The brewery taproom is open alongside, with street food.

Two practical points. The postcode, NE65 9AA, does not take you straight to the farm, so follow the roadside sign. And Forage also runs a Winter Market on 7 and 8 November, which is the one to go to if you like your Christmas shopping finished early.

Best for:

Best for: handmade presents from independent makers, with a pint of farm-brewed beer to follow.

Christmas in the town centre

The Christmas lights switch-on is organised by Morpeth Town Council, and in recent years it has been a free family day in the town centre in mid-November, with entertainment around the Market Place and Morpeth Town Hall and the lights going on at teatime. Sanderson Arcade has also run festive markets on Bridge Street in previous years. Neither the 2026 switch-on date nor any separate town-centre Christmas market had been announced when we wrote this, so check the Town Council and Sanderson Arcade nearer the time.

The shops themselves do not need an announcement. Sanderson Arcade has its free three-hour parking and a covered run of shops for a wet afternoon. The Chocolate Gallery on Oldgate makes its chocolates on the premises, and Grape & Grain covers the bottle you are taking to someone else's house. Our guide to the best independent shops in Morpeth goes through the rest.

For younger children, the Christmas experience at Whitehouse Farm Centre near Stannington runs on selected dates from 21 November to Christmas Eve in timed slots that need booking.

Christmas markets within reach

Newcastle Christmas Market runs from Thursday 19 November to Wednesday 23 December 2026, according to Newcastle City Council, with over 70 traders around Grey's Monument, Grey Street and Grainger Street and a Christmas Village on Old Eldon Square. The train from Morpeth to Newcastle Central takes around 15 to 20 minutes, and the market is a short walk from the station.

Durham Christmas Festival is on Friday 4 to Sunday 6 December 2026, with the Craft and Producers' Marquee on Palace Green open from 9am (closing 6pm on Friday and Saturday, 4.30pm on Sunday) and street food between the marquee and the cathedral. The marquee is ticketed, and booking ahead is the easier option. By train it is Morpeth to Newcastle and on down the main line, an easy day out without the car.

Alnwick usually holds a Christmas market in its Market Place in late November or December, alongside a separate fair at the castle. Dates for 2026 had not been published, so check Alnwick's markets team before setting off.

Planning the first weekend of December

Saturday 5 December is the day to plan around. The farmers' market runs until 3pm and the Forage market opens at noon, so a morning in the Market Place followed by an afternoon at Acklington works comfortably by car. If you would rather leave the car at home, Durham's festival runs on the same day and the train does the work.

What is not confirmed yet

As of mid-October, the following had not been published for 2026:

• The date and programme for Morpeth's Christmas lights switch-on
• Any separate Christmas market in Morpeth town centre
• Alnwick's Christmas market dates

We will update this guide as those are announced.

Know a Morpeth Christmas fair or market we have missed? Get in touch via our contact page.