Essex Christmas Markets: 8 to Visit This Winter

Essex runs a quieter Christmas market circuit than London or York, which is broadly the point. Eight essex christmas markets within easy reach of Colchester and Wivenhoe cover everything from large heated marquee events to an evening fair beside a Victorian water tower, and none of them require a two-hour drive or a parking slot booked six months in advance.

Colchester and close by

The Big Colchester Christmas Market

The Big Colchester Christmas Market spans three venues across the town centre: Colchester Makerspace, The Minories, and Level Best. The preview evening is on Friday 28th November from 6pm at Colchester Makerspace, and the market continues through the weekend with an emphasis on handcrafted gifts, locally made pieces, and independent artists rather than the synthetic Christmas merchandise that fills most high street events. The Minories sits in the heart of town, a short walk from the Dutch Quarter, which makes it easy to spend a morning wandering the old streets and pick up the market in the afternoon without needing to backtrack.

The Dutch Quarter is the natural starting point for anyone visiting the market on foot, a network of historic streets with a character distinct from the rest of the centre and the kind of place that rewards an hour of aimless walking before you commit to anything.

Colchester Evening Christmas Farmers Market

On Saturday 14th December, the Evening Christmas Farmers Market runs from 4pm to 8pm beside Jumbo and Balkerne Gate: a Victorian water tower and a Roman gatehouse standing next to each other in the way that only Colchester manages, without anyone in the city appearing to find it unusual. An evening market in December, outside, next to a floodlit Victorian tower, provides a pleasantly improbable backdrop to buying local cheese and seasonal preserves.

Olivers Plants, Earls Colne

If you want a Christmas market that works around your schedule rather than requiring you to clear a specific Saturday morning, the Olivers Plants Christmas Market at Earls Colne runs from Saturday 14th November through to Thursday 24th December 2026, Monday to Saturday 8:30am to 5pm and Sunday 10am to 4pm. It is a garden centre market on Coggeshall Road, about eight miles west of Colchester, with one of the longest continuous seasons of any market in the county.

The extended hours and six-week run make it a useful option for guests staying in the area mid-week, when most of the Saturday-only markets have finished. It is also the kind of visit that benefits from being low-pressure: there is no single-day window, so you can go when the weather suits rather than regardless of it.

Wivenhoe

Wivenhoe runs its own smaller festive events rather than a formal market, and that is largely the appeal. The Wivenhoe Christmas Fayre is held at Wivenhoe Scouts and Guides Hall on High Street on 29th November from 10am to 1pm, with local stalls and a community feel that sits at a completely different scale from the Colchester events. St Mary's Church also hosts a Christmas Market in the evening, running from 6pm to 8pm, and fits naturally into a day that starts with the fayre, takes a break for a walk along the river, and ends at the church before dinner at The Greyhound or The Flag.

Further afield in Essex

Essex County Christmas Fair, Boreham House

The Essex County Christmas Fair at Boreham House runs from 13th to 15th November 2026, with more than 150 stalls in heated Shopping Marquees and across the outside grounds. Boreham is a manageable drive north from Colchester on the A12, and the heated marquees mean it is worth attending regardless of what November decides to do. Allow a full day.

Markshall Estate Christmas Market, near Coggeshall, runs in mid-to-late November with handcrafted decorations, locally sourced gifts, and seasonal food at a historic walled garden and arboretum about ten miles west of Colchester. The November timing places the market during the grounds' colour change, which gives it a setting that most purpose-built Christmas fairs cannot offer. Cressing Temple Barns, another Essex heritage site at roughly the same distance from the city, holds its own Christmas fair in one of the oldest timber-framed agricultural barns in England, a setting that is atmospheric in ways a heated white marquee simply cannot replicate.

Staying in the area

Both Colchester properties, Number 11 and The Round House, are well placed for a market-focused stay. The town centre, where the Colchester events run, is within walking distance of both, free parking is included if you want to drive to Boreham House or Earls Colne during the day, and self-check-in from 3pm means there is nothing to coordinate on arrival before an evening event. All four Clever Cottages properties welcome dogs, which matters if any of the outdoor markets are on your plan.

If you prefer the pace of Wivenhoe, Secret Cottage and Queens Cottage are a short walk from the Wivenhoe Christmas events, and Colchester is ten minutes away by car or bus. Wivenhoe station is also on the Colchester line, with services into Liverpool Street in about an hour and a quarter for anyone coming down from London for the weekend. You can book either location directly through the Clever Cottages website without a platform fee.

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