Christmas in Bristol (2025): Events, Christmas Market & Things To Do
Last Updated on 22nd December 2025 by Sophie Nadeau
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‘Tis the season to get cosy, feel festive and enjoy the annual traditions of twinkling lights, jovial markets, and mulled beverages to keep you nice and toasty. Bristol is one of those cities that shines bright come Christmas time.
The streets are adorned with trails of lights and decorations, and Bristol’s charming Christmas market set’s up camp for another year over, while stallholders eagerly await to show off their wares. Here’s your ultimate guide on Christmas in Bristol and the best festive-fuelled things to do!
Bristol Christmas Market dates 2025: November 7th to December 23rd (individual event dates may vary)
Is Bristol worth visiting at Christmas?
To put simply, yes. Bristol is a charming historic city which makes for a stunning backdrop come the festive season. The city’s renowned revival architecture is seen glowing at nighttime when Bristol is decked out head to toe in fairy lights, giant baubles, and Christmas trees galore!
Bristol is particularly popular amongst shoppers, so it’s a great place to get all your Christmas shopping done. Plus, there are several seasonal events, including its charming Christmas market, that are sure to bring joy to even the most Grinch-like of people.
Festive events & activities in Bristol
Bristol’s Christmas Market
Bristol technically has several small markets found scattered throughout but, by way of its main Christmas market, this can be found on Broadmead Street, in the heart of the city centre amongst the popular shopping area.
There are around 35 stalls, so it’s a fairly small affair where you can find crafted goods and plenty of piping-hot food options to enjoy. There’s the Jäger Barn Bar which sometimes hosts live music, and if you’re feeling extra cosy, you can rent out a Ski Gondola for the evening to sit in with friends and have drinks!
Made in Bristol Gift Fair at Bristol Beacon
Made in Bristol is a charming gift market that has been ongoing for over 16 years. It is a carefully curated market that showcases some of the best of the Southwest’s designers, crafters, and makers. The event takes place over three ‘Super Saturdays’ and can be found inside the iconic Bristol Beacon.
Visit the Christmas Village
As of 2024, a brand new event will take form in the Christmas Village, found in Bristol’s Castle Park. This small interactive hub hosts an array of festive activities, from curling to fun rides and games, as well as a rollerblade rink (designed to be as similar as possible to an ice skating rink).
The Christmas Village will be open this year every day (excluding Christmas) from Thursday, December 5th to Friday, January 3rd 2025.
Vintage Winter Wonderland
Situated on Millenium square is Bristol’s Vintage Winter Wonderland. This event is home to some vintage -style carousels, swinging chair rides and the usual funfair rides you might expect to see at a circus or the like.
While it’s a small glowing hub of fun for younger kids, the overall vibe of this area for Bristol’s Christmas does feel a little more run down. However, as it’s located just by the harbour side, it’s still a beautiful spot for keen photographers to capture the twinkling lights reflecting along the water.
Pick out decorations at Whitehall Garden Centre
The Whitehall Garden Centre is just a twenty-minute drive from the city centre, and come Christmas time, it becomes a huge festive paradise! Each year, people in the southwest travel far and wide to visit the garden centre’s iconic Christmas Shop, as it’s a haven for Christmas trees and decorations of all kinds.
Whether you are just browsing and admiring or collecting for your own home, Whitehall has a vast collection of festive ornaments, baubles, wreaths, lights and garlands, as well as plenty of outdoor decor and, of course, huge fir trees!
Westonbirt Arboretum’s Light Trail
Westonbirt, The National Arboretum, is home to some 2,500 species of trees that come from all corners of the world. It’s best visited during Summer when the trees are thriving or in Autumn when they rage riots of red, orange and yellow. However, come the festive season, the trees are brought to life through a dazzling spectacle of lights.
On selected evenings from the end of November through to the end of December, visitors can wander through Westonbirt after dark and follow the magical light trail that guides the way.
You’ll need to purchase your ticket online in advance, which can be done so here. The event is quite expensive, but it certainly makes for an enchanting evening, and there are stalls where you can purchase a small snack or winter warmer along the way.
See the dazzling Winterbourne Wonderland Christmas display
To set the scene, think of that moment in The Grinch movie where Betty Lou Who goes head to head with Martha May in dressing up their homes with Christmas lights. Well, if you’ve ever wanted to see such a thing in real life, look no further than Winterbourne!
This dazzling display has been hailed as Bristol’s most Christmassy house, lit up with over 100,000 twinkling fairy lights of all colours. As such, it has become somewhat of a tourist attraction.
Don’t worry; this isn’t just a huge waste of electrical energy as the homeowners put this festive display up in hopes of raising funds for Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Appeal (Bristol Children’s Hospital). Through donations, social media and a small wishing well on site, all the money is donated for a good cause.
