Bracknell Christmas Markets: Ascot Fair 12 to 15 November

Bracknell’s own Christmas market is The Lexicon’s run of wooden huts, and on 4 October The Lexicon had not yet announced it for 2026. The dates that are fixed come from elsewhere in the borough and just beyond it: the Ascot Christmas Fair from Thursday 12 to Sunday 15 November, South Hill Park’s free Craft and Design Fair on 14 and 15 November, and Crowthorne’s late night shopping on Friday 4 December. This page sets out each one from the organiser’s own published details, and will add The Lexicon’s market when it is announced.

The quick answer

The biggest confirmed Christmas market near Bracknell is the Ascot Christmas Fair, 12 to 15 November 2026, with more than 160 stalls in the Pavilion Building at Ascot Racecourse, tickets £7 online or £9 on the door, accompanied under-16s free and parking free. In Bracknell itself, South Hill Park’s Craft and Design Fair is free on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 November, 10am to 5pm. The Lexicon’s festive market is not yet confirmed for 2026; last year it ran from 21 November to 23 December. Crowthorne’s Late Night Christmas Shopping is Friday 4 December, 5pm to 7.30pm.

The dates at a glance

Ascot Christmas Fair, 12 to 15 November

The organiser, UK Grand Sales, lists more than 160 boutique, gift, food and fashion stalls in the Pavilion Building at Ascot Racecourse, SL5 7JX. It says 15 to 20 new stalls are being added to the ground floor this year, and the restaurant is moving into a heated marquee attached to it, which frees room for more food and gift stalls and adds seating.

• Opening times: Thursday 12 to Saturday 14 November, 9.30am to 5pm; Sunday 15 November, 9.30am to 4pm.
• Tickets: £9 on the door, £7 online at the standard price, and an early bird price of £5 online, which went on sale in June; check whether it is still offered. A ticket is valid on any one of the four days.
• Children: accompanied under-16s do not need a ticket.
• Pushchairs: not allowed. Baby backpacks and a buggy park are free.
• Access: wheelchairs and mobility scooters are welcome.
• Dogs: no pets, except guide dogs and accredited assistance dogs.
• Parking: free, on site.

(UK Grand Sales, Ascot Christmas Fair 2026)

The pushchair rule is the one that catches families out, so leave the buggy in the car or use the buggy park. The organiser’s ticket line is 07766 376410.

South Hill Park Craft and Design Fair, 14 and 15 November

The arts centre fills the mansion with more than 60 craft stalls for its annual Christmas fair, open 10am to 5pm on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 November. Entry is free and there is no need to book. Expect jewellery, ceramics, woodwork, textiles, bags, candles, cards, fused glass, homeware and art prints. The ceramics, printmaking and silversmithing studios open for demonstrations by the artists in residence, and the Atrium bar and restaurant stays open. (South Hill Park, Craft and Design Fair)

South Hill Park now charges for parking; see our page on South Hill Park parking charges before you go.

The Art Market, South Hill Park: 31 October to 4 January

If you want an original picture rather than a stocking filler, South Hill Park’s galleries become a selling exhibition from Saturday 31 October to Monday 4 January. It has framed paintings, prints, ceramics, photography and mixed media by artists from the region, all for sale. Entry is free and there is no need to book. The opening event, where you can meet the artists, is on Saturday 31 October, 11.30am to 2pm, in the Mirror and Atrium galleries. (South Hill Park, The Art Market)

The Lexicon festive market: not announced yet

Is the Bracknell Christmas market on this year? The Lexicon has not said yet. Its news page, read on 4 October, had no Christmas 2026 item, and the newest Christmas pages it publishes are for 2025. (The Lexicon, news)

Last year’s market ran from Friday 21 November to Tuesday 23 December 2025, in wooden chalets selling handmade gifts, decorations, food and drink. It opened from 10am to 6pm Monday to Friday, 10am to 7pm on Saturdays and 11am to 5pm on Sundays. (The Lexicon, Festive Market 2025) It opened the day of the lights switch-on, when Santa turned on the town centre lights from the top of an eight-metre double-decker bus at 5.30pm, and live music ran through December, including a schools carol concert in Union Square on 14 December. (The Lexicon, Christmas 2025)

The market has opened with the switch-on, so the 2026 dates are likely to arrive together. When they do, this page and our Christmas lights page will carry them.

Sandhurst Christmas Lights Event, Saturday 28 November

Sandhurst Town Council’s diary lists its Christmas Lights Event on Saturday 28 November 2026. It gives no time, venue or stall details yet. (Sandhurst Pride, Sandhurst diary) Our Christmas lights page follows it.

Wokingham Winter Carnival, Sunday 29 November

The nearest big street market is in Wokingham, where the Lions Club shuts the town centre to traffic on Sunday 29 November, 10.30am to 5.30pm, for street entertainers, music, fairground rides, food stalls and gift stalls. Stallholder places for 2026 are already full, and the club is keeping a waiting list. The day raises money for local charities. (Wokingham Lions Club, Winter Carnival)

Crowthorne Late Night Christmas Shopping, Friday 4 December

Crowthorne’s festive evening is on the High Street on Friday 4 December, 5pm to 7.30pm. The parish council lists it in its community dates and is taking stall bookings now, giving local charities and traders priority. Pitches cost £25 for a business and £10 for a charity, and PTAs that provide 20 minutes of music pay nothing. (Crowthorne Parish Council, newsletter summer 2026; stall application)

Christmas trees from the heath, Saturday 5 December

The Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust sells Scots pines cut from local heathland and nature reserves at Edgbarrow Woods car park, Wildmoor Heath, Sandhurst Road, Crowthorne (near RG45 7PP), on Saturday 5 December from 11am. The trees are felled the weekend of the sale as part of heathland restoration, and all the money goes to the trust. The autumn Crowthorne Eye gives two finishing times, 2pm in the article and 4pm in its diary, so go early. (Crowthorne Eye, autumn 2026)

Frequently asked questions

Is there a Christmas market in Bracknell in 2026?

Not confirmed yet. The Lexicon ran its festive market from 21 November to 23 December in 2025 and had not announced 2026 when we checked on 4 October. The confirmed dates nearby are Ascot (12 to 15 November), South Hill Park (14 and 15 November) and Crowthorne (4 December).

When is the Ascot Christmas Fair 2026?

Thursday 12 to Sunday 15 November 2026, 9.30am to 5pm, closing at 4pm on the Sunday, at the Pavilion Building, Ascot Racecourse. Tickets are £7 online or £9 on the door.

Can I take a pushchair to the Ascot Christmas Fair?

No. The organiser does not allow pushchairs or buggies, but it has a free buggy park and allows baby backpacks.

Is the South Hill Park craft fair free?

Yes. Entry to the Craft and Design Fair on 14 and 15 November is free and you do not need to book. Parking at South Hill Park is charged.

Getting there and parking

For The Lexicon and the town centre, our parking in Bracknell page has the car parks and charges. Ascot’s fair has free parking on site. For closures on the way, check our Bracknell roadworks page, and for trains over the holiday see Bracknell Christmas trains.

What is still to be confirmed

• The Lexicon festive market: dates, hours and stalls. Expected with the lights switch-on announcement.
• Sandhurst Christmas Lights Event: time, venue and any stalls.
• The Christmas tree sale: the finishing time on 5 December.

This page is updated as organisers publish. More in our What’s On section and the month’s listings at what’s on in Bracknell.