Bournemouth Christmas market 2026: dates, ice rinks and lights

Christmas events in Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch, 2026

All Bournemouth town centre events (the market, the light trail, the outdoor ice rink, Glow Golf and the Alpine Lodge bar) are one event, Christmas in Bournemouth. BCP Council gave the contract to SKATE Bournemouth and Seventa Events, working together as the Bournemouth Christmas Company, for five years from 2025 (BCP Council, 17 January 2025). The other rows are separate venues. Dates come from each organiser’s own site where it gives them, otherwise from the official tourist board, Bournemouth & Poole Tourism, whose Christmas page was last updated on 10 October 2026.

When does Bournemouth Christmas Market open and close?

The market opens on 12 November and its stalls close for the season on 31 December. The organiser’s home page gives the whole event as “Opening 12th November, Closing January 3rd (Market Stalls Close 31st)”, and its carols schedule starts on “Thursday 12th November”, which is a 2026 date (Christmas in Bournemouth). The tourist board lists the market as 12 November to 31 December 2026. So from 1 to 3 January 2027 the ice rink and light trail are still open but the market huts are not.

The market is in Bournemouth Square, with the Alpine Lodge bar. The organiser does not give a stall count for 2026 or say whether the market opens on Christmas Day.

What else is on in the Lower Gardens?

The Lower Gardens hold the rest of Christmas in Bournemouth, running down from the Square to the pier. The trail is free to walk, with lights, a real Christmas tree walkway and, per the organiser, a maze of 300 illuminated trees. Earlier years called this part Christmas Tree Wonderland. The 2026 listings call it The Festive Trail, though the organiser’s booking pages still use the old name for the maze.

What costs money is booked through the organiser: the Christmas Tree Maze, Storytime with Santa (30-minute sessions; every adult and child needs a ticket), Glow Golf and booths in the Alpine Lodge. None of these prices were published on 13 October.

House rules from the organiser’s FAQ page:

• The whole event is cashless.
• Under-18s may use the Alpine Lodge before 6pm only; the bar is open 11am to 11pm.
• Dogs on leads are allowed in many outdoor areas but not in some attractions; only assistance dogs may go into Storytime with Santa.
• Toilets are in the event area, and accessible toilets are available.

Ice skating: Lower Gardens or the BIC?

Bournemouth has two rinks this winter. SKATE Bournemouth is outdoors in the Lower Gardens, open from 12 November to 3 January. Cool Coast Ice Rink is indoors at the BIC and opens later (28 November) but stays until 21 February 2027.

On price, Cool Coast is cheaper for adults (£14 or £15 against £16.50) and for a family of four (£46 or £47 against £53.50), before SKATE’s £2 booking fee. SKATE’s family ticket covers two adults and two under-18s, or one adult and three. Cool Coast’s covers up to four people with no more than two adults.

SKATE Bournemouth extras, from its what’s on page:

• Toddler time: one adult, one child under 12 and a skate aid for £24.50 (normally £35.50), Monday to Friday until 11 December, 10.30am and 11.45am sessions only.
• Student nights: buy one, get one free with a valid student ID.
• Socks cost £1 and gloves £3 at the rink. Skate aids can sell out, so book one with the ticket.

Cool Coast sells a five-session pass for £56 (adult) or £50 (child), and gives £1 off each standard ticket for groups of 10 or more and £2 off for 20 or more.

Christmas lights in Bournemouth

No 2026 switch-on date for Bournemouth’s town centre street lights had been published by 13 October, by the organiser, the town centre BID or BCP Council. The street lights are paid for by business improvement districts, not the council. BCP’s Christmas 2025 list says the Town Centre BID funds the lamppost lights in the town centre and the Coastal BID funds the lights in Westbourne, Boscombe and Southbourne (BCP Council, 12 December 2025).

The same list gives last year’s pattern, useful only as a guide: Christchurch switched on its lights on 22 November 2025, Westbourne its tree on 29 November 2025, and Poole’s town centre lights ran from 22 November 2025 to 1 January 2026. For 2026, the light trail in the Lower Gardens is lit from 12 November.

Christmas in Poole and Christchurch

Illuminate Poole is a new ticketed light trail at Upton Country Park, open 4pm to 9pm from 20 November 2026 to 3 January 2027. The trail takes 60 to 80 minutes to walk, tickets must be bought in advance (none on the gate), and parking is on site. Dogs are allowed on its dog-friendly days, every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday until Thursday 10 December, per its FAQs. It is a different event from Poole’s free town centre light trail, which ran in 2025; no 2026 dates for that trail were published on Poole Tourism’s Christmas page on 13 October.

Highcliffe Castle, on the cliff east of Christchurch, holds a Christmas market of over 40 local traders and makers in its state rooms on 21 and 22 November, then its third Christmas Tree Festival from 28 November to 23 December. Festival tickets include castle entry and a children’s elf trail.

Getting there and parking

Christmas in Bournemouth has no car park of its own; the organiser points drivers to the town centre’s public car parks. Three BCP Council car parks share the Square’s BH2 postcode district, all at £5.80 for 4 hours and £12.90 for 24 hours on 13 October 2026, charged around the clock:

• Avenue Road, BH2 5SL, 900 spaces (BCP Council)
• Winter Gardens, BH2 5AQ, 250 spaces (BCP Council)
• Richmond Hill surface, BH2 6EP, 112 spaces (BCP Council)

Four council car parks on the east side of the centre charge £6.40 for 24 hours, and the Pavilion car park’s winter rate starts on 1 November. Every town centre car park, with height limits and free evening street bays, is compared in Bournemouth town centre parking. For the BIC rink and the Pavilion panto, see BIC and Pavilion parking.

By train, Bournemouth station to the seafront is a walk of about 25 minutes. One route goes through the town centre down Old Christchurch Road and then through the Lower Gardens, past the Christmas event. Getting from Bournemouth Airport into town covers the bus and taxi options from the airport.

Hotels with Christmas packages near the market

Five hotels in the town centre and on the West and East Cliffs publish 2026 festive packages on their own websites. Prices are each hotel’s published “from” price per person, read on 13 October 2026; where a hotel gives no price, none is shown.

The Hermitage faces the BIC on Exeter Road. Its Christmas package is full board; a 10% non-refundable deposit is taken on booking, with the balance due by 1 December. One small dog (under 10kg) is accepted per room at £20 a night.

Check prices for The Hermitage Hotel on Booking.com →

The Connaught on the West Cliff is the only one of the five to list a price for each room type, from £555 to £675 per person. It says it is a five-minute walk from the Christmas market area, and residents can use its 18m indoor pool, sauna and steam room. A £100 deposit per adult is needed, and all payments are non-refundable.

Check prices for The Connaught Hotel & Spa on Booking.com →

The Royal Bath on Bath Road sells four-night Christmas breaks with breakfast, dinner, a Christmas Day lunch and entertainment every evening; Britannia’s page gives no price.

Check prices for The Royal Bath Hotel on Booking.com →

The Cumberland, on the East Cliff, includes use of the pool, sauna and gym at its sister hotel next door, the Suncliff, with its festive packages.

Check prices for The Cumberland Hotel on Booking.com →

Hotel Collingwood on Priory Road runs a four-day Christmas package and the widest choice of New Year stays, from one to three nights.

Check prices for Hotel Collingwood on Booking.com →

Walking times from each of these hotels to the BIC and Pavilion, and hotel parking prices, are in hotels near the BIC. For a wider choice of area, see where to stay in Bournemouth.

Frequently asked questions

Is Bournemouth Christmas Market free?

Yes. The market and the light trail are free to enter. The ice rinks, Glow Golf, the Christmas Tree Maze, Santa sessions and Alpine Lodge booths are paid and booked in advance.

Is the Bournemouth Christmas Market dog friendly?

Partly. The organiser says well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome in many of the outdoor areas, but not inside some attractions. Pets are not allowed on the top floor of the Alpine Lodge.

What is on at Bournemouth Pier at Christmas?

The tourist board lists Breakfast with Santa on the pier from 12 to 20 December 2026 and a New Year’s Eve party with ABBA music on 31 December. Neither listing gives times or prices.

Can you book a Christmas party at the market?

Yes, in the Alpine Lodge. A booth on the upstairs floor seats up to 6 people for 90 minutes with drinks included; under-18s are not allowed upstairs at any time. A private heated gondola on the front deck seats up to 12, over-18s only after 6pm. Both are booked through the organiser. Hotels including the Connaught, the Hermitage, the Cumberland and Collingwood also sell Christmas party nights.

Related guides

• Bournemouth town centre parking: every council car park and its 2026 tariff
• Hotels near the BIC Bournemouth: walking times and parking
• Where to stay in Bournemouth: areas compared
• Hotels with pools in Bournemouth
• Dog-friendly hotels in Bournemouth