Of Ireland’s big Christmas markets, Galway’s in Eyre Square opened first in 2026 (6 November to 22 December), followed by Waterford’s Winterval (weekends, 13 November to 23 December) and Belfast’s at City Hall (14 November to 22 December). Cork, Dublin’s TwinkleTown, Limerick, Kilkenny and Killarney open between 20 November and 4 December. Galway, Belfast, TwinkleTown, Waterford and Kilkenny are all free to enter, and there’s no Dublin Castle market this year.
A paper cup of mulled wine, a big wheel lit up over the rooftops, and rows of wooden chalets selling everything from Irish knits to garlic mushrooms. Christmas markets are now a fixture of the Irish run-up to Christmas, and this year the first big one opened in the first week of November.
Each town does it a little differently: a Polish village in Waterford, a castle backdrop in Kilkenny, parades in Killarney. Below are the 2026 dates, hours and prices for the main markets, plus what to eat and buy, how to get there and some easy day trips. Planning the whole holiday? My Christmas in Ireland visitor guide covers transport, weather and what’s open on Christmas Day.
Last checked: 11 November 2026. Every date, time and price here comes from the market’s or the council’s own 2026 web page. Plans can change, so check each official site before travelling.
Jump to:
- Christmas market dates in Ireland for 2026
- Galway Christmas Market, Eyre Square
- Belfast Christmas Market, City Hall
- Dublin: TwinkleTown, and no Castle market
- Cork: Christmas in Cork
- Waterford Winterval
- Kilkenny Yulefest
- Christmas in Limerick
- Christmas in Killarney
- What to eat and buy
- An Margadh Mór: the old Irish Christmas market
- Getting there and easy day trips
- Tips for visiting
- Christmas markets in Ireland FAQ
- More Irish Christmas reading
Christmas market dates in Ireland for 2026
Here they are in opening order.
| Market | Where | 2026 dates | Days open |
|---|---|---|---|
| Galway Christmas Market | Eyre Square, Galway | 6 November to 22 December | Daily |
| Winterval Christmas Market | John Roberts Square and nearby streets, Waterford | 13 November to 23 December | Friday to Sunday, plus 10 and 17 December and 21 to 23 December |
| Belfast Christmas Market | City Hall grounds, Belfast | 14 November to 22 December | Daily |
| Christmas in Cork market | Bishop Lucey Park, Cork | 20 November to 22 December | Selected dates, Wednesday to Sunday |
| TwinkleTown Smithfield | Smithfield Square, Dublin 7 | 20 November to 31 December | Daily, closed 24 to 26 December |
| Christmas in Limerick | The Crescent, O’Connell Avenue and Arthur’s Quay Park | 21 November to 23 December | Tuesday to Sunday (planned) |
| TwinkleTown St Patrick’s Park | St Patrick’s Park, Dublin 8 | 27 November to 23 December | Daily |
| Yulefest Christmas Market | The Parade, Kilkenny | 28 November to 23 December | Saturday and Sunday, plus 21 to 23 December |
| Christmas in Killarney markets | Old Market Lane, Killarney | 4 to 20 December | Friday to Sunday |
Flying over for Thanksgiving week? By Thursday 26 November the season will have started at every market above except Dublin’s St Patrick’s Park, Kilkenny and Killarney.
Galway Christmas Market, Eyre Square
Galway’s market runs from Friday 6 November to Tuesday 22 December 2026 in Eyre Square, says the official market site. The Big Wheel and the vintage amusements keep going until 3 January 2027.
- Monday to Wednesday: 12pm to 8pm
- Thursday to Saturday: 10am to 10pm
- Sunday: 10am to 8pm
- Bar: until 10pm every day
More than 70 wooden chalets sell gifts, crafts, decorations and seasonal food, from hot dogs and crêpes to Glühwein. There’s a carousel for small children and The View Wheel beside the square. The organisers, Milestone Inventive, say it has been running for over 15 years.
The Galway Christmas Market in Eyre Square, November 2016. Photo: Sarahohox, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Galway market tickets and the beer tent
You don’t need a ticket to get in. Visits to Santa’s Cabin must be booked in advance; The View Wheel needs no booking.
The Beer Tent, open since 6 November, is run by the Róisín Dubh music venue. You don’t need a ticket for general entry; Róisín Dubh sells tickets only for reserved seating. On 22 December, the last day, it stays open until 10pm, though some traders may leave early.
Ceannt Station, with trains from Dublin, is about a minute’s walk away. The market has step-free ramps and an accessible toilet, and dogs are welcome.
Belfast Christmas Market, City Hall
Belfast City Council’s market fills the grounds of City Hall from Saturday 14 November to Tuesday 22 December 2026. It opens at 12 noon on day one and closes at 6pm on the final day.
- Monday to Wednesday: 10am to 8pm, bars close at 9pm
- Thursday to Saturday: 10am to 10pm, bars close at 11pm
- Sunday: 12 noon to 6pm
Admission is free. Over 100 traders take part, and the council says more than half of the stalls are local. There’s an outdoor food court, a vintage carousel and a tall helter-skelter with views over the city.
The entrance to the Belfast Christmas Market at City Hall in 2022. Photo: Kenneth Allen, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Remember that Belfast is in the UK, so you pay in pounds sterling rather than euro. Visitors from the US, Canada, Australia and Europe also usually need a UK ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation) for Northern Ireland, even when they come up from the Republic by road or rail. Tourism Ireland says it costs £20. Irish and British citizens don’t need one, and nor do some legal residents of Ireland.
From Dublin, the Enterprise train links Connolly Station with Belfast Grand Central. Since October 2024 it has run hourly from Monday to Saturday, with fewer trains on Sundays. My Belfast guide covers what to see once you’re there.
Dublin: TwinkleTown, and no Castle market
Dublin’s main Christmas market this year is TwinkleTown, run by the events company Archetype with Dublin City Council. It has two sites, about a 20-minute walk apart, and both are free to enter.
- Smithfield Square, Dublin 7: 20 November to 31 December, closed 24, 25 and 26 December. The Santo Panto, a covered ice rink, a 33-metre Big Wheel, a Spiegeltent, a vintage fairground, a craft market and the TwinkleTavern bar.
- St Patrick’s Park, Dublin 8: 27 November to 23 December. Light displays, choirs with Sing Ireland, a Twilight Garden, rides for younger children, food stalls and a craft market.
Both open 11am to 9pm on weekdays and 10am to 9pm at weekends. You pay for the ice rink (from €10.75, booking fee included), the Santo Panto (capped at €5 a head plus a booking fee), the Big Wheel and fairground rides. The TwinkleTavern admits over-21s only. Smithfield has its own Luas Red Line stop, and the market area there is cobbled.
Missing this year is Christmas at the Castle. Dublin Castle won’t reopen to visitors until January 2027, as it’s the main venue for Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU, which runs from July to December 2026. The Office of Public Works cancelled the market for both 2025 and 2026, The Journal reported in November 2025.
Elsewhere in County Dublin:
- Wonderlights, Malahide Castle: a ticketed light trail rather than a market, with an Alpine-style village of food and drink stalls, on select dates from Saturday 14 November to Tuesday 29 December 2026.
- Swords Castle Christmas Market: the 2026 dates had not been announced when we checked in November 2026. In 2025, Fingal County Council’s market at Swords Castle ran over two weekends: 28 to 30 November and 6 to 7 December.
Cork: Christmas in Cork
Older visitors may know Cork City Council’s Christmas festival as Glow, centred on Bishop Lucey Park. The park reopened in November 2025 after a two-year redevelopment costing about €7 million.
The council’s festival this year is Christmas in Cork, running from 15 November to 31 December 2026 and starting with a parade on Sunday 15 November. Its Christmas market is back in Bishop Lucey Park from 20 November to 22 December, Wednesday to Sunday on selected dates, with food producers, craft makers and local traders. The council hadn’t posted market hours when we checked.
- Ferris wheel and carousel: a 32-metre wheel on Grand Parade, on selected dates from 27 November to 31 December.
- Christmas Markets at the Marina: free, at the Marina Market in Ballintemple, on 4 to 6, 11 to 13 and 18 to 23 December, 10am to 6pm according to the council’s listing.
- Wonderlights, Fota House: the light trail’s Cork site, on select dates from 5 November to 29 December, ticketed.
For daytime plans, see my guide to things to do in County Cork.
Waterford Winterval
Winterval, now in its 14th year, bills itself as Ireland’s largest Christmas festival, with over 60 events and attractions. It runs on weekends from Friday 13 November to Wednesday 23 December 2026. The Christmas Market at Winterval spreads across John Roberts Square, Arundel Square, George’s Street and O’Connell Street.
- Fridays: 2pm to 8pm
- Saturdays and Sundays: 11am to 8pm
- Extra days: Thursdays 10 and 17 December (2pm to 8pm), and daily from Monday 21 to Wednesday 23 December (11am to 8pm)
Don’t miss the Polish Christmas Village in Arundel Square, which Waterford’s Polish community has run since the very first Winterval. It keeps shorter hours, closing at 6pm. Local makers sell crafts and handmade hats, there are Polish cakes and pastries, and children can bake gingerbread at a workshop (€15 each).
The ice rink, Winterval On Ice, is on The Quay from 13 November to 3 January 2027, at €20 for adults and €18 for children plus a €1.50 booking fee. There’s also a fairground, a big wheel on Merchants Quay and Santa at the Medieval Museum.
Kilkenny Yulefest
Yulefest, run by Kilkenny County Council, holds its main events from 28 November to 23 December 2026. Its Christmas market is a cluster of wooden huts on The Parade, with Kilkenny Castle as the backdrop.
Opening day is Saturday 28 November, when Kilkenny Civil Defence brings Santa along the River Nore and the city’s lights go on at about 5pm. After that the market opens on Saturdays (11am to 8pm) and Sundays (11am to 6pm) until 20 December, then 21 and 22 December (11am to 7pm) and 23 December (11am to 6pm). The full programme is on yulefestkilkenny.ie.
From 11 to 19 December, St Canice’s Cathedral hosts The Gift, a sound and light show by Luxmuralis (€12.50 adults, €8.50 children, booking needed). My 48-hour Kilkenny itinerary will fill the rest of your weekend.
Christmas in Limerick
Limerick’s season opens on Saturday 21 November with Light Up Limerick: a procession along O’Connell Street at 7pm, the lights on at about 8.30pm, then fireworks.
The council’s call for traders describes two markets, a Georgian Christmas Fayre and Christmas in Arthur’s Quay Park, with chalets on The Crescent, O’Connell Avenue and in the park. They’re planned from 21 November to 23 December, Tuesday to Sunday, trading from 3pm to 10.30pm until 7 December and from 12pm to 10.30pm after that. These come from the trader application, and the full programme was still to come when we checked, so see limerick.ie/christmas.
Also on: Limerick on Ice in Arthur’s Quay Park and Castle Christmas, a Santa adventure inside King John’s Castle.
Christmas in Killarney
Killarney’s markets are small and cosy: festive cabins in Old Market Lane, off Market Cross in the town centre, open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 4 to 20 December.
The town also has four Magical Parades, on Saturday 28 November and 5, 12 and 19 December. Each starts at 6pm from Fitzgerald Stadium and lasts about an hour. Santa visits must be booked, and Killarney on Ice runs at weekends and in school holidays from 27 November to 10 January. The festival’s site is christmasinkillarney.com, and my Killarney guide has ideas for the daytime.
What to eat and buy at an Irish Christmas market
From the official listings, look out for:
- Hot drinks: Glühwein in Galway, and mulled wine and hot chocolate at both TwinkleTown sites.
- Street food: crêpes and hot dogs in Galway, a three-tier Christmas Grille Hut at St Patrick’s Park, and international street food in Belfast’s food court.
- Something different: Polish cakes and pastries at Waterford’s Polish Christmas Village.
Garlic mushrooms in butter at the Belfast Christmas market, December 2009. Photo: Ardfern, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
For presents, look for Irish-made crafts. TwinkleTown’s craft markets promise Irish knits, jewellery, original art and artisan food, Limerick plans a “Made in Limerick” makers’ trail, and Yulefest lists a Made in Kilkenny pop-up shop. Not everything at a market is made in Ireland (Belfast, for one, mixes local and international traders), so ask the stallholder. My Irish Christmas gifts guide has more on spotting the real thing.
A few market words in Irish
- margadh (roughly MAR-uh-guh): market.
- scailtín fíona (SKAL-cheen FEE-uh-nuh; skal-CHEEN in Munster): mulled wine, says focloir.ie. On its own, scailtín means hot whiskey with added ingredients, in Ó Dónaill’s dictionary.
- Daidí na Nollag (DAD-ee na NULL-ug): Santa. “Daidí na Nollaig” is a common mistake online; after na, it’s Nollag.
- Nollaig Shona (NULL-ig HUN-a): Happy Christmas. There’s more in my guide to Merry Christmas in Irish.
An Margadh Mór: the old Irish Christmas market
Long before chalets and big wheels, Irish towns had a Christmas market of their own. In the 1930s, Mary Burke of Castleblakeney in east Galway described it for the Schools’ Collection. The weekly Tuesday market in nearby Mountbellew, she wrote, was at its biggest on the Tuesday before Christmas, which is why people called it An Margadh Mór (roughly un MAR-uh-guh MORE), the big market.
Women brought the turkeys and geese they had kept and fattened, which fetched top prices, and men killed pigs and brought the pork in to sell. With the selling done, the money went on Christmas shopping in the town. Dealers in second-hand clothes, known as “Jack cheaps”, filled the streets, and people came just to hear them shout.
Fair day in Dungarvan, Co. Waterford, probably between 1902 and 1914. Photo: Robert French, Lawrence Collection, National Library of Ireland. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The day varied from place to place. Another Schools’ Collection entry, from Rathangan, Co. Kildare, describes “the big market” about a fortnight before Christmas. Writing for RTÉ, Marion McGarry notes that the woman of the house usually looked after the poultry and dairy, and the money they earned was her “pin money”.
The other big shopping day was 8 December, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, when country people headed for the cities, especially Dublin. More old customs are in my guide to Irish Christmas traditions.
Getting there and easy day trips
These markets sit in city and town centres, so you can usually leave the car behind. A few combinations that work with the 2026 dates:
- Dublin to Belfast by train: take the Enterprise from Connolly in the morning, spend the afternoon at City Hall and stay for the lights. Visit Belfast’s own 12 Pubs of Christmas route even starts at the market; my 12 Pubs of Christmas guide has the rules. Sort out your ETA first if you need one.
- Kilkenny and Waterford in one weekend: Yulefest says the cities are less than an hour apart, so do Kilkenny on the Saturday and Winterval on the Sunday, any weekend from 28 November.
- Both Dublin markets in an evening: from 27 November to 23 December the two TwinkleTown sites are open together, about 20 minutes apart on foot.
- Killarney on a December Saturday: the market by day and the 6pm parade on 5, 12 or 19 December. The festival notes direct trains to Killarney from Dublin and Cork.
Tips for visiting
- Go on a weekday evening if you can. Galway, Belfast and TwinkleTown open every day, so a Monday to Wednesday visit should be quieter than a weekend. Waterford, Kilkenny and Killarney open mainly at weekends, and Cork’s market only from Wednesday to Sunday.
- Bring a card and a little cash. None of the official sites promises that every stall takes cards, though TwinkleTown’s box office takes both. In Belfast, any cash needs to be sterling.
- Arrive around dusk. In Dublin the sun sets between about 4.05pm and 4.15pm all through December, so the lights are on by late afternoon.
- Wrap up. Nearly all of these markets are open-air.
- Book the extras early. Santa visits, ice rinks, pantos and light trails are ticketed, and popular slots can sell out.
Christmas markets in Ireland FAQ
When do the Christmas markets start in Ireland in 2026?
Galway’s opened first, on 6 November, followed by Waterford (13 November) and Belfast (14 November). The rest open between 20 November and 4 December.
What is the biggest Christmas market in Ireland?
Of the markets we checked, Belfast publishes the biggest trader count, over 100, and Galway has more than 70 chalets. Waterford calls Winterval Ireland’s largest Christmas festival.
Is there a Christmas market in Dublin in 2026?
Yes. TwinkleTown runs at Smithfield Square from 20 November to 31 December and at St Patrick’s Park from 27 November to 23 December. The Christmas at the Castle market isn’t running, because Dublin Castle is closed for the EU Presidency.
Do you need tickets for the Galway Christmas Market?
No, entry is free. Book Santa’s Cabin in advance. At the Beer Tent you only need a ticket for reserved seating, not for general entry.
Are Christmas markets in Ireland open on Christmas Day?
No. Galway’s and Belfast’s finish on 22 December and most others by the 23rd. TwinkleTown Smithfield closes from 24 to 26 December, then reopens until 31 December.
Love this? Save it to your Pinterest board for later.
Pin image: A “Nollaig Shona Duit” (Happy Christmas) banner over St Patrick’s Street, Cork, December 2024. Photo: Mucklagh, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A little bit of Ireland in your inbox every Friday ☘️
The free Weekly Dose of Irish: an Irish joke, a Celtic symbol, an Irish fact, a poem and the week’s best articles in one short email. Join 9,600+ readers.
Free. One short email every Friday. Unsubscribe any time.
More Irish Christmas reading
- Christmas in Ireland: What It’s Really Like (A Visitor’s Guide for 2026)
- 18 Irish Christmas Traditions, From the Candle in the Window to the 12 Pubs
- Irish Christmas Gifts 2026: Authentic Ideas From Ireland for Her, Him and Mam
- 12 Pubs of Christmas Rules: The Full List, Where It Came From and How to Survive It
- Things to Do in Belfast: 10 Best Sights and Day Trips (2026)
- The Irish 12 Days of Christmas: Frank Kelly’s Christmas Countdown, Where Every Gift Makes Things Worse
Featured image: A “Nollaig Shona Duit” (Happy Christmas) banner over St Patrick’s Street, Cork, in December 2024. Photo: Mucklagh, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.