Swanage on 5 December, Wimborne that weekend, Sherborne on the 6th and Dorchester's Cracker on the 13th. Times, stall counts, closed roads and free parking.
Four of Dorset’s big Christmas markets have published 2026 dates. All four land in the first half of December, and two of them fall on the same weekend.
The county’s Christmas shopping days are run by chambers of trade, Rotary clubs and volunteer committees rather than by Dorset Council, so the dates come out at different times and none of them is on a single official calendar. This page pulls together what each organiser has published, and says plainly which towns have announced nothing yet.
Confirmed for 2026
| Market | Date | Times |
|---|---|---|
| Swanage Christmas Market | Saturday 5 December | 10am to 4pm |
| Dorset Team Christmas Fair, Wimborne | Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December | 10am to 4pm |
| Sherborne Festive Shopping Day | Sunday 6 December | 10am to 4pm |
| Dorchester Christmas Cracker | Sunday 13 December | 11am to 4pm |
Swanage Christmas Market, Saturday 5 December
The market runs along Station Road and Institute Road from 10am to 4pm, with more than 80 stalls. It is organised by Swanage and Purbeck Rotary.
Alongside the stalls there are merry-go-round rides, Father Christmas in his grotto, a small stage with festive entertainment, and food stalls selling hot dogs, doughnuts and local festive bakes.
Roads close for the day. The event listing names Station Place, Mermond Place, Station Road and Commercial Road, and points to Dorset Council for the timings. That notice was not published when this page went up.
If you are in Swanage that weekend, Artisans on the Beach is also open at the Shore Road beach huts.
Dorset Team Christmas Fair, Wimborne, 5 and 6 December
Wimborne’s fair runs 10am to 4pm on both days of that weekend, across two rooms of the Allendale Centre. Visit Wimborne says the Dorset Team brings 60 stalls by local makers each day, with jewellery, ceramics, textiles, art, illustration, Christmas cards and decorations.
Entry is free. The venue is accessible, dogs on leads are welcome, and there is a cafe overlooking the river serving hot and cold food all day. It is indoors, which makes it the safest bet of the four in bad weather.
Sherborne Festive Shopping Day, Sunday 6 December
Sherborne’s is the largest by stall count. The Chamber of Trade and Commerce says more than 100 stalls of local makers, producers and traders will be out from 10am to 4pm, on top of the town’s independent shops. Entry is free.
The main shopping area is pedestrianised for the day. Cheap Street and South Street are both closed to traffic.
The day includes:
- church services in Sherborne Abbey
- street entertainers, the Sherborne Town Band, and other music and choirs
- Santa’s grotto and a children’s competition
- Dorset’s Farmers Market
- a Christmas tree festival
- a parade and the lighting of the tree at 4pm
The chamber lists free parking on the day at Acreman Street, Coldharbour, Culverhayes short stay, Culverhayes long stay, Culverhayes commercial, Newland North, Old Market Yard and the Digby Hall.
Dorchester Christmas Cracker, Sunday 13 December
The Dorchester Chamber for Business has confirmed 13 December 2026, 11am to 4pm. It has not yet published this year’s street plan, entertainment or road closures, and says to watch its Facebook page for details.
In previous years the Cracker has filled the Corn Exchange, Cornhill, South Street, Trinity Street and High West Street. Treat that as the likely footprint rather than a confirmed one until the chamber publishes.
Traders wanting a pitch can submit an expression of interest. The chamber’s rules are that it takes no hot food stalls, traders must be based within 20 miles of Dorchester, and it may cap similar stalls to keep the mix varied.
Announced nothing yet
- Bridport Christmas Cheer. Bridport’s festival of stalls, street entertainment and a lantern parade normally runs in early December. Neither Bridport Town Council nor the organisers had published a 2026 date by 6 September.
- Blandford Yuletide Festival. The festival’s own site was still showing Friday 5 December 2025 in September 2026, though it invites stallholders and sponsors to register interest for a 2026 event. So it is going ahead, but the date is not out. Blandford’s is an evening festival rather than a daytime market, with a lantern parade, market stalls in the streets, Santa’s grotto in the Corn Exchange and the lighting of the tree.
We will add both when the organisers publish.
Getting there and parking
Sherborne and Swanage both close their main shopping streets, so the usual on-street spaces vanish for the day. Sherborne’s free car parks are listed above. For Swanage, Dorchester and Wimborne, charges apply as normal unless the organiser says otherwise, and our parking in Dorset page covers the tariffs and the local traps.
Check our roadworks and travel page before you set off, and see things to do in Dorset for the rest of the calendar.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Dorchester Christmas Cracker 2026?
Sunday 13 December 2026, 11am to 4pm. The Dorchester Chamber for Business has confirmed the date but not yet the street plan or entertainment.
When is Sherborne’s Christmas market?
Sherborne Festive Shopping Day runs Sunday 6 December 2026, 10am to 4pm, with more than 100 stalls. The tree is lit at 4pm.
When is the Swanage Christmas market?
Saturday 5 December 2026, 10am to 4pm, on Station Road and Institute Road, with more than 80 stalls. It is run by Swanage and Purbeck Rotary.
Is there free parking for Sherborne Festive Shopping Day?
Yes. The chamber lists eight free car parks on the day: Acreman Street, Coldharbour, three at Culverhayes, Newland North, Old Market Yard and the Digby Hall.
Has Bridport Christmas Cheer been announced for 2026?
Not yet. Neither Bridport Town Council nor the organisers had published a date by 6 September 2026. The same is true of the Blandford Yuletide Festival.
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