Ripon's artisan Christmas market fills the Market Square from Friday 20 to Sunday 22 November, the same weekend as the cathedral's 100-stall gift fair.
Ripon’s Christmas artisan market is coming back to the Market Square for three days in November. It runs from Friday 20 to Sunday 22 November, in a row of wooden huts.
Ripon BID, the city’s business improvement district, runs it with the market organiser Little Bird Made. This is its second year. The BID announced the dates on its Visit Ripon site on 2 October.
The quick answer
- Where: Ripon Market Square.
- When: Friday 20 November, 10am to 7pm. Saturday 21 November, 10am to 7pm. Sunday 22 November, 10am to 4pm.
- Same weekend: Ripon Cathedral’s Christmas Food and Gift Fair, Friday 20 and Saturday 21 November.
- Before that: the city’s Christmas lights switch-on, Saturday 14 November.
What is on the square
The BID says the stalls will sell handmade gifts, festive food and crafts from local makers, bakers, artists and craftspeople. Alongside the stalls it lists:
- elves and Father Christmas
- LED-lit “Halo” doormen
- Christmas trees on stilts
- a brass band
The BID has not said how many stalls there will be, or whether any of the entertainment runs at set times. We will add those if it publishes them.
The cathedral fair, the same weekend
Ripon Cathedral holds its own Christmas Food and Gift Fair on the Friday and Saturday, 9.30am to 4.30pm both days. Its listing on Visit Ripon promises more than 100 stalls inside the cathedral. Entry is £5 and under-16s go free without a ticket. The cathedral says tickets will go on sale soon and will also be sold on the door. The fair raises money for the cathedral’s education, music and conservation work.
The cathedral is a short walk from the Market Square, down Kirkgate. The BID is pitching the two together as a single Christmas shopping weekend.
Ripon’s other Christmas dates
| Date | What | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 14 Nov, 1pm to 6pm | Christmas lights switch-on, lights on at 5pm, live music 3pm to 6pm | Market Square | Free |
| Fri 20 to Sun 22 Nov | Christmas artisan market | Market Square | Free to browse |
| Fri 20 and Sat 21 Nov, 9.30am to 4.30pm | Cathedral Christmas Food and Gift Fair | Ripon Cathedral | £5, under-16s free |
| Sun 29 Nov, 10am to 3pm | Little Bird Made Christmas market | Fountains Abbey, about three miles south west of Ripon | Normal abbey admission |
| Sun 6, 13 and 20 Dec, 11am to noon | Carols around the Christmas tree | Fountains Abbey courtyard | Normal abbey admission |
| Fri 18 to Sun 20 Dec | Winter Wonderland: lights, music and hot drinks | Ripon Spa Gardens | Free, donations welcome |
The switch-on is run by Ripon City Council. Its listing promises fairground rides, Santa’s grotto, face painting, magic shows and a snow globe. The carols at Fountains are led by a different group each week: Spa Sax on 6 December, The Stray Notes on 13 December and Beati on 20 December.
Before Christmas: Ripon After Dark this half term
Ripon is also trying something new next week. Its first Window Wanderland, called Ripon After Dark, runs from Saturday 24 to Friday 30 October. Shops, homes, churches and schools light up their windows with displays about the city’s stories, wildlife and heritage.
The Window Wanderland event page gives the trail times as 5.30pm to 9pm. The windows taking part are marked with yellow pins on a map the BID has published. It is still taking entries: anyone can sign up through Window Wanderland or email the BID at info@riponbid.co.uk.
What it means for you
- Plan one trip, not two. The artisan market and the cathedral fair overlap on Friday 20 and Saturday 21 November. The market stays open until 7pm on both days, later than the fair.
- Sunday is shorter. The market closes at 4pm on Sunday 22 November, and the cathedral fair does not run that day.
- Cathedral tickets are not on sale yet. The cathedral says they will be sold in advance soon and on the door.
- Parking in the city centre is covered on our parking in Harrogate page, which includes the Ripon car parks.
Harrogate’s own festive events, including the Christmas market and the BID’s December programme, are on our Harrogate Christmas market page. Knaresborough’s are on our Knaresborough Christmas market page.
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