As the festive season approaches, Kingston Upon Thames transforms into a winter wonderland, offering a delightful blend of traditional charm and modern festivities. The historic town's Christmas Market is back this year from Thursday, November 16, complete with festive food and drinks and a stage playing live music.
Located on the River Thames in London, Kingston upon Thames is a bustling market town with plenty of history and culture. As a popular retail destination, it offers shoppers plenty of options from High Street brands to quirky independents, many of which will be open for extended hours during the festive season.
Visitors will also find plenty of leisure activities on offer such as the local theatre, several cinemas and escape rooms. They can also enjoy picturesque riverside dining at a variety of restaurants and pubs, including Chakra, Cote Brasserie, Bill’s, Comptoir Libanais, Busaba, Hache Social, The Bishop, Woody’s, The Gazebo, and The Ram.
Shareena Merzi, director of communications and corporate development at Kingston First, the town's Business Improvement District, said: “We’re delighted to present a one-of-a-kind festive experience in Kingston town centre this Christmas – our traditional Christmas market will be complemented by a local maker’s market and local breweries taking over the bar on the weekends, with live music, curling lanes, bespoke Christmas lighting and interactive installations throughout the town.
"Those planning on attending can discover more on our website, which is full of ideas and inspiration to help people discover what’s on this festive season.”
Make lasting Christmas memories
The market's festive stalls will be open every Sunday to Wednesday, from 10am until 6pm, and every Thursday to Saturday from 10am until 8pm, while the bar closes two hours later. The stage will be welcoming talented performers all day every Tuesday to Sunday, with acts such as the Oompa band and local choirs, as well as open mic evenings taking place each Tuesday. To help keep sensory overload to a minimum, there will be no music playing through speakers, just live on stage for spectators to enjoy.
But that's not all - the town's Alpine Village, which is located on the grounds of All Saints Church, will see the return of its epic curling lanes. The experience will include a bar and table service for visitors, and each lane will be able to host up to four players, costing just £10 for a 45-minute session, and bookable online. Plus, the first walk-in session of the day will be free.
While there won't be a formal light switch-on event in the town this year, Kingston will light up on Thursday, November 16 at around 5pm, with bespoke Christmas lights - maps will be able to guide both locals and visitors through the festive offerings, and additional information is available on the website. There will also be plenty of selfie hotspots dotted around the town, including a walk-through light-up present, a twinkling giant bauble in Memorial Gardens, a giant reindeer in the Market Place and a festive wreath frame on Old London Road.
Festive food, drink and gifts
Families and friends who will be coming to Kingston during the festive period will be able to shop from a selection of market stalls selling homemade gifts such as jewellery, ceramics and accessories. There will also be delicious food vendors selling authentic German bratwurst, vegan fried chicken, rice pudding and Taiwanese bao buns – guaranteeing something for all palates.
In addition to the Christmas Market, every weekend there will be a local maker's market in the town organised by Not My Beautiful House, a local gallery and shop led by Kingston School of Art. The market's bar will also be taken over by local breweries, and visitors will be able to pause and take a seat with a warming mulled wine or hot chocolate at the chairs and tables provided, and listen to the live music when the acts come on stage.
Fun for the little elves
There will also be special experiences for the little ones, including the magic of Santa's Grotto at Fenwick Kingston, open from Wednesday, November 22 until Christmas Eve, tickets will cost £13.50 per person. Kids will also have the opportunity to have Afternoon Tea with Santa at the venue between Saturday, December 2 and Saturday, December 23, priced at £32.50 per person.
For those who prefer to have Breakfast with Santa instead, the event will also be running at Fenwick Kingston from Saturday, December 2 until Christmas Eve, and tickets will cost £27.50 per person. But wait - there's myrrh - children will also be able to ride an exciting miniature train ride in Memorial Square every Sunday to Wednesday from 10am until 6pm, and every Thursday to Saturday from 10am until 8pm. And families who fancy seeing a live show can watch Peter Pan at the Rose Theatre from Friday, December 1 until Sunday, January 7.
How to get there
By Train: Kingston upon Thames is a short 10-minute direct train journey from Wimbledon and 15 minutes from Clapham. Alternatively, Kingston is a 10-minute hop by bus from the nearby Surbiton Station, with direct connections to/from Guildford, Woking, Basingstoke and London Waterloo. See the National Rail website for times.
By Bus: There are regular bus services between Kingston town centre and: Croydon (X26), Epsom (406/418), Dorking, Leatherhead (465), Guildford (715), Staines, Sutton (213), and Weybridge (514/515).
By Road: Kingston is around 25 minutes from the A3/M25 Junction 10 and around the same amount of time away from the A308/M3 Junction 1. There is ample parking for visitors as the town has nine multi-storey car parks.
Alcoholic drinks at the Kingston Upon Thames Christmas Market and Alpine Village will only be available to purchase and served to adults aged 18 and over. Customers may be asked for ID when purchasing. Please drink responsibly. Do not drink if you are pregnant.
To find out more about what's on at Kingston upon Thames this Christmas, visit the website.
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