Short answer: Padstow (first weekend of December) is the big one and worth the drive. Truro's Lemon Quay market and late-night shopping are the most convenient. Fowey's market is off for 2026. Healeys Cyder Farm runs the only one on a working farm, weekends. The village ones are lovely and small — go for the lights, not the shopping.
Confirmed 2026 dates (updated 11 October)
- Cornwall Christmas Fair at Eden — 18 November (preview evening, £34) and 19 November (£22), both including Eden entry and lunch. Guide.
- Healeys Cyder Farm — selected weekends 14 November to 20 December, from 9am, free entry and parking. Guide.
- Bedruthan Christmas Fayre, Mawgan Porth — 21–22 November, from £2. Guide.
- Cornish Winter Fair, Wadebridge — 21–22 November, free. Guide.
- Padstow Christmas Fayre — 3–6 December.
- Lostwithiel Dickensian Evening — Thursday 10 December, 6–10pm. Guide.
- Mount Edgcumbe Christmas Fair — 12–13 December, £5 online. Guide.
This is one of our town-by-town winter guides — the full county picture is in Christmas and New Year in Cornwall 2026.
Worth a special trip
- Padstow Christmas Festival — listed for 3–6 December 2026 as the Padstow Christmas Fayre (its new name since 2025): a proper artisan market around the harbour, chef demos, lights, fireworks. The one to plan a weekend around. Full guide.
- Fowey Christmas market — cancelled for 2026; the organisers hope to return in 2027. What to do instead.
Worth it if you're passing
- Truro — the market on Lemon Quay Truro on selected days through December, alongside late-night shopping; best on the late-night Wednesdays. Truro's December.
- Healeys Cornish Cyder Farm — Cornwall's only market on a working farm, weekends in the run-up; cider, food, the animals for children.
- Eden Project — a Christmas fair inside the site; you need a ticket for Eden itself, so combine with skating.
- Trelissick and other National Trust properties run craft fairs on selected weekends; check their events pages.
The village ones
Marazion, Mousehole, St Agnes, Port Isaac, Boscastle and dozens more hold a Christmas fair in the village hall or the square, usually tied to the lights switch-on. They're small — go for the mulled wine and the lights, and treat the tombola as the point.
2026 dates: Padstow is listed for 3–6 December 2026 as the Padstow Christmas Fayre (its new name since 2025); Fowey is cancelled for 2026 and Truro is listed for 21 November to Christmas Eve; Healeys and Eden publish their Christmas calendars in autumn. We update this line the moment organisers confirm.
Parking, honestly
Padstow: park-and-ride or Wadebridge and the Camel Trail. Truro: park-and-ride. Healeys and Eden: big car parks. The villages: on the street, and be patient.
What's actually good to buy
Cornish food and drink — the gin, the rum, the cheese, the fudge — is the real strength; the crafts are hit and miss. Buy the food, eat the pasty, see the lights.
Pick a town and plan the day around who's with you.
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