If you are starting to think about Christmas shopping, the Great Yorkshire Christmas Fair is the obvious place to begin. It returns to Harrogate as the North's biggest festive market, taking over Hall 1 of the Great Yorkshire Events Centre on the Great Yorkshire Showground, and it is run by UK Grand Sales.
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The scale is the first thing worth knowing. There are 180 unique gifting, food and fashion stalls all under one roof, which makes it an easy one-stop shop rather than a trek between different sites. The range covers pretty much everything you would look for: festive food, decorations, gifts, stocking fillers, decorative home accessories, children's products, jewellery, games, art, toys, beauty products, fashion and fashion accessories. Whether you are after a proper present or just a few bits to fill the stockings, you are likely to find it here.
It is not just about the shopping, either. There is a food hall, a champagne bar, cafés and two licensed restaurants, so you can break up the browsing with something to eat and drink. Parking is free and hardstanding on site, which is a welcome bonus when you are loading up a car with purchases.
The fair runs from Thursday 26 November to Sunday 29 November, so you have four days to choose from. Opening times are 9:30 am to 5:00 pm every day except Sunday, when it closes an hour earlier at 4:00 pm. If you want to save a bit, it is worth booking ahead: admission is £5 online as an early bird, £7 online once the early bird rate ends, and £9 on the door. The early bird is the obvious choice if you know you are going.
It helps to know where you are actually heading. The Great Yorkshire Events Centre is a multi-award winning venue on the Great Yorkshire Showground, and it is a big one. It is made up of three distinct spaces: The Halls, which are Hall 1 and Hall 2, The Pavilions of Harrogate and The Grounds. Hall 1 and Hall 2 are expansive, column-free venues, and together the centre gives you 6,270 square metres of events space. The Pavilions of Harrogate is an award-winning space in its own right, with 14 rooms, while The Grounds stretch over 250 acres, with six kilometres of internal roads, hundreds of acres of grass and a 4,000-seat Main Ring. One detail that is worth knowing is that all profits from the venue go to the charity the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, so your visit does a bit of good as well.
With 180 stalls and a food hall, champagne bar and two restaurants, it is built for a proper day out rather than a quick in-and-out. If you want to plan ahead, the organisers can be reached on 07766 376410 or by email at noelle@ukgrandsales.co.uk, and their website is www.ukgrandsales.co.uk. It is a classic seasonal event that draws people from across the region, so it is worth sorting your tickets early and picking your day before the weekend rush.
Published Date
8 November 2026
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