St Albans Charter Market

St Albans Charter Market is back on St Peter's Street this Wednesday 4 November, one of the city's two regular market days. It's one of the largest in the South East and was named Best Large Outdoor Market in Britain in 2024, a title that sits alongside a history stretching back to the city's charter of 1553. The city claims the market's spirit has changed little since its founding 1,100 years ago.

Wednesday is the smaller of the two weekly dates, with Saturday being the larger. Between them, the wider market operation supports around 150 traders in total. You'll find fresh produce, gifts and homeware, but it goes beyond that: there's clothing, international street food and practical services like watch and phone repairs, with the mix changing from week to week. It's a general, unticketed market, so it's easy to combine with the surrounding shops and cafés.

St Albans itself is steeped in history. It started as a Celtic settlement before becoming the Roman city of Verulamium, and it's named after Saint Alban, Britain's first saint. It was also the first battleground of the War of the Roses.

The market runs every Saturday and Wednesday until Wednesday 23 December 2026, with 27 confirmed dates in total. Trading hours are 09:00 to 16:30, and there's no entry fee.