Devon's Christmas markets have their 2026 dates set, and Torquay is at the centre of it. The main Torquay Christmas Market runs from Saturday 28 November to Sunday 20 December, free to enter and put on by Torbay Council as part of the Bay of Lights. It sits in the Spanish Barn and the grounds of Torre Abbey, TQ2 5JE, with more than 30 local stalls selling handmade gifts, craft and decorations. On the weekends of 29-30 November and 6-7 December, another 25 stalls open inside the Spanish Barn, so those dates are worth prioritising if you want the full spread. For food and drink there is mulled wine, hot chocolate, local craft beers and street food favourites, with covered seating areas to sit and eat.
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The opening hours shift depending on the day: Wednesday and Thursday 17:00 to 21:30, Friday and Saturday 11:00 to 22:00, and Sunday 11:00 to 21:00. Around the market, the Bay of Lights Illumination Trail is a free 1.5-mile route along the seafront with 19 main installations and 11 extra displays, running daily from 16:30 to 23:00 until 3 January 2027 and including the 'Alive with Light' projection at Torre Abbey. The Bay of Lights Ice Rink opens in Abbey Park, TQ2 5DG, from Saturday 28 November to Sunday 3 January, with hourly sessions starting on the hour and room for up to 120 skaters at a time; skates are included, and booking online in advance is recommended. A couple of other Torquay dates are worth noting: Christmas at Babbacombe Model Village on Hampton Avenue runs from 21 November into early January, at £22.95 for adults aged 16 and over and £18.95 for children aged 3 to 15, and the Cary Arms & Spa Christmas Fayre is on Sunday 20 December from 12:00 to 17:00.
If you are happy to travel a bit further, the rest of Devon fills up quickly. Exeter Cathedral's market runs 13 November to 13 December, Plymouth's goes from 26 November to 20 December, and Totnes holds its markets and late-night shopping on Tuesdays between 8 and 22 December. The Bridwell Christmas Makers Festival is 14-15 November in Uffculme, Lanterns, Lights and Luminations is 20-21 November in Brixham, and Buckfast Abbey's market is 26-28 November in Buckfastleigh. Ilfracombe's market is on 27 November, the candlelit Dartmouth market is 27-28 November, Newton Abbot's Christmas Fayre is 28 November, and Brixham Town Hall hosts its market on 28 November from 10:00 to 14:00. South Molton's festival of festive food and drink is 29 November at the Pannier Market, the Tavistock Dickensian Evening is 4 December, the Dartington Christmas Makers Fayre runs 4-6 December at Dartington Hall near Totnes, Kingsbridge Celebrates Christmas is 5 December, the North Devon Christmas Market is 5 December in Braunton, and the Tavistock Christmas Festival is 6 December.
For families, the grottos are the other big part of the season. Kents Cavern's Santa's Grotto runs 28-29 November and then selected dates through to 24 December, Father and Mother Christmas at Torre Abbey is 5-6, 12-13 and 19-20 December, and Powderham Castle's lights and grotto run all through December. Boringdon Hall, The House of Marbles in Bovey Tracey, Woodlands near Dartmouth, Dartmoor Zoo, Exeter Winter Wonderland, Stuart Line Cruises, Crealy and Milky Way Adventure Park all have grottos or Santa experiences across selected dates, and the Father Christmas Experience at The Big Sheep near Bideford runs 28-29 November and then selected dates through to 24 December.
Published Date
31 October 2026
