Tonbridge Christmas Fest runs three weekends at the castle from 27 November to 13 December 2026, free to enter. Hours, food, 18+ nights and the other fairs.
Tonbridge’s Christmas market is back at the castle for 2026, earlier and longer than last year. Tonbridge Christmas Fest runs across three weekends, 27 to 29 November, 3 to 6 December and 10 to 13 December, in the grounds of Tonbridge Castle, and general entry is free. The market stalls, the food village, the light tunnel and the hourly snowfall cost nothing; the shows in the marquee and the five 18-plus evenings are ticketed. Last year the same organiser ran it as a single twelve-day block from 12 to 23 December.
This page has the hours, what is free and what is not, parking, and the town’s other Christmas fairs, from the organisers’ own pages as at 25 September 2026.
The quick answer
- Where and when: Tonbridge Castle, TN9 1BG. Fri 27 to Sun 29 November, Thu 3 to Sun 6 December, Thu 10 to Sun 13 December 2026.
- Hours: weekdays 1pm to 7pm, weekends 10.30am to 7pm. Sunday 29 November closes early at 5.30pm for the High Street lights switch-on.
- Cost: free to walk in. Children’s shows from £12 a child, adult evenings from £22.50.
What is free every day
The organiser’s own list, from its what’s on page:
- The Market Village: handcrafted gifts, seasonal decorations and homemade bakes on the stalls.
- Santa’s Post Office: children write a letter and post it to the North Pole. Father Christmas himself is a separate, ticketed matter, covered on our Father Christmas page.
- The Food Village: wok noodles, smash burgers, waffles, hot crumble and custard, bratwurst, pick ‘n’ mix and a boozy hot chocolate.
- The Christmas Lounge: the marquee at the heart of the site with a daily programme of choirs, singers and children’s activities. The full daily schedule “will be released closer to the time”.
- The Candy Cane Bar: mulled wine, Guinness, coffee and hot chocolate, plus a BuzzBall tree for photographs.
- Marshmallow Corner, Candy Cane Lane (the tunnel of lights you walk through on the way in), the Christmas Tree Parade of ten lit trees, and snow falling outside the lounge every hour, on the hour.
What is ticketed
The children’s shows in the Christmas Lounge are £12 a child and £5 an adult, with under 2s free: The Toy Workshop, The Christmasaurus, KBOP Idolz, the Frosty Tales Workshop and Lunch with the Grinch. Character meet and greets are £5 a child with adults free (children’s entertainment).
The five adult evenings are strictly 18 and over, with ID checked (adults’ entertainment):
| Date | Act | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Sat 28 November | Flash, a Queen tribute | £30 |
| Thu 3 December | Dan Budd as Robbie Williams, with The Eleventh Hour | £30 |
| Sat 5 December | Drag Bingo | £22.50 |
| Thu 10 December | Inferno, an ABBA tribute | £30 |
| Sat 12 December | Michael Bublé tribute | £30 |
Tickets are sold through Skiddle. Times were not published on 25 September.
Getting there and parking
The organiser’s visitor page says the castle is a ten-minute walk from the station through the High Street, and lists three council car parks: the Castle Grounds car park on site with limited spaces, Upper Castle Field (TN9 1BH, about five minutes) and Lower Castle Field (TN9 1HR, five to ten minutes). All charge from 8am to 8pm, by RingGo or at the machine, and all have disabled bays. Our parking page has the tariffs and the other 29 car parks, and the roadworks and travel page carries any closures. Note that the footbridge from Lower Castle Fields car park to the Racecourse Sportsground was removed in July 2026 and has not been replaced.
The Christmas Lounge is covered and step-free; the market and food village are outdoors. Bars and food stalls take cash and card; some market traders are card only. Dogs on a short lead are welcome in the outdoor market but not at any ticketed event or in the lounge. Outside food cannot go into the lounge.
Sunday 29 November is also the day of the Rotary Club’s Christmas Festival on the High Street, with the lights switch-on that evening, which is why the Fest shuts at 5.30pm. The two run back to back, and the road closure for the festival is on our switch-on page.
The other Christmas fairs
Tonbridge Rotary Christmas Festival, Sunday 29 November, 1.45pm to 6pm. The High Street closes for a street market with a main stage, morris men, the Rock Choir and a grotto with two live reindeer, ending with the switch-on at the Big Bridge. Our switch-on page has the detail.
Tonbridge Castle Christmas artisan market. The borough council’s own one-day market was on Sunday 23 November 2025, 10am to 3pm, free, indoors and out, with local makers (Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council). A 2026 date had not been listed on 25 September; the council’s October artisan market is on Sunday 25 October.
Christmas in Snodland, Saturday 28 November 2026. Stalls and a grotto in Rocfort Road car park from noon, the lantern parade from Potyns car park at 4.30pm and the High Street lights at 5pm, from Snodland Town Council’s own listing.
Hospice in the Weald Christmas Market, Pembury. The hospice that serves Tonbridge ran its market on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 November 2025, 10am to 4pm, with stalls, wreath workshops and a bookable visit to Santa. Its events page on 25 September listed the 2026 wreath workshops and its Carols at Christmas at the Tonbridge School chapel on Sunday 20 December, but not yet a 2026 market date.
Scotts Project Christmas Fair. The Tonbridge charity’s fair was on Saturday 22 November 2025 according to the Tonbridge Town Team listing; no 2026 date yet.
Still to be confirmed
- The Fest’s daily entertainment schedule and evening start times: the organiser says these follow “closer to the time”.
- The council’s 2026 Christmas artisan market date: expected on its events page in October.
- Hospice in the Weald and Scotts Project 2026 fair dates: expected October.
Bins over the same fortnight are on our Christmas bin collections page, and the pantomime, Cinderella at the EM Forster Theatre from 11 December, is on our pantomime page.
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