Brockenhurst's free market is Sunday 22 November, Exbury's fair 28 to 29 Nov and 5 to 6 Dec at £7, and Ringwood and New Milton both Sunday 29 November.

Five New Forest Christmas markets have 2026 dates from their own organisers. New Milton’s Lions start early with a Halloween and Christmas market on Saturday 31 October. Brockenhurst’s free market at the Community Hub is Sunday 22 November. Exbury’s Christmas Fair runs over two weekends, 28 to 29 November and 5 to 6 December, at £7 an adult. Then Sunday 29 November is the big one: Ringwood Winter Wanderland and New Milton’s High Street Christmas market fall on the same day.

Hythe’s Mistletoe Fayre and any Lymington Christmas market have not been announced for 2026. We read every organiser’s own page on 29 September 2026, and this page says what is confirmed and what is not.

The quick answer

Market Date Time Entry
Lions Halloween and Christmas Market, New Milton Hub Sat 31 October 10.30am to 4pm Not stated
Brockenhurst Christmas Market, Community Hub Sun 22 November 10am to 4.30pm Free
Exbury Christmas Fair Sat 28 and Sun 29 November, Sat 5 and Sun 6 December 10am to 4.30pm £7 adult, under 16s free
Ringwood Winter Wanderland, Market Place Sun 29 November Times to follow Not stated
New Milton High Street Christmas Market Sun 29 November 9am to 4pm Not stated

Brockenhurst: Sunday 22 November, free

The Brockenhurst Village Trust’s Christmas Market is at the Brockenhurst Community Hub, Highwood Road SO42 7RY, on Sunday 22 November 2026 from 10am to 4.30pm, with free entry. The Hub promises “handmade gifts, festive decorations, artisan products and unique Christmas presents you won’t find on the high street”, and Wildfire Catering Co. is serving slow-smoked barbecue from 12pm (Brockenhurst Community Hub).

New this year is the Ice Queen’s Winter Palace, with photos and two free sing-along performances, at 11am and 2pm. Passes are collected from the Hub office in the lobby, from 10am for the morning show and from 12.30pm for the afternoon one. They cannot be reserved and are limited by capacity. Between 12.30pm and 1.30pm there is a “Princess and Prince Lunch Hour” with a free child’s meal for every adult meal bought (Brockenhurst Community Hub). A wreath-making workshop with Corbins Florist needs booking; its details are still to follow.

Demand from traders is the best sign of the day’s size: the main hall tables are sold out, the Hub is not taking any more food vendors, and it is looking at a second room (Brockenhurst Community Hub).

Parking: the Hub’s own car park is enforced by ParkMaven, and the Hub says the system is there “to keep spaces available for those using the Hub, especially during busy times”. Hub users register their car with the event organiser; if you get a parking charge notice after a Hub event, the Hub has a form to get it cancelled (Brockenhurst Community Hub). On a market day, expect it to fill. Brockenhurst station is a short walk away.

Exbury: two weekends, 28 to 29 November and 5 to 6 December

Exbury Gardens holds its “traditional Christmas Fair” over two weekends, 28 to 29 November and 5 to 6 December, 10am to 4.30pm. Tickets are £7 an adult (£7.50 with Gift Aid), and free for children under 16, Friends of Exbury and carers; you can pre-book or pay on arrival. The fair ticket also covers the 200 acres of gardens, a family Christmas trail in the Rock Garden, arts and crafts in the railway engine shed, the visiting donkeys and free parking. Exbury says there will be “many different stalls each weekend” (Exbury Gardens).

The fair ticket is the entry ticket for everything else at Christmas at Exbury. Meet Father Christmas (£12 a child) and the Festive Express steam train (£10 a person) are booked on top of it. Those are on our Father Christmas in the New Forest page.

Ringwood Winter Wanderland: Sunday 29 November

Ringwood Town Council has confirmed the date: “2026 Event - Sunday 29th November - Further information to follow.” It says a limited number of market stalls are still available through events@ringwood.gov.uk (Ringwood Town Council).

For scale, last year’s Wanderland on Sunday 30 November 2025 ran from 11.30am with more than 80 stalls in the Market Place, a stage from noon, the Polar Express miniature steam train, a Santa’s grotto and a parade to the lights switch-on at 6pm. The 2026 times are expected in November. The switch-on is on New Forest Christmas lights.

Parking: the town centre car parks are Furlong (BH24 1AT, 347 long stay and 342 short stay spaces) and Blynkbonnie (BH24 1DN), both district council car parks, and charges apply 8am to 6pm every day, Sundays included.

New Milton: 31 October and 29 November

The Lions Club of New Milton and District runs a Halloween and Christmas Market at the New Milton Hub, previously the New Milton Memorial Centre, on Saturday 31 October, 10.30am to 4pm (Lions Club of New Milton).

On Sunday 29 November the High Street has a full Christmas market, 9am to 4pm, run by Southern Market Traders “in collaboration with The New Milton Lions Club”, with “a great selection of stalls” and hot street food (Southern Market Traders). The same day, the Lions’ Christmas Festival, Parade and Lights Switch-On runs from noon to 5.15pm, and the club says those timings are provisional. No road closure for the High Street has been published yet; when the county council makes one it will be on our roadworks and travel page.

Not announced yet

  • Hythe Mistletoe Fayre. Hythe’s Christmas street fair is a fixture, but neither Hythe and Dibden Parish Council’s events calendar, which read “No events are currently scheduled” for every month to August 2027, nor the market operator has a 2026 date. We are not repeating last year’s date as this year’s.
  • Lymington. Lymington’s Christmas is the switch-on evening on the High Street, normally the last Friday of November, with stalls; the town council has not published the 2026 date. The Saturday charter market, around 60 stalls from 8am, runs every Saturday (Lymington and Pennington Town Council).
  • Lyndhurst. The parish council lists a Family Christmas Fun Day on Saturday 5 December, ending with Father Christmas down the High Street, which is closed to vehicles from 4.45pm to 5.30pm. It has not said whether there is a market (Lyndhurst Parish Council).

This page will be updated as each organiser publishes. For car park prices and the Forestry England charges, see parking in the New Forest.

Sources

  • brockenhurstvillage.org.uk: Christmas Market, Ice Queen and stallholder pages, events list and car park page, read 29 September 2026.
  • exbury.co.uk: Christmas Fair and What’s On pages, read 29 September 2026.
  • ringwood.gov.uk: Winter Wanderland and firework display pages, read 29 September 2026.
  • newmiltonlions.org.uk: 2026 event listing, read 29 September 2026.
  • southernmarkettraders.co.uk: New Milton Christmas Market 2026, read 29 September 2026.
  • hytheanddibden.gov.uk events calendar, lymingtonandpennington-tc.gov.uk market page, lyndhurst-pc.gov.uk events, read 29 September 2026.