Christmas Markets in Tynemouth

Tynemouth does not put on a separate Christmas market, and it does not need to. It has a 150-stall market in a Victorian railway station that trades every weekend of the year, and in December that turns out to be the single most useful thing on this stretch of coast: you can do a full afternoon of Christmas shopping without once standing in the rain.

That is the case for coming here rather than into town. Newcastle's market is bigger and Newcastle's market is outdoors.

Tynemouth Market in December

Tynemouth Market runs every Saturday and Sunday, 9am to 3.30pm, at Tynemouth Station, Station Terrace, North Shields NE30 4RE. Over 150 stalls, under the restored glazed roof, with the Metro platforms still in use either side of you.

December weekends are the busiest of the year and the stall mix shifts accordingly, with more craft, more food and more of the sort of thing you buy as a present rather than for yourself. The organisers have not announced any Christmas-specific dates or late openings for 2026, so plan around the normal weekend pattern.

Come early. Nine o'clock is genuinely quieter than eleven, and in December the difference is considerable.

For the full picture of the market itself, including parking, accessibility and what is where, see our complete guide to Tynemouth Station Market.

Best for:

Best for: shopping in the dry. A December Saturday on the coast can be horizontal rain, and a covered Victorian trainshed with 150 stalls in it is a much better proposition than a row of chalets on a windy street.

North Shields Christmas Market is two stops away

The proper Christmas market on this side of the river is in North Shields, and it is close enough to fold into the same day.

North Shields Christmas Market is on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December 2026, in and around Northumberland Square, and it is free to get in. Expect a food and drink village with street food and mulled wine, fairground rides around the square, and a programme of choirs and children's entertainment. The council has not published the 2026 times or stall count yet.

North Shields Metro station is two stops from Tynemouth, and the square is a five-minute walk from there. Doing the station market in the morning and the square in the afternoon is an easy day and costs you one Metro ticket.

Front Street is the other half of it

Tynemouth's independents are concentrated in a few hundred metres, which makes them an unusually efficient present-buying route.

Gareth James Chocolatier is the obvious December stop and takes orders. The Tynemouth Gift Shop, Razzberry Bazaar and Wild at Heart cover gifts and homeware, To the Moon and Back covers children, and Fine & Sandy and Longsands Clothing cover clothes with a local label on them.

For the food end: The Deli Around The Corner for cheese and the rest of it, and Busy Lizzies Flowers for wreaths and table arrangements.

Our guide to the best independent shops in Tynemouth goes through the whole run, including the Land of Green Ginger.

Making a day of it

Tynemouth Priory and Castle on its headland is worth the walk even in December, when the light off the mouth of the Tyne is at its best and there is nobody else there. Check English Heritage's winter opening before you go, since it is shorter than the summer timetable.

The Turk's Head on Front Street is the short walk from the station for a pint afterwards.

Getting here: Tynemouth is on the Metro's yellow line, and on a market weekend that is the sensible way in. Front Street parking fills early and the station car park is not large.

Christmas markets within reach

Newcastle Christmas Market runs Thursday 19 November to Wednesday 23 December 2026, free to browse, along Grey Street and Grainger Street and around the Monument, with over 70 traders and a Christmas Village on Old Eldon Square. Around twenty-five minutes on the Metro.

Durham Christmas Festival is Friday 4 to Sunday 6 December 2026, across Palace Green, the Cathedral Cloisters, the Market Hall and the Market Place. The craft marquee on Palace Green carries over 180 stalls and is ticketed, with a discount for booking ahead.

Hexham Abbey Christmas Fair is Saturday 12 December 2026, 9am to 3pm, with hundreds of stalls indoors and out, and the town's Farmers' Market falls on the same morning.

For pantomimes, light trails, Santa specials and the rest of the region's festive calendar, see Christmas in the North East.

What is not confirmed yet

As of late September, the following have not been published for 2026:

• Any Christmas-specific dates, late openings or extra days at Tynemouth Market
• A Tynemouth Christmas lights switch-on date
• North Shields Christmas Market opening times and stall count
• English Heritage's winter programme at the Priory

We will update this guide as those are announced.

Know a Tynemouth Christmas event we have missed? Get in touch via our contact page.