Bishop Auckland Christmas Town- A Full Guide to visiting
Updated: Sep 17
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This blog article was written from our previous visits and I have updated it for 2026.
Bishop Auckland’s Christmas Town is definitely not one to be missed! It has been one of the highlights every year that really gets us in the festive mood. This annual event is organised by BACCANALIA alongside Bridge Creative CIC and made possible by funding from Bishop Auckland Town Council and other supporters.
WHY VISIT??
Are you looking for an evening wander taking in the sounds and sights of Christmas, enjoying some delicious food and drinks and perhaps a bit of retail therapy whilst supporting local? 🍔 🌯🚶♀️
Or do you fancy a catch up with friends, some festive evening entertainment and a few drinks in a warm cosy but fun atmosphere? 🥂 🔥 🎶
OR…have you got kids at home driving you mad because they are bored, but you want somewhere that’s got something for everyone to enjoy with minimal stress or hassle? 🎠 🎡 🕺
If the answer is YES… then Bishop Auckland Christmas Town has you well and truly covered! 🤩
This years event is running from Thursday 3rd- Sunday 6th December 2026.
Based off previous years you can expect to find a Christmas Market with a good variety of local business stalls selling crafts, gifts and food vendors selling festive and street food and drink. As well as live music and singers at the Christmas bandstand, walkabout entertainment, traditional rides, indoor makers market and more! It is FREE Entry to enjoy the music, festive installations and browse the Christmas market. A fab atmosphere and great photo ops whilst ticking off a few Christmas gifts and supporting local!
Last year activities were all on an all inclusive pass system. This year is running pretty much the same but there’s a reduction to the starting prices. And some attractions have changed. Here’s the details for 2026;
Golden Pass
Cost? Thursday £5pp | Friday £7.50pp | Saturday or Sunday £10pp
Unlimited rides and access to all of the following on your chosen day(s):
Ferris Wheel
Twister
Helter Skelter
Fun House
Giant Tipi Entry
Curling Lane
Mystery Attraction
10% off all bars
Add Santa's Grotto for £5 per child and £2 per adult (add on only available with golden pass)
You can explore the Christmas market, buy food and drink and enjoy the atmosphere without a golden pass.
Here’s a couple of highlights on whats on offer based on our previous visits.
1️⃣ GIANT HEATED TIPI
This was definitely the highlight for us. I think it’s what brought the entire event together and it wouldn't be the same without it. Being able to enjoy the rides, browse the stalls and grab some food and then head to the tipi to warm up and enjoy our food with the kids, but still enjoy the atmosphere and music was just perfect.
It’s heated with smokeless fire pits which added to the cosy ambience of the place. I thought it was looking very pretty and festive with the ceiling decor and twinkling lights draping down the sides of the tipi.
There’s a fully stocked bar in here so you don’t need to go far if you fancy a hot chocolate (or something stronger!)
Live Entertainment in the Giant Tipi: Later on in the evenings on certain nights they have shows on. This is great if you are a group of friends looking to meet up for a festive show and a few drinks or even families with older kids. The show’s all family friendly last year and they don’t require pre-booking.
You could enjoy wandering the Christmas markets first and some grab tasty food from one of the many vendors, then head to the tipi to watch a show. Sounds perfect and especially with older kids or those not so much into rides.
Note; It is not yet confirmed whether this live entertainment will be happening for 2026.
2️⃣ FERRIS WHEEL
My two year old (Leo now 4) absolutely loved this. It was his first time on a Ferris Wheel in 2024 and the excitement and smiles from him each time it went up was just priceless, no fear at all! He loved it that much he ran straight back round again when we got off to go back on again! My friends daughter Aoife came on too and battled her fear of heights, the excitement must have rubbed off on her. And the views from the top overlooking all of the Christmas Town were fab too! What I would say is that children need to support themselves sitting up as the seat belt only goes across your lap. Leo sits quite well so I was confident he would be ok, but I still had an arm round him keeping him sat back. There is a barrier in front but you still need to hold them as it’s got a wide gap.
For an attraction for all the family to enjoy together young and old this is ideal.
3️⃣ CAROUSEL
This hasn't been confirmed for 2026 but may be the mystery attraction so I have left this section in.
A traditional style carousel, this was the perfect addition to this year’s attractions. It was one of the first attractions we came to when walking down to the market square from Fore Bondgate, located right next to the giant tipi, the two together looked great and VERY festive.
It was really lit up well and colourful, and a lovely sight to see with children enjoying the ride and their grown ups watching and waving as they went round. Our kids were getting excited seeing it too, and it was a great way to be welcomed into Christmas Town. We really knew we had arrived!!
In 2025 it was moved to the bottom end of the market and was a much smaller carousel. It felt a little cramped where it was located and the entrance didn't have the wow factor as much if coming from Fore Bondgate and the car park.
Again a good option if there’s a few of you both young and old as there were some carriages to sit in if there were a few of you or with younger kids, as well as many horses. Our older two sat on horses in front as they are too cool for us 😎 whilst we were behind in a carriage with my two year old.
4️⃣ FOOD AND DRINK
There was SO much choice of food vendors. To name a few there were chicken burgers and smashed beef burgers, loaded fries, Greek food, German hot dogs , fried chicken and Arabian food …with many of them offering a festive option too! There were even some even cold savoury options too if you just fancied a light bite, like homemade scotch eggs!
We chose hot dogs with fries for my kids and myself to share from Memories or the Black Forest-a German food vendors. Then my friend got smashed cheese burgers and chips from Alpine 21 for her and her daughter. I also ordered chicken burger with bacon and cheese from Chicken Little to take home for my husband, as I couldn’t leave him out. We all agreed it all tasted really good! You might just want to share a portion if you have young kids though as they were all decent portion sizes. There really was a good choice and a few also catered for some allergens too.
And if you have a sweet tooth or just enjoy something a little sweet after your meal then there are plenty of sweet treats vendors too. Including pancakes, doughnuts, brownies, pick and mix sweets and more! Again a few catering to dairy and gluten free.
And to quench your thirst there was a mulled wine stall as well as a coffee van selling hot chocolate, tea and various coffee options along with soft drinks to purchase from most vendors. We really enjoyed our hot chocolates from Horsepitality. And they kindly gave us some warmed milk for Leo for just 50p.
Please note: Vendors may vary each year.
5️⃣ MAKERS MARKET (AND FAMILY CRAFTS)
NOT YET CONFIRMED FOR 2026- This didn't happen in 2025, there was local handmade gifts stalls but in the market place along with the other stalls. I really hope they bring this back for 2026.
This was a great place and we spotted it at just the right time, especially when it had started to rain a bit as it was indoors! It was free to visit and located at No.42 next to the Carousel. This was a nice quiet space to walk round with some more stalls with lots of lovely handmade gifts! It was also a good option if you wanted to go somewhere a little quieter. After we had walked round the stalls, there were some family crafts to take part in for free and create a Christmas card to take home with using ink stamps and a press machine. We came back later to collect to let them dry, so I’d recommend doing this nearer to the start of your visit. The crafts may vary what’s on offer but I thought this was such a nice idea! Leo didn’t take part in this but great for our 8 year olds.
6️⃣ FESTIVE PROPS AND PHOTO OPS
There were a lot of photo opportunities with festive props and decor. From a decorated arch with the Christmas tree behind to lots of twinkling lights everywhere. There is also a tree festival inside St Anne’s Church and a cute nativity display just outside. And some festively dressed characters on stilts roaming around to interact with and get some selfies with them!
My favourite creation has to be the Noel sign created by Creative. Such beautiful colours and the fact it’s made from recycled materials too is even more amazing! And of course the festive town overall is perfect for lots of photo opportunities and selfies too!
7️⃣ CHRISTMAS MARKET GIFT STALLS
Lots of handmade gifts and home decor, including ornaments, tree decorations, plants and jewellery. They also had some food and drinks gift stalls too including cheese and chutneys with a huge variety and tempting flavours. There were cheese tasting samples available to try which led to my friend buying a few as she loved them so much! And there was a sweet stall too which offered lots of sweet gifts and also some toys for kids. I personally thought there was a good variety for a Christmas market in a small town.
ACCESSIBILITY
The effort gone into making it accessible really stood out to me. All of the attractions and the site were step free to enable wheelchairs to get around and see as much as possible and even the ride operators were doing what they could to help those with accessibility needs.
There have been a few changes for 2025 but based on feedback from last year and to improve it even more. Here's the info from 2025;
↪️An accessible queuing system will be in place for attractions.
🆓Complimentary Tickets provided for personal assistant (proof required such as PIP letter or Blue Badge for the paying visitor who requires support-more info and other suitable documentation stated on their website)
🚾There are accessible toilets at the giant tipi and town hall as well as a few other places on the site.
🅿️ Accessible parking is available at North Bondgate Car Park (approx 50m from the Market Place) and at the Newgate Centre Multi Storey with lift access.
😌 Sensory-friendly hours where there will be reduced noise and a calmer atmosphere. These will be at 4-5pm on Thursday and Friday, and 10am-11am on Saturday and Sunday.
This accessibility info does not show for 2026 on their website so please check with them incase of any changes.
Get in touch for specific access requirements before the event via email at
Any further queries, you can also call them on 01388 540823
PARKING
We parked in North Bondgate Car Park on both visits. Personally I found this easier to find and to get to most of the attractions Christmas Town when comparing to parking at Newgate Shopping Centre last year. Also I would recommend it for disabled parking as the disabled bays are just over the road from the market square where Christmas town is held (if you drive down to the bottom end of the car park). And also you aren’t relying on the lifts working. The parking costs were reasonable too. We paid 60p as we arrived after 4pm. During the day it’s a flat rate of £4 or £1 if longer than 2 hours (as of 2026).
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
You can get a bus from Darlington Tubwell Row (stand H/J) to Newgate Street in Bishop Auckland with Arriva North East. It’s then a 5-10 minute walk to the market place.
Trains also run direct from Darlington to Bishop Auckland Train Station, but this is around a 15 minute walk from the market place. It’s further down on Newgate Street.
OTHER USEFUL INFO
-Dogs on leads are welcome
-Card payments are preferred but some traders will accept cash
-The historic Fore-Bondgate which leads up to the market place has many independent shops to browse too if you want to do some more shopping whilst visiting.
(You walk down this street when parking in North Bondgate Car park if you are parked in the top end of the car park. You pass a colourful wall mural, pretty lights above and bollards with knitted decorations on too so it’s a nice way to walk down to the market place).
OUR OVERALL THOUGHTS
We had such a great time! I personally do struggle with crowds or anywhere chaotic but even though there was the hustle and bustle expected at an event like this it somehow still felt relaxed and enjoyable. Having the giant tipi to relax and warm up in and knowing there were quiet spaces if needed is a huge bonus.
It was also great to see so many small local businesses involved in the market stalls.
And I think the mixture of free and affordable attractions was great. You could choose to just visit and enjoy the festive atmosphere and music whilst browsing the stalls and enjoying some food in the warmth of the tipi, with just the cost of your food!! (And maybe a little gift from one of the lovely stalls to treat yourself, it is nearly Christmas after all 😉)
Or you could make it a full family outing or catch up with friends with lots of fun for everyone without spending a fortune!
Give it a visit to start off your festivities… You won’t be disappointed!
For updates make sure to give the event organiser, BACCANALIA a follow on their socials at;
This blog article has been written to provide you as the reader with and honest and informative guide to visiting Bishop Auckland Christmas Town.
This guide can be used yearly for a general idea but please check with the event organisers for any updates to prices. I will look to update it each year.
THANKS FOR READING 💜
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This blog has been produced by Charlotte Walcott (Business Owner of Family Fun Darlo Mum)
A bit about me- Mum to 2 boys, Kamron-10 and Leo-4. Sharing family days out ideas, family venues and events in Darlington, County Durham, Teesside and Yorkshire.
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