Liverpool Christmas Market will return to St George's Plateau for the 2026 festive season with a new operator and a series of confirmed changes, including new bars, a dedicated ice rink and a later closing date.
The global events company Underbelly, which already runs Christmas in Leicester Square and Christmas in Trafalgar Square in London, is taking over the event. The market attracts more than 500,000 visitors each year and is one of the city's most significant seasonal attractions.
New opening dates and bars
The market will run from Saturday, November 21 through the entire festive season until Sunday, January 3, 2027. This marks the first year the event has not ended before Christmas.
When asked whether the Alpine, Tipi Tent and Ski Lodge bars would return, a spokesperson for Underbelly said the bar offer is new rather than returning from previous years. The bars confirmed so far are Snowed Inn, Bar Humbug and On the Piste.
On the Piste will host much of the live music programme as well as karaoke, while The Snowed Inn will host DJ sets on Friday and Saturday nights.
City nods and community initiatives
There will be several nods to the city throughout the site, including a large illuminated LIVERPOOL installation on St George's Hall and two giant neon Liver Birds wearing ice skates at the Lime Street entrance. The Snowed Inn bar overlooking the rink will feature maritime details inspired by Liverpool's docks.
Children's Christmas books supplied by the library will be displayed within the Dickensian-themed Bar Humbug, alongside colouring sheets that will signpost families back to the library.
Underbelly also confirmed it is working with Culture Liverpool and its neighbourhood teams to provide local families and community groups with hundreds of attraction and refreshment tickets. A dedicated community market hut will host a programme of charitable activity during the season, including Mission Christmas and Alder Hey activity.
From Boxing Day to January 3, visitors will be able to donate three non-perishable food items or an unwanted Christmas gift in exchange for buy-one-get-one-free tickets across all attractions, with donations distributed to local food banks.
Skate St George's and tickets
At the centre of the experience will be a 675 square foot ice rink, welcoming skaters of all abilities to enjoy the ice beneath sparkling lights, accompanied by a festive soundtrack throughout the day and into the evening. Skate St George's will feature more than 40 food, retail and games traders across the Christmas market.
Underbelly will also run a community arts initiative with primary and special schools across the Liverpool region, themed around A Christmas Carol. Twenty designs will be selected and transformed into large, illuminated stained-glass-inspired window displays facing the Walker Art Gallery. Three will receive special commendations from Underbelly, Liverpool Culture and the Walker Art Gallery.
Tickets for the Ice Rink are on sale now, priced from £11.50 for adults and £10 for children, with family tickets available from £38. Tickets can be booked at www.skatestgeorges.co.uk.
