Christmas in Fulham is smaller than the version up the King's Road, and I like it for that.
There is one proper fair at Fulham Palace, a riverside programme at Fulham Pier, and a council-run market that takes over North End Road for a day. Add a good pub and that is a full December weekend.
Every date below comes from the organiser's own site, checked on 14 October 2026. The Parsons Green lights switch-on has not been announced yet, and I will add it when it is.
Quick verdict
- 1The Fulham Palace Christmas fair on 5 and 6 December is the main event. Go on the Saturday morning and walk the river afterwards.
- 2North End Road's Christmas market on Saturday 12 December is free and has more than a hundred stalls.
- 3Fulham Pier switches on its lights on 12 November and holds Christmas markets on 21 and 22 November and 5 and 6 December, but it closes to the public on Fulham home match days.
- 4Finish at The Eight Bells or The Golden Lion by Putney Bridge, both a short walk from the palace.
Fulham Palace: the Christmas fair and the walled garden
The Fulham Palace Christmas fair runs on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December 2026, 11am to 4pm, through the historic rooms, a marquee and the main drive, with carols in the Tudor courtyard, crafts for children and a Christmas tree trail. Tickets are £5 for adults, £3 for children or £15 for two adults and two children.
For an adults-only evening, the palace runs a twilight preview on Friday 4 December, 5.30pm to 8.30pm, for £10. Separately, Santa's Winter Garden takes over the walled garden from Friday 20 November to Wednesday 23 December, ticketed through its own operator.
My plan would be the Saturday morning fair, then a slow loop of Bishop's Park while it is still light.
Fulham Pier: lights, markets and a match-day catch
Fulham Pier switches on its Christmas lights on 12 November 2026, then opens its Christmas market on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 November, with further markets on 5 and 6 December.
Brasserie Constance, the restaurant on the pier, runs a festive menu from 17 November. The catch is football: the pier closes to the public on Fulham home match days and opens to ticket holders only, so check its match-day closures before you plan a visit around it.
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North End Road Christmas market
The council's North End Road Christmas market is on Saturday 12 December 2026, 10am to 4pm, with more than a hundred stalls of gifts, crafts, food and drink, plus music. It is free, and the road closes to traffic between Lillie Road and Dawes Road for the day.
For a coffee first, Lytte Coffee is on North End Road itself. The regular market is still there Monday to Saturday the rest of the season, which makes it the obvious place in Fulham for the fruit and veg for Christmas week.
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Food presents and Christmas shopping
Fulham Farmers' Market relaunches on Saturdays from 31 October, 9.30am to 3pm on New King's Road, which covers every Saturday before Christmas.
Bayley & Sage by Parsons Green is the easy answer for cheese, and Nomad Books on Fulham Road is the bookshop I would send anyone to. Hurlingham Books, by Putney Bridge, is the one for secondhand finds.
For a bigger day out, Hammersmith Winter Festival fills King Street with stalls on Saturday 14 November, 10am to 4pm, and is free.
Where to eat and drink afterwards
From Fulham Palace, The Golden Lion and The Eight Bells are both on Fulham High Street, a few minutes' walk away by Putney Bridge. The Eight Bells was licensed in 1629 and still feels like it, which is the point in December.
If you would rather sit down with coffee, Glasshouse Coffee inside The Palace Gardener is a short walk along Bishop's Avenue. Around Parsons Green, The White Horse is the classic and The Brown Cow is the cosier choice for a long Sunday.
What I would skip
I would skip planning a riverside afternoon on a Fulham home match day. The pier closes to the public and a match-day traffic order restricts car access to the streets around the ground, so check the fixtures before you commit to that end of Fulham.
I would also skip trying to do everything on the weekend of 5 and 6 December, when the palace fair and the pier's markets are both on. Pick one, take your time, and keep North End Road for the following Saturday.