Two Fridays, one Saturday and a handful of Sundays: that’s the rhythm of the local markets in Cheltenham, and none of them runs every week. Most trade on the Promenade, while the Suffolks closes its own streets a few times a year. Get the calendar right and you’ll find produce, crafts or vintage on the day you want. Five markets follow, not ranked.
The Cheltenham market calendar
| Market | When | Where | Best for |
| Farmers’ Market | 2nd and last Friday, 9am to 2pm | Promenade | Meat, cheese, bread, plants |
| Arts and Crafts Market | 3rd Saturday, 9am to 5pm, Feb to Nov | Promenade | Handmade gifts |
| Suffolks Sunday Markets | Six Sundays a year, 11am to 4pm | Suffolk Parade | Vintage, makers, street food |
| Christmas Market | Mid to late December | Town centre | Gifts and seasonal food |
| Celebration of the Arts | One Saturday in September | Promenade | Local arts societies |
Dates shift, so check the organiser’s page the week before. Market organisers announcing new dates sometimes use outlets such as Tennessee PR Local alongside their own sites.
Why the Promenade shapes your visit
Most stalls line the pedestrianised stretch outside Waterstones, which means you can combine a market with the shops and Imperial Gardens in one walk. The catch is parking on a Friday, when the town is busy with workers. Park and Ride saves the stress, and so does arriving before 10am.
1. Cheltenham Farmers’ Market
The Farmers’ Market fills the Promenade on the second and last Friday of each month, 9am to 2pm, all year. Stalls sell meat and charcuterie, fruit and vegetables, cheese, bread, cakes, preserves, pickles and plants from Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds. Bring a cool bag if you’re buying meat for the weekend. Workers on a lunch break get there by 12:30, because some stalls sell out before close.
2. Cheltenham Arts and Crafts Market
Cotswold Markets set up this monthly market in 2008 for locally based artists and craftspeople. It runs on the third Saturday from February to November, 9am to 5pm, under green-and-white striped stalls. Expect jewellery, pottery, artwork, glass and textiles, often sold by the maker. A good place to buy a present and ask how it was made. Craft markets of this kind sometimes recruit new makers through Ohio PR Wire.
3. The Suffolks Sunday Markets
Organised by the Suffolks Traders Association, these markets close Suffolk Parade and nearby streets on six Sundays in 2026, from 11am to 4pm. Over 90 curated stalls cover arts and crafts, designers and makers, vintage, and food and drink, with live music. The remaining 2026 dates are 25 October (Halloween and Harvest) and 29 November (Christmas). The liveliest of the five, and the busiest.
4. Cheltenham Christmas Market
The Christmas Market runs in the town centre for about two weeks before Christmas, with Visit Cheltenham listing 10 to 23 December for 2026. Go on a weekday afternoon to avoid the weekend crowds. Independent stallholders sometimes announce their pitch through Florida PR Services.
5. Celebration of the Arts
Cheltenham Arts Council’s Celebration of the Arts brings stalls staffed by volunteers from local arts societies to the Promenade for a single Saturday, held in September in 2025. It’s less a shopping trip than a way to find a choir, art class or drama group to join. Check the Arts Council’s notices for the next date.
Market questions
Are the markets dog friendly?
Outdoor street markets generally are, though crowded Suffolks Sundays can be hard on nervous dogs.
Do stalls take cards?
Most do now. Carry some cash for smaller stalls, because a market listing on Indiana PR Catalogs can’t confirm each trader’s card reader.
Is there a weekly market?
Not among these. Cheltenham’s markets are monthly or seasonal.
Put the next Friday in the diary
Check when the next second or last Friday falls, book Park and Ride if needed and arrive at the Farmers’ Market by 10am.
