Christmas in Birmingham 2026: the market, the rink, panto and carols
The Frankfurt market on Victoria Square and New Street from Thursday 5 November, skating under the big wheel in Centenary Square, Rylan and Matt Slack in the Hippodrome panto and a CBSO Christmas Party at Symphony Hall. Your Birmingham Christmas, with dates.
By Only Birmingham Editorial
Christmas in Birmingham starts on Thursday 5 November, when the Frankfurt Christmas Market opens on Victoria Square and New Street and the ice rink opens in Centenary Square on the same day. The market runs to Christmas Eve, the rink to 3 January. In between there is a Hippodrome panto with Rylan in it, Peter Pan at the Rep and the CBSO doing Christmas standards at Symphony Hall. Here is the season, with dates.
The Frankfurt Christmas Market, Victoria Square and New Street
Birmingham's Frankfurt Christmas Market runs from Thursday 5 November to Thursday 24 December 2026. It bills itself as the largest authentic German Christmas market outside Germany and Austria, and it is the most visible sign of the partnership between Birmingham and its sister city, Frankfurt, whose own market goes back to at least 1393.
The wooden chalets fill Victoria Square, outside the Town Hall, and run down Upper New Street, with craft stalls along High Street. This year there is a gap on part of New Street for public realm works, and the market picks up again beyond Corporation Street. Entry is free. Come for the bratwurst, schnitzel and glühwein, the handmade decorations and the live music on the bandstand.
Opening hours are:
- Monday to Thursday: 11am to 9pm.
- Friday: 11am to 9.30pm.
- Saturday: 10am to 9.30pm.
- Sunday: 10am to 9pm, except Remembrance Sunday, 8 November, when it opens at 1pm.
The opening weekend and the Saturdays in December are the busiest. A weekday afternoon is the time to browse, and a Friday night is the time to drink. If you are driving in, remember the city centre inside the ring road is a Clean Air Zone, at £8 a day for vehicles that do not meet the standard. The train is easier.
Ice skating and the big wheel, Centenary Square
Ice Skate Birmingham is back in Centenary Square on Broad Street from 5 November 2026 to 3 January, seven days a week except Christmas Day. Sessions last 45 minutes and start on the hour from 11am to 10pm, and skate hire is included in the ticket. The rink has a clear roof, so the weather is not an excuse, and the big wheel turns above it with the view over the city. Both are wheelchair accessible. Book a session for the evening, when the lights are on.
Panto: Sleeping Beauty at the Hippodrome
Birmingham Hippodrome's panto this year is Sleeping Beauty, from Saturday 19 December 2026 to Sunday 31 January. Rylan plays the Diva of Dreams and Zoe Birkett is Carabosse, the villain. Matt Slack is Lester the Jester for the 13th year running, and Andrew Ryan is the Queen in his 10th season as Birmingham's Dame. Book the school holiday dates early.
Birmingham Rep: Peter Pan and The Ugly Duckling
The Rep's main Christmas show is Peter Pan, from Wednesday 18 November 2026 to Sunday 17 January, a new adaptation of J M Barrie by Phil Porter with original music by Ruth Chan, directed by the Rep's artistic director Joe Murphy. For younger children, The Ugly Duckling plays in The Door from Thursday 3 December 2026 to Sunday 10 January, adapted by Katherine Chandler and directed by Caroline Wilkes.
One for the diary right now: a new production of The Snowman, the Rep's longest-running show since it first staged it in 1993, plays until Sunday 1 November. If you have a small person who has never seen it, go before it closes.
The CBSO Christmas Party, Symphony Hall
On Thursday 17 December 2026 at 7.30pm, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra plays its Christmas Party at Symphony Hall, presented by Jess Gillam and conducted by Stephen Bell, with the CBSO Chorus, Youth Chorus and Children's Chorus. Expect Rudolph, White Christmas, Winter Wonderland and All I Want for Christmas is You. Tickets run from £27.50 to £65.50, with reductions for students, under-18s and 18 to 30s, and it lasts about two hours with an interval.
Your Birmingham Christmas, at a glance
- Until 1 November: The Snowman at the Rep.
- 5 November to 24 December: Frankfurt Christmas Market, Victoria Square and New Street.
- 5 November to 3 January: ice rink and big wheel, Centenary Square.
- 18 November to 17 January: Peter Pan at the Rep.
- 3 December to 10 January: The Ugly Duckling at the Rep.
- 17 December: CBSO Christmas Party, Symphony Hall.
- 19 December to 31 January: Sleeping Beauty at the Hippodrome.
Book the panto and the rink first, leave the market for a weeknight, and walk between the lot. Victoria Square to Centenary Square is no distance at all, and the glühwein is on the way.
