Start on 23 December with brass in an English market square
Stand in the middle of Market Place at seven in the evening, hands around a paper cup of something hot, and let a brass band do the work. Carols in the Market Place with Faversham Mission Brass is the town's annual cue that Christmas has arrived, and it sets you up for the days that follow. This is a historic Kent market town, and its Christmas is built the same way the rest of its year is: on a square, a street, and a market.
If you're planning Christmas Eve, treat it as the quiet hinge of the season rather than the main event. The town's programme puts its big Christmas moments earlier in December and its carols on 23 December; the days around them are when Faversham is at its most walkable, its pubs at their warmest, and its independent shops still open.
Shop the market weekend before the holiday
The centrepiece of the Faversham Christmas season is the Faversham Christmas Market Weekend, held 11–13 December across Market Place and Court Street. It's the moment to do your actual gift shopping rather than your browsing: stalls through the square and down the street, the town's independent traders alongside them, and the whole thing close enough to the brewery and the church that you never need a car.
- 11–13 December: Faversham Christmas Market Weekend, Market Place & Court Street.
- 28 November, from 17:00: Christmas Lights Switch-On and Christmas on Preston Street — Market Place & Preston Street. Come for the switch-on, stay for the street.
- 23 December, 19:00: Carols in the Market Place with Faversham Mission Brass.
If you're in town earlier in the month, the regular markets still run: the Triple Market Weekend fills Market Place on the first weekend of each month, with the Charter Market and Best of Faversham Market on the first Saturday and the Faversham Antiques Market on the first Sunday. The Alexander Centre Artisan Markets run on Preston Street on the first and third Saturday of the month.
Walk the town's winter streets and quays
Faversham rewards walking in any season, and December is no exception. Pick up a map and a self-guided walk from the Visitor Information Centre at 12 Market Place, then let the town's geography do the rest: the church of St Mary of Charity, the Guildhall on Market Place, the creek and quayside at Town Quay and Front Brents, and the countryside that starts within a few minutes of the last shopfront.
- St Mary of Charity Church — the town's landmark church, used year-round for services, concerts and exhibitions.
- Guildhall, Market Place — the civic building at the heart of the town.
- Town Quay & Front Brents — the waterfront end of town, where the creek and the boatyards are.
- Oare Gunpowder Works — the wooded former works just outside town, for a brisker winter walk.
Between Christmas and the new year, the town's pubs, cafés and independent shops are the point: this is a place built for a slow afternoon rather than a checklist.
Eat and drink like a Kentish market town
Faversham's food culture is market-driven. On market days, Market Place and Court Street are where you'll find produce, baked goods and hot food from local traders; on ordinary days, the town's independent shops, pubs and cafés keep the same character. Build your Christmas Eve around that rather than around a restaurant booking: a morning at the market if your visit falls on a market day, a long pub lunch, and a late-afternoon coffee on Preston Street or in the streets off Market Place.
- Market Place & Court Street — the market and food-stall heart of town.
- Preston Street — independent shops, the artisan market, and the Christmas street event.
- Town Quay & Front Brents — the quayside end, good for a walk that ends at a pub.
Time your trip around the town's calendar
Faversham runs a full programme through the year, which tells you something useful about when to come. If your Christmas visit is fixed, aim for the first half of December to catch the market weekend and the lights; if you have flexibility, the town's other big dates are worth building a trip around — the Faversham Hop Festival on 5–6 September, the Faversham Carnival procession from Whitstable Road on 17 October from 18:30, and the Faversham Festival of Transport on 16–17 May.
- Late November: Christmas Lights Switch-On and Christmas on Preston Street (28 November, from 17:00).
- Mid-December: Faversham Christmas Market Weekend (11–13 December).
- 23 December: Carols in the Market Place (19:00).
- Beyond Christmas: Hop Festival (5–6 September), Carnival (17 October), Festival of Transport (16–17 May).
Note that the town's published 2026 programme lists no specific event dated 24 December; the nearest Christmas-season fixtures are the 11–13 December market weekend and the 23 December carols. Plan Christmas Eve as a day of markets, churches, quayside walks and pubs rather than a ticketed event.
Make Faversham your base, not just your stop
The town sits in the Kent countryside with villages and countryside all around it, and the Visitor Information Centre on Market Place can point you to self-guided walks and local information. That makes a day trip easy: a morning in town, an afternoon walk out past Oare, and back before the light goes. Faversham is a place you can cover on foot, which is exactly what makes a Christmas visit here work — no queues, no parking battles, just a square, a band, and a market.
Start by checking the live listings at visitfaversham.org and picking up the printed What's On guide from the Visitor Information Centre at 12 Market Place when you arrive. Fix your dates around the 11–13 December market weekend or the 23 December carols, book your travel, and let the rest of Christmas Eve in Faversham be a walk.