St George's Christmas Fayre is on Saturday 28 November, 2pm to 5pm, free. Hale, Ashton upon Mersey and Urmston dates follow; here is when they ran last year.
The first Christmas fair in Altrincham with a confirmed 2026 date is St George’s Church’s Christmas Fayre, on Saturday 28 November, 2pm to 5pm, free to get in. The bigger village events around it, in Hale, Ashton upon Mersey and Urmston, have not been dated yet. Last year all three fell on Saturdays in late November.
The quick answer
- St George’s Christmas Fayre: Saturday 28 November 2026, 2pm to 5pm, Church Street, free. Stalls, choirs and a Santa’s grotto you book ahead.
- Hale Village’s switch-on and fun day filled Ashley Road on Saturday 29 November last year, 1pm to 6pm.
- Ashton upon Mersey and Urmston both held their markets on Saturday 22 November last year.
Checked on 25 September 2026 against the organisers’ and Trafford Council’s own listings.
Confirmed for 2026
St George’s Church Christmas Fayre, Saturday 28 November, 2pm to 5pm, St George’s Church, Church Street, Altrincham, WA14 4DB. The church runs it with Altrincham CE Primary School. Its event page lists stalls and Christmas gifts, live music “from a record number of choirs”, food, drink and crafts, and free entry. The grotto is the one part you pay for and book; the half-hour slots are on the church’s TicketSource page. More on that is on our Santa’s grotto page.
The same church’s Advent and Christmas programme also has Carols by Candlelight on Saturday 19 December. Its event page for the Gift of Christmas Trail and Lantern Parade confirms the town-centre afternoon for Saturday 12 December 2026, 12.30pm to 5.30pm, run with Altrincham BID and the Altrincham Garrick Playhouse.
Last year’s markets, not yet dated for 2026
These come from Trafford Council’s own events calendar for 2025. None has a 2026 listing yet.
| Event | 2025 date and time | Where | What it was |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hale Village Christmas Lights Switch-On and Family Fun Day | Saturday 29 November, 1pm to 6pm | Ashley Road, Hale | Stalls, entertainment, children’s activities, food and drink, then the switch-on. Free and dog-friendly |
| Ashton Upon Mersey Village Christmas Market | Saturday 22 November, 11am to 5pm | The Buck Inn car park, Sale, M33 5PN | Music, stalls and the lights switch-on at 5pm. Run by the Friends of Ashton Upon Mersey Village |
| Urmston Christmas Festival | Saturday 22 November, 11am to 5.30pm | Golden Hill car park, Urmston | Traders’ stalls, a Santa’s grotto with a gift for every child, and a woodland walk in Golden Hill Park |
| The Big Switch-On at Timperley Village | Saturday 29 November, 12pm to 7pm | The Larkhill Centre, Timperley Methodist Church and the village centre | Indoor and outdoor market stalls, children’s funfair rides and a dog show; Santa’s grotto and crafts at the Methodist church 1pm to 5pm; switch-on outside Paul House from 6pm. Run by Timperley Civic Society |
| Limelight Christmas Fair | Saturday 13 December, 12pm to 3pm | Old Trafford Library at Limelight, M16 9NW | Free drop-in crafts, music and a Christmas café, run by Trafford Libraries |
The organisers named for Hale and Urmston post first on social media: Hale Watch for Hale, the Urmston Partnership for Urmston and Timperley Civic Society for Timperley, according to the council’s listings.
Altrincham town centre
Altrincham’s own switch-on is run by Altrincham BID, not the council, and is not dated yet. The lantern parade is, as above: 12 December. What we know, including 2025’s Neon Noel on Saturday 22 November, is on our Christmas lights switch-on page.
For a bigger night out, Christmas at Dunham Massey runs from 20 November 2026 to 2 January 2027 and needs a ticket.
Still to be confirmed
- Hale, Ashton upon Mersey and Urmston 2026 dates: not on the council calendar yet. We will check again in mid October and add them as they are posted.
- Altrincham BID’s Christmas programme: its 2025 switch-on was announced on 22 October.
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