Wantage Dickensian Evening 2026
About Wantage Dickensian Evening
It is the night to celebrate the best of Wantage.
The Wantage Dickensian Evening is a Christmas festival held on the first Friday in December in and around Wantage Market Place.
The Dickensian Evening is Wantage’s big night of the year. The Market Place and the streets around it close to traffic, the Christmas lights are switched on, and the town centre fills with carols, theatre, music, Morris dancing, market stalls and shops staying open late. It is Victorian-themed and free.
It is usually on the first Friday in December, from 4.00pm to 9.00pm. In 2026 that is Friday 04 December.
What to expect
- The Christmas lights switch-on by the tree in the Market Place, in the early evening (6pm in 2025).
- A stage in the Market Place with music, a show by Jigsaw Stage and communal carol singing, and more music on Newbury Street.
- Morris dancing around the town centre.
- Stalls, mulled wine and mince pies, and shops, cafés and pubs staying open late, many with festive extras.
- At the Parish Church, in recent years: festive songs from local schoolchildren, stalls with mulled wine, mince pies, books and a chocolate tombola, a quiet reflection space and a candle-lit nativity.
- At the Vale & Downland Museum, in recent years: live music, a tombola, market stalls in the barn gallery, the coffee shop, and Father Christmas (booking needed, with a small charge per child).
Expect road closures from 4.00pm to around 11.00pm. The whole of Market Place and the road leading to it will be closed to all vehicular access.
Ticketing information
Price:
Free