Christmas in the Cotswolds 2025 – What’s On & Where to Go
- Rom A
- Nov 18
- 5 min read
Christmas is when the Cotswolds really show off: twinkling high streets, crackling pub fires, and more markets and light trails than you can squeeze into one long weekend. If you’re wondering what’s on at Christmas in the Cotswolds in 2025, here’s a friendly round-up of the key events and experiences to plan around.
Book your Christmas Experience with The Cotswolds Day Tours Company
Christmas in the Cotswolds 2025 – What’s On & Where to Go
1. Big-ticket Christmas light trails -
If you only book one evening event, make it one of these.
🎄 Christmas at Blenheim Palace (14 Nov 2025–3 Jan 2026)
Blenheim Palace goes all in for Christmas. In 2025 the Palace itself will be transformed into “The Palace of Oz”, inspired by The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, with themed rooms and story-led decorations. Outside, there’s:
A famous Illuminated Light Trail through the grounds
A Christmas Market in the Great Court
Extra seasonal fun like an ice rink and plenty of street food and mulled wine
Website: Blenheim Palace+2Blenheim Palace+2
Why go?
It’s the most “all-round” Christmas experience in the area – history, lights, shopping and food in one place.
Top tip: Tickets are timed and popular weekends sell out early, so book as soon as you can.
✨ Christmas at Westonbirt Arboretum (28 Nov–31 Dec 2025)
Westonbirt, The National Arboretum, swaps autumn colour for over a million Christmas lights on selected evenings from 28 November to 31 December 2025. Expect an after-dark trail through the trees, cosy food stalls and plenty of photo opportunities.
Why go?
Perfect if you love trees and want something magical but a bit more relaxed than a palace or castle.
Top tip: Wrap up warm and allow time for parking and queues for snacks.
🏰 Spectacle of Light at Sudeley Castle (21 Nov–30 Dec 2025)
Sudeley Castle’s Spectacle of Light celebrates its 10th year in 2025, with a new “Court of King Arthur & Magic of Merlin” theme. Wander a one-hour light trail around the castle gardens, with glowing installations, music and festive food stalls along the way.
Why go?
🌙 Enchanted Garden by Night – Painswick Rococo Garden (28 Nov–29 Dec 2025)
Newer on the scene but already a favourite, Enchanted Garden by Night at Painswick Rococo Garden runs on selected evenings from 28 November to 29 December 2025. Think whimsical woodland scenes, twinkling tunnels and shimmering reflections in the ponds.
Why go?
Smaller and more intimate than the “headline” trails – very pretty, very Cotswold.
2. Christmas markets & late-night shopping
🛍 Moreton-in-Marsh Christmas Market & Lights Switch-On
29 November 2025
Moreton-in-Marsh hosts a big Christmas Market & lights switch-on with stalls, street food and live entertainment from morning into early evening. Great if you like a traditional market-town feel and artisan stalls.
Website: Cotswolds+1
🎅 Cirencester Advent Market & Light Switch-On
30 November–1 December 2025
Cirencester’s Advent Market is one of the largest in the region, with over 200 stalls, live music and a big light switch-on followed by a “silent” firework display on 30 November.
Website: The Cotswolds Day Tours Company+1
🎁 Cheltenham Christmas Markets
Cheltenham runs two Christmas markets along its elegant Promenade and Long Gardens in 2025 – a Gift Market in November and an Arts & Crafts Market in December, with plenty of hot food, mulled wine and independent traders.
Website: Cotswold Markets+2Cotswolds+2
Pair it with a spin on the Cheltenham Ice Rink in Imperial Gardens for a proper festive city-break feel. The Cotswolds Day Tours Company
🎄 Broadway Lights & Late-Night Shopping
Evenings of 28 November & 5 December 2025
Broadway’s high street is gorgeous at any time of year, but at Christmas it really shines. The village hosts late-night shopping evenings on Friday 28 November and Friday 5 December 2025 (4.30–8.30pm), with fairy lights, music, mulled wine and visiting reindeer and Father Christmas.
Why go?
If you want that film-set-perfect “Cotswold Christmas village” feeling, Broadway is hard to beat.
Website: threecountieschristmas.co.uk+1
3. Family-friendly festive fun
🐑 Christmas on the Farm – Cotswold Farm Park
Adam Henson’s Cotswold Farm Park goes full festive with its Christmas on the Farm experience on selected dates from late November through December. Expect a Father Christmas visit, gingerbread decorating, a make-a-bear workshop and a new Christmas Barn with “Starlight Street” and a giant snow globe.
Website: Cotswold Farm Park Limited+1
🌟 Enchanted Garden by Night (again!)
The Painswick Rococo Garden trail mentioned above also works brilliantly with children – there are plenty of magical creatures and little details to spot as you walk. rococogarden.digitickets.co.uk+2SoGlos+2
🚂 Steam trains & Santa
Across the region, vintage railways put on Santa Special trains, complete with decorated carriages, grotto visits and mince pies – for example, on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway between Cheltenham and Broadway. (Check 2025 dates and departure stations when you book.) The Cotswolds Day Tours Company+1
4. Cosy villages, pubs & foodie stops
Not every Christmas highlight needs a ticket. Some of the best moments are the simple ones: walking through a village at dusk, then diving into a pub with a roaring fire.
A few festive ideas:
Broadway & Chipping Campden – both look spectacular under Christmas lights, with independent shops and plenty of places for a hot chocolate or glass of wine. threecountieschristmas.co.uk
Bourton-on-the-Water – famous for its Christmas tree in the river, reflected in the water under the bridges. The Cotswolds Day Tours Company
The Bull, Charlbury – recently named the UK’s best pub at the 2025 National Pub & Bar Awards; perfect for a special festive lunch or supper. Pub and Bar+2National Pub & Bar Awards+2
The Farmer’s Dog, near Burford – Jeremy Clarkson’s pub from Clarkson’s Farm, now a full destination with restaurant, butcher and farm shop on site. The Farmer's Dog+2UK About Amazon+2
5. Planning your Christmas trip to the Cotswolds
A few practical pointers:
Book key events early – Blenheim, Westonbirt, Sudeley and Painswick all sell out popular dates well in advance.
Check “selected dates” carefully – most light trails and experiences don’t run every night.
Plan your driving routes – some of the prettiest villages have small roads and limited parking; it’s often easier to let someone else do the navigating.
Layer up – many of the best events are outdoors and run after dark, so warm clothes, boots and maybe a spare pair of socks are your friends.
Let us take you there
If you’d like to stitch a few of these together into a private Christmas day out or short break – for example:
Blenheim Palace Christmas + Broadway late-night shopping
Sudeley Spectacle of Light + Cotswold villages and a cosy pub
Christmas markets in Cirencester, Cheltenham or Moreton-in-Marsh
…we can design a door-to-door itinerary with a local driver-guide, so you can just relax, shop, sip mulled wine and enjoy the lights.
Get in touch to start planning your Christmas in the Cotswolds 2025 – and we’ll help you choose the best events and routes for your dates.