At The Guildhall · Guildhall Square, Derry, Co. Derry BT48 7BB
Only the published dates are confirmed for this programme.
The Guildhall opens its doors for the Guildhall Craft Fair from Friday 13 to Sunday 15 November 2026, the traditional opening event of Derry’s Christmas season inside the city’s grandest civic building. Run by Derry City and Strabane District Council, the fair brings together makers from across Ireland selling exclusively handmade goods, from ceramics, textiles and jewellery to artisan food and seasonal gifts, set out across the Guildhall’s ground floor and hall. It runs for three full days, 10am to 6pm each day, giving visitors a proper Christmas shopping trip rather than a single afternoon pop up, and the setting, under the Guildhall’s stained glass and Victorian architecture, is part of the draw alongside the stalls themselves. Falling in mid November, it sits at the front of the city’s festive calendar, ahead of the council’s December market and light switch on programme, so it catches shoppers who want to get ahead on Christmas gifts rather than joining the December scramble. The “exclusively handmade in Ireland” rule is the fair’s defining condition and the reason it reads differently from a general Christmas market: everything on a stall has been made by the person standing behind it or by a maker on this island, so there is no imported gift stock filling the gaps. That also means the stallholder mix shifts from year to year, and it is worth walking the full floor before buying rather than assuming the same makers return. Check the Visit Derry listing for entry arrangements before travelling.
The Guildhall sits in Guildhall Square in Derry city centre, a short walk from the Peace Bridge and the city walls. The Foyleside and Quayside car parks are both within a few minutes’ walk, and Foyle Street bus station is close by for anyone arriving by bus.
Heading to The Guildhall in Derry? Derry has plenty more to see. Read the Derry area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.
We do not yet have a suitable Derry tour in our reviewed collection that starts locally. Use the IrelandMe tour finder to compare bookable experiences for the rest of your trip.