The Dickensian Christmas Festival and Rochester Christmas Market return for Christmas 2022

A traditional Christmas weekend returns to fill a Kent town with colourful costumes and live entertainment.

The Dickensian Christmas Festival, which takes place on Saturday, December 3 and Sunday, December 4 in Rochester, transforms the historic town into a Victorian market for the weekend.

Visitors can celebrate the festive season in Dickensian style with a variety of street entertainment, such as singing, dancing, parades and readings.

Performers will be dressed in their best Victorian costumes, and visitors are welcome to get into the spirit of the festival and join them.

If you do feel like dressing up for the occasion, you can find the perfect outfit at the Rochester Dickensian Christmas Costume Sale, which takes place at Princes Hall on Saturday, November 19.

The free festival, which celebrates the life and work of Charles Dickens, will be themed around the novelist’s best-known work, including the festive classic A Christmas Carol.

The full programme for the festival is still yet to be announced, but you can find out more information about the festival here.

The Dickensian Christmas Festival also coincides with the Rochester Christmas Market, which is open on weekends from Saturday, November 26 to Sunday, December 11.

The annual market is free to visit and will welcome guests to the grounds of Rochester Castle, where there is usually a large number of Christmas stalls, an arts and crafts tent and a Bavarian food village.

In previous years, the market has also included a childrens’ funfair with a ferris wheel which looks over the castle, river and historic town.