Northampton WinterFest: Ferris Wheel and Six Weekends of Events

Updated 7 November: the council’s WinterFest page, last updated 4 November, lists fairground rides including a Ferris wheel and six event days, below. The 175ft Star Flyer announced in October no longer appears on it, so we have taken it out of the headline. Ride prices and opening hours are still unpublished.

Updated 5 November: the council’s programme of 2 November names family rides including a Ferris wheel, gingerbread-themed huts, a Delapré Abbey light installation, free face painting on selected dates and events each weekend from 28 November. It does not mention the Star Flyer or an ice rink. The rinks you can book are on our ice rink page.

Northampton Market Square will host six weeks of Christmas rides, stalls and live music this winter. WinterFest runs from Saturday 21 November to Sunday 3 January, opening on the day the town’s Christmas lights are switched on.

The council’s WinterFest page lists these attractions for the whole six weeks:

• fairground rides, including a traditional Ferris wheel from local operator John Greatorex
• gingerbread-themed huts selling gifts from local traders
• food and drink stalls and festive markets
• a light installation from Delapré Abbey
• free face painting on selected dates

The October announcement promised a 175ft Star Flyer. It is not on the council’s current list.

The six event days

West Northamptonshire Council announced the programme on Monday (council release, 12 October). Northampton Town Council published the same release (town council, 12 October).

Overview

• When: Saturday 21 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027.
• Where: Northampton Market Square.
• What is confirmed: fairground rides including a Ferris wheel, gingerbread-themed huts, a Delapré Abbey light installation, six event days, Carols on the Square on Saturday 12 December, and Santa’s Grotto at the Grosvenor Centre.
• Not yet published: opening hours and ride prices.

Who is behind it

Five organisations are running WinterFest together:

• West Northamptonshire Council
• Northampton Town Council, which the release calls the “principal sponsorship partner”
• Northampton Town Centre Business Improvement District (BID)
• the Grosvenor Centre
• Delapré Abbey

Cllr Kamala Guliyeva, the council’s cabinet member for local economy, culture and leisure, said the aim was to “drive footfall into the town centre”. She said the partners hoped WinterFest “will become a highlight of the festive calendar”.

Switch-on day, Saturday 21 November

WinterFest opens with the town council’s Christmas lights switch-on. The Market Square comes alive from midday, the countdown starts at 4.55pm and the lights go on at 5pm. Boxer Chantelle Cameron will switch them on, the town council says.

The release lists what will be on during the day:

• festive walkabout acts
• children’s crafts and storytelling
• stage entertainment
• a Silent Disco marquee
• a yuletide bar and stalls

The lights cover 40ft Christmas trees at five spots: All Saints’ Piazza, Guildhall Square, Market Square, Abington Square and Becket’s Park. Lighting along the Wellingborough Road has been upgraded.

Two trees are new this year, according to Cllr Keith Holland-Delamere, who chairs the town council’s community services committee:

• outside the railway station on St Peter’s Way, supported by the BID
• on Kingsley Front, at St Matthew’s Church

Our switch-on page has the day’s times, parking and what happened last year.

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Carols on the Square, Saturday 12 December

The programme’s set piece is an evening of carols on Saturday 12 December. Local schools, choirs and performers will sing, and a Michael Bublé tribute act will headline.

The night will raise money for two causes named in the release: The Lewis Foundation and NLive Radio’s Present Drop Appeal. A start time has not been given.

What the BID is adding

Mark Mullen, chief operations officer of Northampton Town Centre BID, set out the BID’s share:

• a Golden Ticket giveaway, with four families each able to win £500 in vouchers to spend in participating town centre businesses
• Santa’s Grotto at the Grosvenor Centre
• a programme of activity around Small Business Saturday

No dates or prices for the grotto have been published. Last year it cost £2 a family. The other grottos around town are on our Father Christmas page.

No word on the ice rink

The release does not mention an ice rink. Last winter a covered real ice rink stood on the Market Square from 4 December to 4 January, with adult tickets at £16. The council announced it on 23 September 2025.

The Old Savoy, which sold the rink tickets, still shows the 2025 season on its ice skating page. The partners say “more exciting announcements, including the full event programme and festive attractions” will follow. We will update our ice rink page when they do.

Who is performing

The performer call closed on 16 October. The council’s 2 November programme says Carols on the Square will feature local schools, community choirs, the East Midlands Academy Trust choir, the Polish Saturday School, the NMPAT Brass Band, Northampton Musical Theatre Company, Reggae Ray, the Starlight Sisters and Northants Sing Out, with headline act Mike All Bublé.

What it means for you

• Put 21 November in the diary. The switch-on and the start of WinterFest fall on the same Saturday as the first day of Delapré Abbey’s Christmas Fair and Daventry’s Christmas market. Our Christmas markets page has those.
• Plan your parking. Mayorhold multi-storey and its 1,073 spaces have closed for good. Our parking page lists the alternatives and prices.
• Ride prices and opening hours are still to come. We will add them here when they are published.

Sources

• West Northamptonshire Council, WinterFest to bring festive attractions, entertainment and community celebrations to Northampton Market Square, 12 October 2026
• Northampton Town Council, the same release, 12 October 2026
• West Northamptonshire Council, Ice rink to bring festive magic to West Northants this Christmas, 23 September 2025
• The Old Savoy, Northampton Market Square On Ice, checked 14 October 2026