Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Aberdeen Christmas Village 2023: Opening times, prices and road closures as market and fair return to city centre

The Granite City's annual festive celebrations are back - here's everything you need to know.

Aberdeen's Christmas Village in 2022.
Image: Elrick/DC Thomson
Aberdeen's Christmas Village in 2022. Image: Elrick/DC Thomson

Aberdeen’s Christmas Village is back for the festive season.

This year the city centre will host a Christmas market, outdoor ice rink and festive fairground.

Organised by Aberdeen City Council, Codona’s and Aberdeen Inspired, attractions will run from November 17 to December 31, and will be closed for Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

A map of Aberdeen Christmas Village 2023.
A map of Aberdeen Christmas Village 2023. Image: Aberdeen Christmas

Last year, the stalls raised £22,000 for Charlie House, which aims to improve the quality of life for babies, children and young people in the north-east who have life-limiting or life-threatening conditions.

The Christmas Village has several different areas and all have different opening times.

Here’s everything you need to know to plan your visit.

Aberdeen Christmas Village opening times

  • Monday to Thursday (open 11am midweek during school holidays): 12pm – 10pm
  • Friday: 12pm – Midnight
  • Saturday: – 10am – Midnight
  • Sunday: 10am – 10pm

The village is closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, and closes fully on Hogmanay.

Christmas market opening times

The Curated in the Quad Christmas market will take return to Marischal College Quadrangle, and will be open on Fridays and weekends leading up to Christmas.

The line up is curated by Charlie House and will change each week, with vendors selling locally-produced crafts, art and gifts plus food and drink.

Festive stalls at the Curated in the Quad market at Aberdeen Christmas Village.
Curated in the Quad will have an increased 30 stalls this year, offering more space for local traders during the Christmas shopping period. Image: Kenny Elrick/DC Thomson
  • Friday: 11am-7pm
  • Saturday: 11am-7pm
  • Sunday: 11am-6pm (open till 8pm on Sunday November 19)

Ice rink opening times and prices

With the stunning architecture of Marischal College towering behind, the outdoor ice rink is returning as part of the Christmas Village.

  • Monday to Friday: 12pm – 10pm (open at 11am on school holidays)
  • Saturday and Sunday: 10am – 10pm

It’s £8 for each 20 minute session, which includes skate hire.

From Monday to Thursday 12pm-6pm off-peak sessions are £5 – but only during term time.

There will also be a “relaxed skating session” on Wednesday December 27 from 10am-11am.

The sessions are for disabled people to access a sensory-adapted, reduced capacity event – you can email Codona’s at sales@codonas.com to book.

Fairground opening times

Some new rides will be on offer to delight the crowds at the Christmas Village this year.

The Freak Out fair ride, recognizable by the bright, spinning flash of neon arching through the winter’s night, has been replaced by a ferris wheel.

There’s also a new Ice Fun House, plus classics such as the Helter Skelter and Candy Cane Bungee Trampolines.

Rides for children will close at 7pm each day.

The Freak Out fair ride pictured at a previous Christmas Village in the city.
The Freak Out, the neon blur pictured, will not return to the Aberdeen Christmas Village in 2023. Image: Kenny Elrick/DC Thomson
  • Monday to Thursday: 12pm – 10pm
  • Friday: 12pm – 11pm (opens at 11am on school holidays Monday to Friday)
  • Saturday: 10am – Midnight
  • Sunday: 10am – 10pm

Fairground prices

Tickets are for each individual ride with their own prices, broken down below.

  • Ferris Wheel – £4 per person
  • Ice Fun House – £3, or £5 for one adult and one child
  • Bungy Trampolines – £5 per person
  • Balloon Ride- £3 per person
  • Children’s Carousel – £3 per person
  • Helter Skelter – £3 per person, or £5 for one adult and one child
  • Fast and Furious – £4 per person
  • Cars – £3 per person

Village Square opening times

Also new this year is a Village Square, set to be central to the whole Christmas Village.

Inspired by European Christmas markets, the area will offer covered seating where visitors can enjoy street food, mulled wine and festive cocktails.

Local food favourites such as Big Manny’s Pizza, Hot Chip and Cookie Cult will be offering up sweet and savoury treats.

  • Monday to Thursday: 12pm – 10pm
  • Friday: 12pm – Midnight (School Holidays, open from 11am Monday – Friday)
  • Saturday: 10am – Midnight
  • Sunday: 10am – 10pm

City centre road closures during Aberdeen Christmas Village

Several roads will be closed to facilitate the Christmas Village.

The Christmas Village will take up a portion of Upperkirkgate and Broad Street.

Broad Street will close between its junctions with Gallowgate and Queen Street from 18:00 on November 3 2023, until 22:00 on January 7 2024.

This will give time for the village to all be packed up after the festival’s finale on Hogmanay.

Road closed sign in Aberdeen city centre in preparation for the Christmas Village.
Broad Street is already closed for Christmas Village preparations to get under way. Image: Lauren Taylor/DC Thomson

Upperkirkgate is also set to close between its junctions with Gallowgate and Flourmill Lane.

Gallowgate will also close between Little John Street and Upperkirkgate.

Those closures are in effect from 9am November 10, until 10 pm on January 7.

An alternative route is available via Castle Street, King Street, West North Street, Mounthooly Roundabout and Gallowgate.

Access to Flourmill Lane will be from Schoolhill and Upperkirkgate.

You can find out more about the Christmas Village here.

Conversation