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Kirkby Stephen Monday Market

Held in the Market Square every Monday.

Event Date

10 August 2026

This event occurs Weekly every:

Monday

£ FREE

Description

The Market is held in the Market Square with additional pitches available in Market Street.

Trading hours are from 7am to 6pm every Thursday. The Market is managed by Kirkby Stephen Town Council.

** New Market Day for Kirkby Stephen**

Kirkby Stephen Market to take place on a Thursday from 6 August 2026.

Kirkby Stephen’s Market has its origins in a Royal Charter granted on 16 October 1353 by King Edward, with market day being named as a Friday. This remained unchanged until 1605, when King James granted a new Market Charter moving the market day to Monday. The Market has continued for more than 670 years. Today the Market is the responsibility of the Town Council rather than the ‘Lord of the Manor’.

Having survived massive social changes over the centuries, the market, like many others, has declined recently as shopping habits, technology and society itself have changed. During Covid, the Town Council asked traders to stay away, and the market has never properly recovered. Today the Market attracts only one or two regular anchor traders who say that they would prefer to trade on a Thursday.

Research shows that traders who are active at the weekend want a Monday to rest and catch up with admin and customers have often done their ‘big shop’ at the weekend.

The Town Council acting as a Market Authority hope that changing the day to a Thursday will attract more traders to join our anchor traders and improve the vitality of the Town Centre.

For more information about trading on the Market - please contact the Town Clerk clerk@kirkby-stephen.com

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