Why Easter Weekend Is the Best Time to Visit a London Food Market
The four-day Easter bank holiday — Good Friday 3 April through Easter Monday 6 April — is the most food-focused long weekend of the year. Supermarkets are stocked with more chocolate than any sane person needs, but the real Easter eating in London happens outdoors: at farmers' market butcher stalls selling spring lamb cut that morning, artisan bakeries with queues forming before the doors open for fresh hot cross buns, independent chocolatiers with handmade Easter eggs that bear no resemblance to their supermarket equivalents, and street food vendors whose spring menus only appear at this time of year.
The timing in 2026 is particularly good. Easter Sunday falls on 5 April — the sweet spot for British spring, when the days are longer, the parks are in bloom, and the chance of eating outdoors without a coat is finally realistic. And with most of London's best food markets open across the long weekend, there's never been a better combination of food, weather, and free time to work with.
Good Friday (3 Apr) and Easter Monday (6 Apr) are both bank holidays — giving you four days to eat your way around London. Borough Market is open Good Friday, Saturday, and Easter Monday. Southbank Centre Food Market runs all four days. Camden Market is open all weekend with special Easter events on 4–5 April.
Which London Food Markets Are Open at Easter 2026
Most of London's major food markets operate over the Easter weekend, but opening hours vary — particularly on Easter Sunday, when some close entirely. Here's what you need to know before you go:
Borough Market — Good Friday, Saturday & Easter Monday
Borough Market has confirmed its 2026 Easter schedule: open Good Friday (10am–5pm), Saturday (9am–5pm), and Easter Monday (10am–5pm). Closed on Easter Sunday. This is the single most important food market visit of the Easter weekend — and Saturday 4 April, when the full complement of 100+ traders are present from 9am, is the day to go for sourcing your Easter Sunday ingredients. Spring lamb from the butcher stalls, hot cross buns from Bread Ahead, artisan cheeses, fresh pasta, seasonal vegetables — everything you need for Sunday's table is here.
Borough Market is one of the oldest food markets in London, dating back over 1,000 years, and at Easter it performs at its very best. The atmosphere on Holy Saturday is extraordinary: the market heaves with families, local chefs doing their weekly shop, and visitors from around the world, all drawn by the quality and range that no supermarket can replicate.
Practical note: Borough is free to enter. Nearest station is London Bridge (2 minutes). Go early Saturday to beat the queues — by midday it becomes very busy.
Southbank Centre Food Market — All Four Days
Southbank Centre Food Market runs every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, plus bank holiday Mondays — meaning it operates on all four days of the Easter weekend. Behind the Royal Festival Hall on Southbank, 40+ traders serve more than 15 different world cuisines from Friday through Monday. Summer hours are in effect: Friday noon–9pm, Saturday 11am–9pm, Sunday noon–6pm, Bank Holiday Monday noon–6pm.
This is London's most relaxed and atmospheric food market — free entry, riverside setting, and no pressure to buy. It's the ideal Easter Monday destination: arrive mid-afternoon, graze across the stalls, get a craft beer from The Hop Locker, and watch the Thames go by. The Korean BBQ burritos from Korrito, Vietnamese comfort food, Ethiopian delicacies, and French crêpes from the resident creperie have been drawing crowds since the market opened in 2015.
Camden Market — All Easter Weekend
Camden Market is open all Easter weekend and has special programming for 4–5 April: Blossom the Lion, circus performers, a Bonnets and Bunnies Easter craft workshop, face painting, spring seed planting, and a 3D Easter art trail across the market. The food offering spans dozens of stalls — from Portuguese custard tarts and Hawaiian poke bowls to salt-beef sandwiches, Korean, Japanese, and everything in between. Camden is particularly good for a family Easter Saturday with young children, combining food, entertainment, and the unique atmosphere of one of London's most famous markets.
Other Markets Worth Visiting
Broadway Market in Hackney operates on Easter Saturday (9am–5pm) and is one of London's most characterful weekend markets — over 100 stalls, artisan bakers, vibrant street food, and a real local community feel. It falls on Holy Saturday this year, making it an excellent morning destination before picking up last-minute Easter Sunday ingredients.
Maltby Street Market https://www.foodmarketplace.co.uk/markets
Old Spitalfields Market https://www.foodmarketplace.co.uk/markets
Use the Food Marketplace directory to check opening times for any London market this Easter and find the nearest market to wherever you're spending the weekend.
A Food Lover's Easter Weekend Plan — Day by Day
Good Friday, 3 April — Borough Market Morning
Borough Market is open 10am–5pm on Good Friday. Start here: pick up artisan hot cross buns from Bread Ahead for breakfast, grab a coffee from one of the specialist coffee traders, and explore the seasonal Easter produce on offer. The Passion of Jesus free performance takes place in Trafalgar Square this morning — easily combined with a Borough Market visit by tube. Afternoon: Southbank Centre Food Market is open noon–9pm.
Holy Saturday, 4 April — The Big Shop
Borough Market opens at 9am — an hour earlier than weekdays. This is the essential Easter Saturday mission: spring lamb from the butcher, seasonal vegetables, artisan bread, and cheese for Sunday lunch. Broadway Market in Hackney also operates today (9am–5pm) for a more neighbourhood feel. By mid-afternoon, the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race on the Thames makes the Southbank a spectacular destination — Southbank Centre Food Market is open all day.
Easter Sunday, 5 April — Brunch & Egg Hunts
Borough Market is closed today. Southbank Centre Food Market is open noon–6pm — make this your Easter Sunday brunch destination before or after the egg hunt or family activity you've planned. The Horniman Museum Spring Fair on 11 April is worth noting for the following weekend if you want to extend the Easter food market mood into mid-April.
Easter Monday, 6 April — Last Day
Borough Market reopens today (10am–5pm) and Southbank Centre Food Market continues noon–6pm. If you didn't make it to Borough over the weekend, today is your chance. Camden Market is also open throughout. Use the Food Marketplace directory to discover what else is trading near you on the bank holiday.
What to Eat at London Food Markets This Easter
Easter has a specific food vocabulary — and the best versions of every dish are found at market stalls and artisan producers, not supermarket shelves. Here's what to seek out:
Hot Cross Buns — The Non-Negotiable
The hot cross bun is Britain's oldest Easter food, with origins dating to a 14th-century monk at St Albans Abbey. In 2026, London's artisan bakeries have outdone themselves. While supermarkets offer tiramisu, Cherry Bakewell, and cheesy cheddar variations, the real prize is a properly fermented, slow-proved bun from a baker who cares.
Bread Ahead at Borough Market: arguably London's most celebrated hot cross bun maker, classic-style buns with lightly spiced apples and currants. They've been making them since February to keep up with demand. Also offers hot cross bun workshops at their bakery school.
Comptoir Bakery at Maltby Street: buttery brioche hot cross buns with rich spices, candied lemon and orange peel. Fold-through currants, finished with the signature cross. Available at their Bermondsey arches location.
Dusty Knuckle in Dalston and Haringay: cult status, sell out every year. For 2026 they've gone fully vegan — extra-soft texture, all the flavour.
Jolene in Newington Green: naturally farmed flour, wild-farmed wheat buns, candied citrus peel and raisins, freshly baked each morning. A TikTok favourite and genuinely excellent.
St John bakeries (multiple London locations): enormous, properly fruited, long-proved buns with a sticky glaze. Best eaten with a slice of Comté. No gimmicks, just exceptional baking.
Most artisan hot cross buns sell out by mid-morning on Good Friday and Easter Saturday. Get there early.
Spring Lamb — The Easter Centrepiece
Easter accounts for 64% of the UK's entire annual lamb sales — and the gap between supermarket lamb and market-sourced spring lamb is significant. At Borough Market's butcher stalls, you can speak directly to the producer, understand the breed and provenance, and get a leg joint cut to your preferred weight. The Ginger Pig at Borough Market is one of the finest butchers in London, selling slow-reared meat from farms whose standards they personally verify.
If you're cooking Easter Sunday lunch, go to Borough Market on Holy Saturday (4 April) to buy your lamb. The market is open from 9am and the butcher stalls are at their best with full Easter stock. Spring lamb leg joints are up 5.2% in volume sales year-on-year — supply is good but quality stock at market stalls does sell through.
Artisan Easter Eggs — Better Than Any Supermarket
Around 80 million chocolate Easter eggs are bought in the UK every year. The vast majority are mass-produced. The best ones — the ones worth giving and receiving — come from London's independent chocolatiers, and some of them sell at food markets.
Montezuma's and other artisan chocolate makers have stalls at Borough Market and farmers' markets across London. Handmade eggs, single-origin chocolate, and designs you won't find anywhere else.
Pavilion Bakery at Broadway Market on Easter Saturday is worth visiting for seasonal Easter baked goods and chocolate treats alongside their regular range.
For chocolate eggs in the £15–£40 range from independent makers, go to a food market rather than a department store. The quality is comparable or better, and you're supporting a small producer directly.
Easter Brunch at the Markets
One in six Brits now chooses a relaxed Easter brunch over the traditional Sunday roast — and food markets are the natural home of the Easter brunch. The combination of artisan coffee, fresh pastries, global street food, and outdoor eating is precisely what Easter morning calls for.
Southbank Centre Food Market is the best Easter brunch destination in London — 40+ stalls, riverside setting, open from 11am on Easter Saturday and noon on Easter Sunday. Bring a blanket, find a riverside spot, and graze. The Ethiopian Coffee Company provides exceptional coffee; the French crêperie handles breakfast duty; and a Korean BBQ burrito from Korrito makes for an unconventional but magnificent Easter brunch centrepiece.
Camden Market is the Easter brunch choice if you want more energy and activity — particularly on Easter Saturday with the special Easter programming running alongside the full food offering.
