We checked 16 Maidstone shops and markets, from the Royal Star Arcade to The Mall's Gift Fair, for opening times and late nights. Updated November 2026.
Maidstone has 16 places worth a Christmas shopping trip in 2026, and this guide lists them with opening hours, addresses and what each one sells. Most people start at The Mall, Fremlin Walk and the Royal Star Arcade, then look for something local at Creative Maidstone on Gabriel’s Hill or the Jubilee Square market.
Several smaller shops publish their hours only on their shopping centre’s store page, and almost none has published Christmas hours yet, so check before a special trip.
Dates for the Christmas shopping diary
Saturday 7 November: Royal Star Arcade Artisan Market. The arcade’s monthly market runs from 10am to 3pm on the first Saturday of each month, which makes the December one Saturday 5 December.
Friday to Sunday 6 to 8 and 13 to 15 November: The Mall’s Gift Fair. Local traders sell handcrafted gifts on Level 3, near Bakers + Baristas and TJ Hughes, from 9am to 5.30pm on fair days.
Thursday 19 November: Maidstone Christmas lights switch-on. One Maidstone has confirmed it for Jubilee Square. Visit Maidstone lists The Mall open from 9am to 9pm that day, though The Mall’s own page does not yet show it.
Friday 20 to Sunday 22 November: Kent Festive Gift & Food Show. More than 250 exhibitors at the Kent Showground, Detling, 10am to 4pm. Standard adult tickets are £12 online and children aged 5 to 15 are £5.50, with an afternoon ticket from 1.30pm at £9.
Friday 20 to Sunday 29 November: The Mall’s Gift Fair, ten days in a row. It then returns on 4 to 6, 11 to 13 and 18 to 20 December.
Saturday 5 December: two craft markets. Maidstone Museum’s Christmas Craft Market is free, 10am to 3pm, with candles, jewellery, home decor and knitted goods. The Royal Star Arcade Artisan Market is on the same day. More in our guide to Maidstone’s Christmas markets.
Monday 14 to Wednesday 23 December: late opening at The Mall. The centre’s opening times page lists 9am to 7pm on each of those days except Sunday 20 December (10.30am to 4.30pm). Christmas Eve is 9am to 5pm and Christmas Day is closed.
Still to come: Fremlin Walk had not published Christmas hours when we checked, and its standard week runs to 5.30pm. We will add its late nights if they are announced.
Shopping centres and the arcade
1. The Mall Maidstone
The Mall is the covered shopping centre on Pads Hill. Alongside chains such as Next, Matalan, Boots and TJ Hughes, its store list includes a run of smaller local shops, several of which appear below.
Its Gift Fair of local traders runs on Level 3 until 20 December, and the centre also runs a Christmas grotto. Hours below are the centre’s standard ones; its Christmas hours are in the diary above.
Open Mon to Fri 9am to 6pm; Sat 9am to 5.30pm; Sun 10.30am to 4.30pm
Call 01622 691130
Address The Mall Maidstone, Pads Hill, Maidstone, ME15 6AT
Website themallmaidstone.co.uk
Good for big-name shops, local gift fair, late nights before Christmas, Santa's grotto
2. Fremlin Walk
Fremlin Walk is the open-air shopping centre off Earl Street and Week Street. Its directory includes Waterstones, Hotel Chocolat, ProCook, Sostrene Grene, Lovisa, The Body Shop, Pandora and HMV, alongside the independent Little Blue Finch.
The centre publishes its standard hours; it had not published Christmas hours on 5 November.
Open Mon to Sat 9am to 5.30pm; Sun 10.30am to 4.30pm
Call 01622 356580
Address 62 Earl Street, Maidstone, ME14 1PS
Website fremlinwalk.co.uk
Good for books, chocolate, kitchenware, homeware, open-air shopping
3. Royal Star Arcade
The arcade stands on the site of the Royal Star Hotel, a 16th-century coaching inn that, the arcade says, took the “Royal” prefix after a visit by the young Queen Victoria and became a shopping centre in 1989. Its shop list is mostly independents, among them a jeweller, an art printer, a fabric shop and a board game lounge.
The Artisan Market fills it on the first Saturday of each month.
Open shop hours vary; Artisan Market first Saturday of the month 10am to 3pm
Call 03300 433 641
Address High Street, Maidstone, ME14 1JL
Website royalstararcade.co.uk
Good for independent shops, monthly artisan market, historic building
4. Jubilee Square Market
The organiser, Pitch Markets and Events, says the Jubilee Square Market brings independent traders, fresh produce, food, artisan products and “unique finds” to the town centre every Friday and Saturday. Its page lists fruit, vegetables and farm produce, artisan food and speciality products among the stalls.
No separate Christmas market has been announced for the square.
Open Fri and Sat 10am to 4pm
Address Jubilee Square, Maidstone, ME14 1SA
Website pitchmarketsandeventsuk.com/our-markets/jubilee-square
Good for local produce, street food, handmade gifts
Independent shops in the town centre
5. Creative Maidstone
The council’s community arts hub on Gabriel’s Hill has a Retail Zone selling work by local artists and makers. Its shop page lists original artwork and prints, ceramics and pottery, jewellery, handmade cards, textiles and crochet, homewares, decorations and books, and says the displays change as makers update them. It also runs Christmas workshops, which are listed on the same site.
Open Mon to Sat 9am to 5pm; closed bank holidays
Call 01622 602204
Address 2 to 4 Granada House, Gabriel's Hill, Maidstone, ME15 6JR
Website visitmaidstone.com/community-arts-hub/sell
Good for handmade gifts, local artists, prints and ceramics, cards
6. Little Blue Finch
Fremlin Walk’s store page says Little Blue Finch grew from a market stall selling vintage homeware and now sells “an eclectic collection of clothing, accessories, gifts and homeware”, hand-picked and constantly changing. It has two other shops, in Tonbridge and Canterbury, and sells gift vouchers on its website.
Neither the shop nor the centre lists separate hours for it.
Address 4 Fremlin Walk, Maidstone, ME14 1QP
Website littlebluefinch.co.uk
Good for boutique clothing, homeware, gifts, gift vouchers
7. Kilburn Jewellers
Kilburn Jewellers describes itself as a maker of customised and bespoke jewellery, with Simon and David bringing more than 30 years in the trade. It says it also stocks clocks and giftware chosen to go with its jewellery, and offers advice from design ideas through to metals and gemstones.
Open Tue to Sat 9am to 5pm; closed Mon
Address Royal Star Arcade, High Street, Maidstone, ME14 1JL
Website kilburnjewellers.co.uk
Good for bespoke jewellery, jewellery design, clocks, giftware
8. Giftly Art Print
Giftly Art Print is a printing and framing studio in the Royal Star Arcade. It says it makes fine art prints on Hahnemühle paper, canvas prints and bespoke handmade frames, plus personalised gifts such as acrylic photo blocks, mugs and T-shirts, and offers photo restoration.
With made-to-order work, ask about Christmas deadlines before you commit.
Open Tue to Sat 10am to 4.30pm; closed Sun and Mon
Call 07445 250359
Address Units 24 to 25, Royal Star Arcade, High Street, Maidstone, ME14 1JL
Website giftlyartprint.co.uk
Good for personalised gifts, framing, photo prints, photo restoration
9. Hop Stitch & Jumper
The arcade’s store page says this shop sells fabrics sourced from mills across the United Kingdom, wools and yarns, Vogue, McCalls and Butterick garment patterns, knitting and crochet patterns, and a large range of haberdashery. It has a Technical Advice Centre in store and runs workshops.
We found no website of its own.
Open Tue to Fri 9.30am to 5pm; Sat 9am to 5pm
Address Royal Star Arcade, High Street, Maidstone, ME14 1JL
Website royalstararcade.co.uk/shops/hopstitch
Good for fabric, wool and yarn, sewing patterns, workshops
10. Toytown
The Mall’s store page says Toytown was founded in Belfast in 1980 and has grown into one of the largest independent toy retailers in the UK, with one of the widest ranges on the high street. The Maidstone shop is on The Mall’s middle level.
Neither Toytown’s site nor The Mall publishes separate hours for it.
Address Middle level, The Mall Maidstone, Pads Hill, Maidstone, ME15 6AT
Website toytownstores.com
Good for toys, games, stocking fillers
11. The Tiny Tipple Drinks Company
According to The Mall’s store page, this shop sells miniature drinks and gift sets, including novelty drinks, for birthdays and seasonal occasions, Christmas among them. It is on The Mall’s upper level.
Its own website was not loading in early November.
Call 07568 135246
Address Upper level, The Mall Maidstone, Pads Hill, Maidstone, ME15 6AT
Website themallmaidstone.co.uk/store-a-z/the-tiny-tipple-drinks-company
Good for miniature drinks, gift sets, stocking fillers
12. Christmas Time
A seasonal shop that The Mall says has just opened on its upper level, selling Christmas gifts, decorations, wrapping paper, cards and festive accessories. It has no website of its own; details are from The Mall’s announcement.
Address Upper level, The Mall Maidstone, Pads Hill, Maidstone, ME15 6AT
Website themallmaidstone.co.uk/store-a-z/christmas-time-2
Good for decorations, wrapping paper, Christmas cards
13. S.H. House of Meat
A butcher on The Mall’s middle level, which the centre says brings “a fresh and dedicated meat retailer back to the heart of the town”. For Christmas it is selling three meat hampers, listed by The Mall: £70 (turkey breast, pork loin, gammon, pigs in blankets and sausage meat), £75 (with beef topside instead of gammon) and £145 (a larger turkey breast, three other joints, 30 pigs in blankets and two Snowdonia cheddars).
Order in store.
Price Christmas hampers £70, £75 and £145
Booking hampers ordered in store
Address Middle level, The Mall Maidstone, Pads Hill, Maidstone, ME15 6AT
Website instagram.com/s.h.houseofmeat
Good for Christmas meat hampers, turkey, pigs in blankets
14. Vintage Emporiums
This is a charity shop run by Refugease, which The Mall says resells vintage and preloved clothes, furniture and bric-a-brac to fund its work with refugees. The charity was founded in 2015.
It also takes donations and offers free furniture collections. It is on The Mall’s upper level.
Address Upper level, The Mall Maidstone, Pads Hill, Maidstone, ME15 6AT
Website refugease.org/vintage-emporiums
Good for vintage clothing, preloved gifts, furniture, charity shopping
15. Waterstones
The town’s main bookshop is in Fremlin Walk. It is a national chain, but it is the bookshop most Maidstone gift lists end at.
Fremlin Walk’s store page has its hours and phone number.
Open Mon to Sat 9am to 5.30pm; Sun 10.30am to 4.30pm
Call 01622 682042
Address Fremlin Walk, 62 Earl Street, Maidstone, ME14 1PS
Website waterstones.com/bookshops/maidstone
Good for books, children's books, stationery
Out of town
16. Notcutts Maidstone
The garden centre is on Bearsted Road, on the Newnham Court Shopping Village site. Its page lists a food hall, gift vouchers and gift wrapping among its departments, and says the store is being refitted, with the garden centre open as usual while nearby roadworks are carried out.
It has no restaurant of its own; it points to the cafes on the village site.
Open Mon to Sat 9am to 5.30pm; Sun 10.30am to 4.30pm
Call 01622 739944
Address Bearsted Road, Maidstone, ME14 5LH
Website notcutts.co.uk/garden-centres/maidstone
Good for Christmas decorations, food hall, plants, gift wrapping, dogs welcome
How we chose
We started from the store lists of The Mall, Fremlin Walk and the Royal Star Arcade, Visit Maidstone’s Christmas shopping page and its Creative Maidstone listings, and OpenStreetMap, then kept the independent shops whose own site or shopping centre gives a current address and what they sell. Chains appear only where the town has no independent doing the same job. We left out shops in West Malling and elsewhere outside the borough, and shops whose website no longer loads with nothing else to confirm them. The Kent Festive Gift & Food Show and the museum’s craft market are in the diary rather than the list because they run for a day or a weekend.
For the rest of the season, see where to meet Father Christmas, the Hazlitt pantomime, Christmas at Leeds Castle, Christmas dinner in Maidstone, ice rinks near Maidstone and what’s on in Maidstone this month. Our parking page lists the town-centre car parks, and things to do in Maidstone covers the rest of the year. For other local businesses, try the Maidstone business directory.
Run a shop that should be here, or spot something that has changed? Email newsdesk@maidstonelive.co.uk. Taken a good photograph of any of these places? Email it to newsdesk@maidstonelive.co.uk and we will add it with your name as the credit.
Frequently asked questions
Is there late night Christmas shopping in Maidstone in 2026?
The Mall Maidstone’s own opening times page lists 9am to 7pm from Monday 14 to Wednesday 23 December, except Sunday 20 December, which is 10.30am to 4.30pm. Visit Maidstone also lists 9am to 9pm at The Mall on Thursday 19 November, the night of the Christmas lights switch-on, but The Mall’s own page did not show that when we checked on 5 November. Fremlin Walk had not published Christmas hours.
Where can I buy handmade Christmas gifts in Maidstone?
Creative Maidstone on Gabriel’s Hill sells work by local artists and makers, Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm. The Mall’s Gift Fair of local traders runs on Level 3 on set weekends and every day from 20 to 29 November. The Royal Star Arcade Artisan Market is on Saturday 5 December, and Maidstone Museum’s free Christmas Craft Market is the same day, 10am to 3pm.
Is The Mall Maidstone open on Boxing Day?
Yes. The Mall’s Christmas list shows it closed on Christmas Day and open 10.30am to 4.30pm on Boxing Day, Saturday 26 December, and on 27 and 28 December. Individual shops can keep different hours.
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