Start here for Christmas in Forest Row. It is not a ranking. Dates move. Confirm the next one on the organiser page before you go.
The What’s On page is the guide’s dated list. The Shops and Services page is the fuller shop list. Use those, then the official organiser or shop site.
Late opening on the high street
The guide lists Late Night Shopping on Thursday 19 November 2026, from 18:00 to 20:00 on the village high street. That is the dated village evening already on What’s On. Treat it as a starting point and confirm with the businesses taking part before you travel.
Java and Jazz sits in The Square on Lewes Road. Its own events page lists a Late Night Shopping Event on the same evening, Thursday 19 November 2026, from 6pm to 8pm. The page says Java is opening for independent stalls inside the restaurant and wine bar. Use the listing for the address and official site, then confirm on Java’s events page.
That evening sits in a short run of Java dates that the business itself lists as festive. Thursday 12 November 2026 is a cheese and wine tasting from 6pm to 9pm. Java says guests can taste cheeses and wines for the festive season and order favourite wines on the night for home delivery. Saturday 28 November 2026 is a festive cocktail making class from 7pm to 9pm, hosted with Three Old Birds. Java says you can browse and buy bottles and gifts on the night. Tickets, hours and what is served change. Check Java’s events page, then the listing.
The December market
Forest Row Parish Council’s market page says the market is held on the first Saturday of each month from March to December. The council says there can be up to 45 food and craft stalls and that it is a place to bring the family. The same page describes the market as plastic free, zero waste and dementia friendly. It asks visitors to bring their own containers for refill stalls and mentions borrowed Boomerang Bags if you forget a shopping bag.
The National Market Traders’ Federation listing for Forest Row Outdoor Market adds that the market is held entirely outside, either on Foresters Green or in the Community Centre car park, and that December can also use limited indoor stalls in the Community Centre. Pitch location can move, so treat the parish page as the first check and What’s On as a second check.
The remaining 2026 first-Saturdays already named on What’s On are 7 November and 5 December. Those dates still need a last look on the parish page. January and February are the closed months on the council page, so a first-Saturday search in those months should not assume a market is running.
Independent shops to start with
The village centre is compact, so a Christmas shop can sit next to a cafe stop. Start with places already on the guide, then confirm opening with the shop.
The Seasons is an independent wholefoods shop on Lower Road. The listing presents it as a Forest Row shop for caring food choices, with a second shop in Lewes. Use the listing for the address and official site, then confirm opening there if you want food, refill goods or a simple gift from the village.
Coolings Wych Cross Garden Centre is on Colemans Hatch Road, Forest Row. Coolings’ own centre page describes plants, garden supplies, gifts and the Hybrid Tea Room. It lists garden centre hours Monday to Saturday 9am to 5pm and Sunday 10am to 4.30pm. Coolings also publishes a Christmas shops page that names the Wych Cross centre for decorations, lights, wreaths and gifts. Confirm this season on that page or the centre page before you travel.
If you want clothing, homeware, vintage and gifts as well as food, use Shops and Services. The Bazaar on Hillside is listed as a community hub with a cafe plus vintage, gifts, plants, art and independent stalls. STIL Lifestyle on Hartfield Road is listed as an independent boutique, opened in 2013, for clothing, beauty and objects for the home. Open a listing for the address and official link, then confirm with the shop on the day.
Before you go
Start with What’s On for dated evenings. Start with Shops and Services for the shop row. Open a listing for the address, official link and any last-checked note. Then confirm hours and what is on that day with the business.
Details can change. If a shop has moved, closed or been missed, send a correction through Update a listing or Contact. Corrections are welcome from owners, staff and neighbours.