United Kingdom · 2026
Christmas Lights Switch-On 2026: UK Dates, Times & Map
Christmas lights switch-on dates, times and locations across the UK, taken from council, Business Improvement District and organiser announcements. Every value shows its source and the date we last checked it.
101 events listed · 79 with confirmed dates · grouped by region, sorted by date; click a column heading to re-sort
London4
| Date | Town | Time | Free? | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu | Covent Garden | — | Free | 30 Oct 2026 |
| Wed | Greenwich | 5pm | Free | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Sat | Ilford | 11.30am | — | 11 Sep 2026 |
| TBC | Wimbledon | — | — | 7 Sep 2026 |
South East17
| Date | Town | Time | Free? | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri | Folkestone | 7pm | Free | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Sat | Farnham | 4.30pm | Free | 3 Sep 2026 |
| Sat | Windsor | 5.30pm | Free | 18 Oct 2026 |
| Sat | Reading | — | Free | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Thu | Portsmouth | 5pm | Free | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Fri | Tenterden | — | — | 3 Sep 2026 |
| Fri | Basingstoke | — | — | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Sat | Ashford | — | — | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Sat | Littlehampton | 7pm | Free | 29 Oct 2026 |
| Sat | Aylesbury | — | Free | 15 Sep 2026 |
| Sat | Fareham | 5.30pm | — | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Sun | Godalming | 5pm | Free | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Thu | Buckingham | 5.30pm | Free | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Fri | Henley-on-Thames | 7pm | Free | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Tue | Lindfield | — | — | 3 Nov 2026 |
| TBC | Banbury | — | Free | 7 Sep 2026 |
| TBC | Dartford | — | Free | 7 Sep 2026 |
South West13
| Date | Town | Time | Free? | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat | St Ives | — | — | 18 Oct 2026 |
| Sun | Swindon | — | Free | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Fri | Salisbury | 1pm | Free | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Sun | Tewkesbury | 5pm | Free | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Sun | Taunton | — | — | 2 Sep 2026 |
| Fri | Newquay | 6.45pm | Free | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Sat | Glastonbury | 5pm | Free | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Sat | Cirencester | 10am | Free | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Sat | Torquay | 7.15pm | Free | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Sun | Bideford | 6pm | Free | 18 Oct 2026 |
| Sat | Wells | — | — | 3 Nov 2026 |
| TBC | Bridgwater | — | — | 23 Sep 2026 |
| TBC | Trowbridge | — | — | 7 Sep 2026 |
East of England12
| Date | Town | Time | Free? | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | Bishop's Stortford | 3.45pm | Free | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Thu | Norwich | 3pm | Free | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Thu | Bury St Edmunds | 3pm | Free | 18 Oct 2026 |
| Sat | Stevenage | 12pm | Free | 2 Sep 2026 |
| Sat | Welwyn Garden City | — | Free | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Sat | Great Yarmouth | — | — | 20 Sep 2026 |
| Sat | Luton | — | Free | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Sun | St Albans | 12pm | — | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Sun | Berkhamsted | 3.30pm | Free | 3 Sep 2026 |
| Fri | Hertford | 6pm | Free | 3 Nov 2026 |
| TBC | Cromer | 4pm | — | 8 Sep 2026 |
| TBC | King's Lynn | — | Free | 7 Sep 2026 |
East Midlands12
| Date | Town | Time | Free? | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed | Leicester | — | — | 1 Nov 2026 |
| Sat | Northampton | — | — | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Sun | Chesterfield | 5.15pm | Free | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Thu | Kettering | 6.30pm | — | 18 Oct 2026 |
| Fri | Boston | — | — | 2 Sep 2026 |
| Fri | Loughborough | 4pm | — | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Sat | Derby | 6.30pm | Free | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Sun | Belper | — | — | 12 Sep 2026 |
| Sun | Sleaford | 4.15pm | Free | 18 Oct 2026 |
| TBC | Louth | — | — | 23 Sep 2026 |
| TBC | Mansfield | — | — | 7 Sep 2026 |
| TBC | Newark-on-Trent | — | — | 7 Sep 2026 |
West Midlands10
| Date | Town | Time | Free? | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu | Oswestry | — | — | 3 Sep 2026 |
| Thu | Stafford | 5pm | — | 28 Oct 2026 |
| Fri | Leek | — | — | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Sat | Market Drayton | 5pm | Free | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Sun | Newcastle-under-Lyme | 2pm | Free | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Sun | Lichfield | 4pm | — | 28 Oct 2026 |
| Fri | Bridgnorth | — | — | 22 Sep 2026 |
| Sat | Ludlow | — | Free | 3 Nov 2026 |
| TBC | Dudley | — | — | 23 Sep 2026 |
| TBC | Halesowen | — | — | 23 Sep 2026 |
Yorkshire and the Humber9
| Date | Town | Time | Free? | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri | Whitby | — | — | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Fri | Wakefield | 5.30pm | Free | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Fri | Barnsley | — | Free | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Sat | Grimsby | 12pm | — | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Sun | Skipton | 5pm | Free | 3 Nov 2026 |
| TBC | Rotherham | — | Free | 8 Sep 2026 |
| TBC | Knaresborough | — | — | 8 Sep 2026 |
| TBC | Hebden Bridge | — | Free | 8 Sep 2026 |
| TBC | Otley | — | — | 8 Sep 2026 |
North West9
| Date | Town | Time | Free? | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat | Southport | 4pm | Free | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Wed | Keswick | — | Free | 10 Sep 2026 |
| Thu | Chester | — | — | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Sat | Knutsford | — | — | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Sun | Cockermouth | 5pm | Free | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Fri | Congleton | 6pm | — | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Sat | Crewe | 3pm | — | 3 Nov 2026 |
| TBC | Accrington | — | Free | 7 Sep 2026 |
| TBC | Widnes | — | — | 12 Sep 2026 |
North East3
| Date | Town | Time | Free? | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu | Newcastle upon Tyne | 7pm | Free | 7 Oct 2026 |
| Sun | Darlington | 5.30pm | Free | 3 Nov 2026 |
| TBC | Stockton-on-Tees | — | — | 8 Sep 2026 |
Scotland3
Wales2
| Date | Town | Time | Free? | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat | Cwmbran | 12pm | — | 3 Nov 2026 |
| TBC | Aberystwyth | — | Free | 23 Sep 2026 |
Northern Ireland7
| Date | Town | Time | Free? | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat | Belfast | — | Free | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Fri | Derry | 6.30pm | Free | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Sat | Enniskillen | — | — | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Sat | Omagh | 5.30pm | — | 3 Nov 2026 |
| Fri | Coleraine | — | Free | 2 Sep 2026 |
| Sun | Armagh | — | — | 3 Nov 2026 |
| TBC | Newtownabbey | — | — | 7 Sep 2026 |
Map of UK Christmas lights switch-ons 2026
When's That On publishes only events with a council, BID, organiser or press source. Pages for towns not yet announced appear as soon as a source confirms the event is happening this year.