London Christmas Lights 2026: Every Switch-On Date, 1 November to 1 December

London's Christmas lights come on over a month, from the first Sunday of November to the first of December. This is the dated run, written on 29 October. Most dates below come from Time Out's list of every major display, published that day; where a second source confirms a date, it is named. Dates and times move, so check the organiser before you travel.

The West End, in order

• Wednesday 4 November: Carnaby Street. Time Out lists it, and the Soho site's Carnaby page lists the light switch-on for Wednesday 4 November.
• Thursday 5 November: Regent Street. Regent Street's own article on this year's lights says they are returning from Thursday 5 November, with the street traffic-free for the evening and in-store experiences. Time Out gives the same date. It is the same night as Bonfire Night; the fireworks guide is here.
• Thursday 12 November: Covent Garden, which Time Out and JustPark's market guide both date to 12 November. Bond Street lights up the same night, with a live brass band leading the countdown at 7pm, Time Out says.
• Oxford Street: no date. Time Out says the Harry Potter-inspired designs are being kept under wraps and gives no day, so none is given here.

Elsewhere in the capital

These dates are Time Out's alone. We have not matched them to a second source, so treat them as listings rather than confirmations.

• Sunday 1 November: Leicester Square, lights up until 6 January.
• Tuesday 3 November: St Martin's Lane at 4.45pm, with the cast of a West End production performing.
• Thursday 5 November: Battersea Power Station, lit from this date with no official switch-on event.
• Tuesday 10 November: Knightsbridge.
• Wednesday 11 November: Marylebone Village at 6pm, hosted by the BBC's Jo Good.
• Thursday 12 November: Chelsea's King's Road and Fulham Pier.
• Friday 13 November: Christmas at Kew, the light trail, which has no switch-on event and needs tickets booked ahead.
• Wednesday 18 November: Fleet Street, with twelve Dennis the Menace statues.
• Thursday 19 November: Leadenhall Market and St Katharine Docks, alongside the opening of Hyde Park Winter Wonderland.
• Wednesday 25 November: Chelsea Winter Village, with a new light trail.
• Tuesday 1 December: The Shard.

What comes with the lights

The lights open the season, and the rest of it is dated in our guide to London culture, November and December 2026, with the first nine days in the weekend guide. For the markets, see London Christmas markets 2026.

For brands and makers, the festive pictures are made before the lights come on. Our guide to planning a Christmas and Black Friday ad shoot covers the timing, and Studio A is one place to build the set; lights on a shoot are quoted separately, so please enquire about our lights.