London Christmas lights 2026: every switch-on date, from Leicester Square tonight to Oxford Street

1st November 2026

Updated 2 Nov 2026, 08:34 · First published 1 Nov 2026

London’s Christmas lights season starts today, with Leicester Square first to light up. Over the next few weeks the West End and beyond will follow, from Regent Street’s famous angels on Thursday to Bond Street’s Crown Jewels and a Harry Potter twist on Oxford Street.

Every London Christmas lights switch-on date for 2026

Switch-on	Where	What to expect
Sun 1 Nov	Leicester Square	Star-shaped lights celebrating the square’s film heritage, up until 6 January
Tue 3 Nov, 4:45pm	St Martin’s Lane	Festive food samples and a performance from a mystery West End cast
Wed 4 Nov	Carnaby Street	“Press Play on Christmas”, a 90s nostalgia theme
Thu 5 Nov	Regent Street	“Spirits of Christmas” angels with a secret twist; street closed to traffic
Thu 5 Nov	Battersea Power Station	Art deco chandeliers, giant candy canes and a 40ft tree (no formal event)
Tue 10 Nov	Knightsbridge	Eco-friendly design with 12,000 LED bulbs
Wed 11 Nov, 6pm	Marylebone Village	Stalls, live music and a 55ft Ferris wheel on Devonshire Street
Thu 12 Nov	Covent Garden & Seven Dials	30,000 LEDs and a new West End-inspired tree
Thu 12 Nov, 7pm	Bond Street	93,000 LEDs in a Crown Jewels-inspired design, with a brass band countdown
Thu 12 Nov	King’s Road, Chelsea	Sparkling crown lights from Sloane Square
Fri 13 Nov	Christmas at Kew	3km light trail, tickets needed
Wed 18 Nov	Fleet Street	Twelve Dennis the Menace statues
Thu 19 Nov	Leadenhall Market	Light tunnel, live music and a 26ft tree
Thu 19 Nov	Hyde Park Winter Wonderland	Opens with 100,000 lights over the ice rink
Tue 1 Dec	The Shard	Festive display, design still under wraps
TBC	Oxford Street	Star lights plus designs inspired by the new Harry Potter TV series

The big ones

Regent Street switches on its “Spirits of Christmas” angels on Thursday 5 November, the same night as Bonfire Night, and the street will close to traffic for the event. Carnaby Street goes 90s the night before. Bond Street follows on Thursday 12 November with 93,000 LEDs and a live brass band countdown at 7pm.

Oxford Street has not confirmed its date yet, but this year’s lights include designs inspired by “The Boy Who Lived”, tied to the new Harry Potter TV series. Read more about the Harry Potter lights.

🚇 Planning a trip? Switch-on nights get very busy. Travel early, and remember that part of Oxford Street is now closed to traffic. Read about the access row.

Source: Time Out London, London Travel Geek. Dates can change; check with each organiser. Photo: Regent Street angels, Robert Lamb, CC BY-SA 2.0.

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