London Christmas lights 2024: All the confirmed switch-on dates so far

Listen, we know it’s only the start of October and we’ve just waved goodbye to summer. We know there’s a good chance you’re rolling your eyes at the thought of Christmas already. But the reality is, as soon as night starts to fall earlier and you feel the first chills of autumn creeping in, it’s a good enough excuse to start planning for the festive season. 

London looks extremely handsome come Christmas, with gorgeously glittery lights adorning every street corner, walkway and lamp post. The first of the festive lights are usually switched on at the start of November, and more switch-ons for different parts of the city are scheduled throughout the month and into early December – helping to bring a little bit of joy to those long, winter nights.

To get in the mood, we’ve compiled a list of all the switch-on dates for London’s most dazzling light displays – and boy, there are a lot of them. From Carnaby Street to Oxford Circus, Kew Gardens to Marylebone, here are the patches of the city due to be aglow throughout the festive period. We’ll be updating this list as and when more are announced, so keep checking back and start planning a fabulously festive evening out. 

When do the London Christmas lights get turned on? 

Oxford Street

Tuesday, November 5.

Old Spitalfields Market 

Wednesday, November 13.

Leadenhall Market 

Thursday, November 14.

Covent Garden

Tuesday, November 12.

Carnaby Street

Thursday, November 7. 

Regent Street

Thursday, November 7.

St James’s

Thursday, November 7.

Marylebone Village 

Wednesday, November 13. 

Kew Gardens

Wednesday, November 13. 

Belgravia

To be confirmed. 

Mayfair

To be confirmed. 

Chelsea

To be confirmed. 

Trafalgar Square

To be confirmed. 

How long are the Christmas lights on in London?

Christmas lights across the city tend to keep glistening until January 6, better known as the twelfth night.

Did you see that the British Museum is getting the ‘biggest transformation of any museum in the world’?

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