Christmas lights in London

Oxford Street is one of the most iconic areas for London’s Christmas lights and for good reason – the ultimate combination of festive illuminations lighting your way as you do battle for Yuletide gifts. As is now tradition, the lights this year will be once again made with cost-friendly materials, including 300,000 LED light bulbs and recycled plastic. The big switch on takes place on November 5 and there’ll be a ‘Big Day Of Joy’ on December 7.

Regent Street was actually the very first road in London to be adorned by Christmas lights back in 1954 – a tradition that happily still continues to this day. Each winter, the display comes to life as one of the most impressive in the capital and features 45 angels designed to look like they’re playing the trumpet. Very festive, very fun and very grand – the whole thing is made up of thousands of individual LED lights.

Catch the lights for yourself from November 7, when the big switch-on takes place, with the lights shining daily from 3pm to 11pm until January.

Find more Christmas lights in London

Find more festive fun with our guide to Christmas in London

Christmas at Kew has become a key date in London’s festive calendar, with a humongous light trail taking over the 300-acre botanic garden. See the space lit up with larger-than-life illuminations, with both the venue’s glass houses and the trees that cover its grounds drenched in different hues. The whole thing is stunning, but don’t miss the lake, where you’ll catch reflections of the vibrant bulbs dancing on the water, taking the magical feeling to another level. Keep yourself toasty along the way with warming winter snacks and make sure you pop by the grotto to say hi to Father Christmas himself.

You don’t have to be a resident of bougie Marylebone Village to partake in its Christmas festivities, which are usually pretty extravagant affairs. The big switch-on takes place on November 13 this year and, while shining lights are the main attraction, there’s plenty of other activities to make a night of it with. We’re talking artisan market stalls (good for grabbing some high-end stocking stuffers), bauble and wreath-making workshops, Santa’s Grotto, a Ferris wheel and live music.

BBC broadcaster and local Jo Good will be once again hosting the shindig and the lights will be illuminated at 6pm with the help of a soon-to-be-announced celebrity guest. If that isn’t enough for you, the shops, cafés, bars and restaurants of Marylebone Village will stay open late, with plenty of special menus, discounts and festive experiences to indulge in.

Belgravia will be turning on its Christmas lights for 2024 with a big party on Sunday November 17. As you’d expect from such a well-to-do neighbourhood, things will be a little high-brow – sure, there’ll be Father Christmas and his reindeer hanging out and greeting residents big and small, but there’ll also be Sadler’s Wells The Snowman to make things a bit more cultured. In between, peruse Belgravia’s finest independent shops before the big event at 4pm.

There’s always something faintly Christmassy about Leadenhall Market, thanks to its Victorian architecture. It’s about to really come into its own again once festive season arrives and, with it, twinkling lights and pretty Christmas trees return to the shopping arcade. This year, the Lord Mayor of London will once again take on the task of turning on the market’s Christmas lights, with the switch-on occurring on November 14 at 6pm. This year, the tree will be decked out in a colour-changing LED display, baubles and more, while the light tunnel will return to Beehive Passage.

Old Spitalfields Market is kicking off its festive season on November 13 with a big party. Get your Christmas shopping done early at the market’s stalls and shops, soundtracked by a gospel choir who’ll be belting out beloved Yuletide classics. Free face painting and Christmas craft activities will be on offer to keep kids out of mischief, while grown-ups can partake in mulled wine and mince pies. The market’s Christmas lights will start sparkling at 5:30pm, when the big switch-on will take place.