I am interested in going to London for the lights this winter. I was thinking late November or early December but was wondering whether there was a better time than others. What would make it better? More lights! More places decorated! More holiday performances!
I have been to London several times during the spring/summer but never in the winter.
Any suggestions?
Was there for 6 weeks ( November/December 2024) My Trip Report is entitled Back in London.
Well established Christmas lights locations are Regents and Oxford streets. Also along Bond Street. Carnaby Street has colorful displays. I found that there were Christmas lights and a Christmas tree at the London School of Economics. Kew Gardens is VERY popular during the Holiday season. Book waaay in advance.
Check Wilton’s Music Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Cadogan Hall and Brick Lane Music Hall websites for seasonal performances. Also check to see what is on at Alexander Palace. Look for pantos. In 2024 I enjoyed Jack and the Beanstalk at the Hackney Empire Theatre. Many of the churches and cathedrals will have choir, chorale and musical performances.
Be prepared for crowds. London is a very popular Christmas destination. Also understand public transportation ( trains, the Underground and busses, black cabs ) does not operate on Christmas Day.
Not everyone who lives in London is of the Christian faith so you will find a few places open to eat BUT their hours will be curtailed.
I’ve stayed in Premiere Inns, at friend’s homes, AirBnB’s and in apartments.
Weather was fine. Very little rain. Occasional morning drizzle.
Will say I throughly enjoyed seeing and exploring the Battersea conversion. Very impressive. Also enjoyed my walks along the Parkland Trail and through the Walthamstow wetlands.
Christmas at Kew is probably the most amazing light display I have ever seen. Tickets must be purchased in advance.
We found the Christmas Concert at Royal Albert Hall a lot of fun https://www.royalalberthall.com/tickets/series/christmas-at-the-royal-albert-hall
We bought tickets as soon as they went on sale and were able to get first row balcony right above the royal box for a great price.
Lots of great suggestions above, particularly Claudia's. I LOVE London in the leadup to Christmas, and personally I'd say visit in early December for maximum Christmas atmosphere
I'd second the suggestion of a panto (Wiltons Music Hall is particularly nice).
The lights along Piccadilly and Regent St are lovely, and Fortnum & Mason usually decorates it's building as an advent calendar.
Keep an eye out for church Christmas concerts- St Martin-in-the-fields is particularly well known for these
And yes, London at Christmas can be manic. The crowds have to be seen to be believed.
I don’t think there is a better time than others once the Christmas season is in full swing. Obviously weekends will be the craziest time. We usually go at some point to see the lights and do a bit of Christmas shopping, maybe see a show. It’s a lot of fun but there are a LOT of other people doing the same thing. Best tip is just to get out and hit the shops early before the crowds build.
We were in London this past Christmas season, both in November (4 nights, starting 11/17) and December (starting 12/8), with time in southern Italy in-between. The lights really weren’t up in November, but after the first week of December, they were on full display. In fact, The Londonist, an online report of things going on throughout the year, gave a street-by-street report of what date the lights would be turned on. December 5 was the first (Oxford Street), with others lit up over the next three or four days, so the second week of December is the earliest you’d expect major Christmas lights.
Claudia mentioned Wilton’s Music Hall. We got tickets for two Pantomimes in December, one at Wilton’s. It’s a much smaller, more intimate, and much cheaper performance than the other one, the big-time Palladium. While both were enjoyable, Wilton’s was more so. Handel’s Messiah at St. Martin-in-the-Fields, The LSO at the Barbican, The Nutcracker at the Royal Ballet (with a tour of the Opera/Ballet house afterwards), were among the Christmas performances we attended. A free carols song-along, with punch and mince pies at the end, happens many times at All Souls Langham Place church (on lit-up Regent Street) - highly recommended! There was also a rather disappointing Christmas market at Leicester Square, but it was the first time they’d had a skating rink, and maybe it will develop into a more rewarding happening.
There’s also a Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park, which we saw from the plane as we were returning to London in December. It looked like a patch of the park was on fire with a million white lasers. It turns out that it’s a temporary amusement park on steroids, with a huge crowd in attendance, but we didn’t go.
The lights really weren’t up in November, but after the first week of
December, they were on full display.
I was in London last November (Nov. 14 – Nov. 21) and found most places had their Christmas displays and lights up.
December 5 was the first (Oxford Street)
That is not correct. Oxford Street turns their lights on early. Last year it was November 3.
This was the schedule from last year:
Beth, you might find the info. here helpful.
And as you can see from my photos, there were plenty of decorations and lights in November.
While you might find a few more things not starting until December, December will also bring more crowds.
I thought the week before Thanksgiving last year was the perfect time to go. I will be heading back again this November with my mom and sister.
Most Christmas markets open in November too. If you look at the second reply here, you can see the opening dates from last year.
Thank you so much for all the replies and especially to Carrie to the links to posts from last year. The reports from last year really installed in me a desire to go to London at Christmas time.
In pursuing the posts, it seems that most of the lights are up by mid November but some of the Christmas shows don't start until December. But still there is probably more than what we could do no matter when we go during the Christmas season.
I also really appreciate all the information about shows. I might not have found much of it.
This board is the best!
We were there last year at the same time Carrie was and there were plenty of lights. Christmas at Kew was amazing. I thought the market at Leicester Square wasn’t bad, if not comparing it to markets in Germany or Strasbourg. We found the city very festive and not overly crowded.
We were there last November for the last two weeks and it was already decked out.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-november-in-london-the-christmas-edition
The only thing we missed by a week is that Windsor Castle didn't have it's decorations up yet. If you go, I highly recommend Kew Gardens. Get tickets early, they do sell out.
It sounds like a lot of us will be in London in the weeks leading up to Christmas. FYI Windsor Castle will be decked out for Christmas from November 27. 2026 to January 5, 2027. I suspect that London gets decked out early the same as the US putting Christmas merchandise out in the stores around Halloween (or before). The holiday decorations in London are probably merchant/business driven to draw the shoppers in. We will miss the pantomimes this year as we are departing before those performances begin but we may start making this a yearly trip.
I don't think you're planning to go this late in Dec, but the stores had already taken the decorations out of their windows on Dec 26.
I reckon by mid November most lights will be up. By the last week in November, they will all be up and although London will be busy, not quite as busy as December.
Personally I would go for the 3rd or 4th week in November and make the bulk of the holiday to be during the week, when things will be a little quieter. You won't miss out on any of the festivities.
I would avoid December and definitely the weekends like the plague.
I am far from expert but I went for a week the first week of December, 2024 and it was fabulous: lights, decorations, concerts, Christmas panto, Kew Gardens, and much we didn’t have time for.
Seeing Carrie’s posting of last year’s Londonist report was something I didn’t have. My recollection is that the Londonist’s report for 2024 listed later dates, with early December being the key time. Maybe I’m a month off, and now if it’s lights you want, early November will apparently do it. The nights we were in London on the third week of November 2025, I didn’t perceive a huge Christmasy vibe, but it was definitely in full swing on the second week of December.
There is a dichotomy between London and much of the rest of the country. As said in London the earliness of some of it is all due to the shops trying to make the most commercially out of it.
Whereas out in the provinces it is far more about the actual Calendar. So where I am, although for purely practical reasons the lights will have been going up for weeks before they aren't officially switched on until Thanksgiving weekend/Advent Sunday- Advent being the start of the season- Advent and Thanksgiving being the same weekend. Some places will be a week after that- St Nicholas' tide. Where I am St Nicholas' tide is still an important change of focus towards Christmas. Those 2 weekends there is a huge rash of events. In fact in my town we have moved the fireworks from early November to Christmas Lights switch on- partly to save money, partly to make that weekend a big one.
So late November/early December is when things really get moving- especially for Christmas concerts and performances.
Before that we have had Guy Fawkes Night/ (and Halloween if you must), which then sharply changes pace into Remembrance Season, to be having lights before the sombreness of Remembrance is rather unfortunate in my eyes.
And yes, it is shocking how the shops have got rid of Christmas after they close on 24 December- when Christmas in the Calendar lasts nearly another two weeks until Epiphany- on 26 December the shops are already trying to move us toward Easter.
Beth: I was in London for 3 weeks this past Christmas (2025)- Nov 2 to the 22nd. EVERYTHING was up and running by Nov 6th with Christmas markets in full swing. The last of the decorations I saw 'going up' were at Covent Garden about that time. A quick internet search will give you their Christmas Market dates and Covent Garden should also be posting their dates. 2nd or 3rd week of November should be optimal.
Thanks so much for all the insights. The most important thing is my husband has agreed this is a good idea. We just got back from Greece so wasn’t sure how he would respond to me planning another trip….
I always want to have the next trip’s planning underway before I’m coming home from the current trip, LOL.
As for Christmas regalia, I talked this afternoon with my spouse about our London experience last fall, mid-November followed by second and third weeks of December, and our consensus is that as of November 17-21, some things were getting installed, but very little was actually getting lit up, and it was far from “everything’s on.”
For example, the elaborate angel displays flying above Regent Street were under construction, but were far from ready to illuminate. Arriving that first night, exiting the Tube at Tottenham Court Road Station and walking down Oxford Street, maybe, just maybe some of the little individual stars hanging from individual wires were in place, but the sidewalks were mobbed, and it all felt anything but Christmassy.
If your husband’s agreeable with going to London, that’s great, but for a holiday experience to maximize your visit, don’t go too early. Early December was far better than early to mid-November last year. And surprisingly, December wasn’t as bitterly cold as November, either. The November winds were literally freezing.
During our last visit to London, November 23-29, 2024, the Christmas Markets were up and running and many holiday light displays were also up. The West End lights were especially whimsical. The Southbank Winter lights made for a nice evening stroll along the Thames. The weather wasn’t too cold or wet and we ended up walking way more than we had expected. (Well, I do live in Seattle so some light rain is ok with me.)
I am planning a trip as well -- just a little later -- the week between Christmas Eve and New Year, and it sounds like it is quiet different.
Cyn, how did you find all of the performances you attended? I found a concert at St. Martins in the Field: https://www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org/whats-on/a-christmas-baroque-by-candlelight/#
Yes CaliMom Christmas is basically over on the 26th Dec. The sales start and the Christmas windows are often covered with red sale posters. Shops will be busy because people are still off work and looking for bargains but the vibe has totally changed.
CaliMom, St. Martin’s is a very atmospheric space, with great acoustics and a proper setting for a Messiah performance. It’s not enormous, so if you can get a seats for a performance that interests you, snap them up!
The link you posted says it’s only an hour, with no intermission, so a hard bench seat shouldn’t be any concern. A gentleman who sat next to me, and who said he attends a lot of concerts there, asked if we’d gotten padded cushions that the rent out in the lobby area, as he needs one for a longer performance. My husband went out and was told all were pre-reserved, even though there were a lot that hadn’t been claimed, and people were mostly seated at that point, with the performance about to start. We made it through OK, with an intermission to get up and stretch a bit, but someone with a more sensitive backside might want to consider a seat cushion.
Unless you’d be having a post-concert dinner after 8 P.M., you’d want to plan for dinner before getting to St. Martin’s. We made a reservation at Colonel Saab for Indian food. It’s just a block north of the church, and was very good. It got much busier after we arrived.
Trafalgar Square also has a large lit Christmas tree. It is sent from Norway as a thank you for support during WWII. There is a official tree lighting ceremony ('light switch on') held on the first Thursday of December to official light it for the first time, and there are choirs singing carols and music. Harrods has a large selection of Christmas ornaments for more sensible prices (while more than some places, it's reasonable for Harrods), and would make a neat memento. I was there for the fall/early winter of 2018-19 and Harrods had ornaments from late October or early November. St.Martin-In-The-Fields also has a good cafe in the crypt and is a good central spot to rest and refuel.
My parents and I did Christmas Eve service at St. Paul's (at the time you had to line up to get in as it was first come first seated). I believe both Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's now require pre-booked free tickets for some services over Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
There are some who suggest the Trafalgar Square tree always looks like a giant English cucumber. I suppose that English folks would say it simply looks like a giant cucumber. This is all due to the established lighting arrangement being always vertical lines of white lights from the very top straight down to the ground, effecting straight stripes, and not a random pattern. There must be some who prefer this layout - maybe especially the installers (relatively quick to set up, then it’s done!), or maybe it’s just stipulated by the Norwegians.
Norway has donated a fresh tree annually, for almost 80 years now, to show appreciation to England for its help in providing a safe refuge to the Norwegian king during WW II. The tree makes the trip from Norway, and really stands out - vertical strings of light notwithstanding.
