The Best Christmas Light Displays in London

Look up! London’s dazzling light displays are back to fill the darkening days with festive cheer in the lead-up to Christmas - here’s our guide to all the brilliant Christmas lights in London

By emmac | Updated Nov 18 2024

A woman in a red coat and yellow beanie takes a selfie on a festive, bustling city street adorned with colorful holiday lights. She wears a decorative face mask. A glowing sign above reads TO LONDON. The street is lively with people and cars.

From Marylebone Village to Leadenhall Market, crowds of people will flock (you have been warned!) to see the dazzling Christmas light displays put on in iconic London locations - including the busy (but beautiful) thoroughfares of Regent’s Street and Oxford Street, Carnaby Street and Covent Garden.

Each display will be switched on at a different date, and will most likely stay switched on until January 6 (traditionally known as the ‘Twelfth Night’). tHere’s what we know so far about each display and the dates they will be switched on:

Trafalgar Square - 5th December

The giant Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square is lit up with blue lights against the backdrop of the National Gallery under the night sky. — EngineeringMatters.Reby.Media

The last of the big Christmas light switch-on events is in Trafalgar Square, where you will always find the tallest Christmas tree in London - donated every year to the city of London by Norway; usually a Norwegian spruce, the tree is often as much as 60 years old, and stands at over 20 metres high.

Every year the Trafalgar Square tree’s lights are switched on at a grand event by the Mayor of Westminster, the Norwegian Ambassador to the UK and the mayor of Norway’s capital city Oslo. That means that this year the switch on event will be held on Thursday 5th December, and we expect that the lights will go bright at 6pm. There will also be a festive religious service with carols from the singers at the nearby St Martin-in-the-Fields church.

Oxford Street

For many Londoners, the countdown to Christmas begins with the switching on of thousands of Christmas lights on Oxford Street, London’s busiest shopping thoroughfare, sparking the inevitable frenzy of Christmas shopping. It’s an enchanting experience every year (so long as you don’t bump into your fellow shoppers!), and 2024 is no exception, with a whopping 300,000 bulbs along Oxford Street, all combining to light up the long stretch with 5000 stars!

This year the light display is produced in partnership with the Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity (or GOSH charity), which raises money for the Great Ormond Street children’s hospital - on December 7th Oxford Street will play host to the ‘Big Day of JOY’ with street performances, in-store Christmas-themed activities (like Santa’s grotto) and more, all to support GOSH.

Regent Street and St James’s

The famous angel-shaped illuminations light up London’s busy Regent’s Street — Photograph: Jeff Moore

Regent Street was the very first street in London ever to get the Christmas light treatment - the famous ‘Spirit of Christmas display has seen 45 angels illuminate the busy shopping thoroughfare ever since 1954 - that’s 70 years! The same display stretches down Regent Street, Regent Street St James’s, Picadilly and Jermyn Street. All in all, 300,000 lights are used, although they low-energy LED bulbs are only switched on for a few key hours each night.

Last year was the first time that light displays were also placed in Glasshouse Street, Heddon Street, Swallow Street and St James’s Market, and they proved such a success that they’re back again in 2024. What’s more, there’s a new Wishing Tree on St Jame’s Market which lights up every time someone makes a donation to The Felix Project (a London charity fighting hunger and food waste) - now, what’s more Christmassy than that?

Carnaby Street

Just a short detour from Regent Street, Soho’s trendy Carnaby Street (that funky West End shopping destination for the cooler members of your clan) always puts on a fantastic display (just check out last year’s display (pictured); this year’s installation is named ‘Into the Light’, and it apparently marks a ‘bold evolution’ for the street’s Christmas lighting projects, with a ‘first of its kind’ approach.

To find out what all the fuss is about, come to Carnaby Street from from November 7; what we know so far is the the display will be entirely powered by green energy, and is designed to last for five years - proving that Christmas can be sustainable.

Covent Garden

Covent Garden is a London must at any time of the year, but at Christmas it is truly magical. The giant Christmas tree which pulls you in is 55 feet tall and adorned with 30,000 glistening LED lights in a glorious night display - and that’s just the start. The whole Covent Garden piazza will shine with the light of 260,000 lights in total!

The 12th November switch-on marks the start of a seven week long calendar of Christmas events, with special pop-ups, family events, surprise performances plus plenty of mulled wine, mince pies and much more festive food and drink.

Last year the inside of Covent Garden Market was decorated with 40 huge bells with bows and buables, and this year we have been promised a brand new light scheme in the nearby Seven Dials area - make sure you don’t miss it on your festive tour this year!

Marylebone Village

Every year, the charming Marylebone Village in west London puts on the Merry Marylebone event to mark the switching-on of its Christmas lights, hosted by BBC broadcaster (and local resident) Jo Good, with a celebrity guest given the honour of switching on the Christmas lights at 6pm. The guest has yet to be announced for this year, but most likely they will be a big name - Previous celebrity guests include presenter and author Fearne Cotton, singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor and the father-and-son duo Martin and Roman Kemp!

The event takes place between 3pm and 8pm, and will see an array of Christmas festivities and activities such as Santa’s Grotto, bauble and wreath-making workshops and lots of musical performances from artists and choirs - it gives the feeling of a warm, local community event in a lovely central London location - plus, with bountiful boutique shops around, you’re in a great spot for some Christmas shopping.

Old Spitalfields Market

Old Spitalfields Market gets its festive makeover with a special Christmas light switch-on event at 5.30pm on November 13th; drop by from 1pm for the launch of the Christmas market - with a whopping 54 shops and stalls, you’re sure to find some great stocking fillers - plus mulled wine and mince pies AND specials from the many street food vendors.

There will also be live festive music to keep you entertained, as well as free face painting and Christmas craft workshops for kids!

Christmas at Kew

A mother leads her three children through a tunnel of golden Christmas lights in Kew Gardens — Kew.org

Enter a botanical world of festivities this year and visit Christmas at Kew Gardens, where the popular botanical garden and its parks are absolutely transformed into an after-dark festivity adorned with sparkling tunnels of light, reflections dancing on the lakeside and trees drenched in arrays of colours.

Running daily from 4.20pm to 10pm (with last entries at 8pm) from the 16th November to the 8th January, take a walk under the stars, grabbing some delicious food and drink from their independent food vendors along the way. From tasty hot food to spiced sweet treats and winter warmers you will be festooned amongst the beauty.

Standard tickets start from £21.50 off-peak and there are special discounts for Kew members.

Leadenhall Market

Leadenhall Market is stunning all year round - if you don’t know by now, it’s where they filmed for Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter films - and well worth a visit on any day, but at Christmas it just glows with festive cheer, with the lights illuminating the quaint old-world shop facades and bouncing off the decorative baubles hung all around.

The Lord Mayor of London will be flipping the switch to turn on the lights of a gigantic Christmas tree at the market’s centre on Thursday November 14th. The much-loved annual ceremony will take place from 5.30pm, with the Lord Mayor making a speech before the switch-on at 6pm.

Chelsea

On Saturday 16th Chelsea transforms into a winter wonderland, with the Christmas lights being switch on along Kings Road from Sloane Street to Walpole Street in an all-day Christmas extravaganza.

For the first time ever, this years switch on will see live performances across three stages, as well as performers roaming the roads to get the neighbourhood in the festive mood. As you might expect from Chelsea, a number of boutique shops (including Gucci and Diptyque) will be laying on special events, and the neighbourhood will see pop-ups from locals businesses and holiday markets. For little one there will be face painting and cookie decorating, and for bigger ones there will be mulled wine and fetive fizz.

The all-important switch on happens at 5pm, with Father Christmas himself putting in an appearance to light up the night with the help of locals.

Belgravia

In partnership with the Belgravia Traders Association, Elizabeth Street will be illuminated in a magical switch-on event that runs from 11am until 4pm on Sunday 17th November. Take a selfie with the giant Christmas wreath created by Moyses Stevens and enjoy performances from the London Gay Men's Chorus and the Fulham Brass Band!

As if that wasn't enough to fill you with good cheer, Father Christmas will be there, along with some of his elves and live reindeer! Also taking some time out of their busy schedules, The Snowman (all the way from Sadler's Wells) and several characters from The Nutcracker will be roaming the streets throughout the day!