Christmas lights in London typically start going up in early November, with different districts announcing switch-on dates each year. Here are the most common patterns and some 2025 specifics to help you plan: Key switch-on timelines

• Oxford Street: Usually among the first major displays to light up in early November. In recent years, the official switch-on date has been around November 3–5, with events sometimes scaled back to a lighting ceremony rather than a full festival.
• Regent Street: Typically switches on in the first week of November, often around November 6–7, sometimes with a smaller public event in keeping with recent years.
• Covent Garden: Follows a similar early November window, frequently around November 7–12, with a ceremonial switch-on event.
• Carnaby Street: Often mid-November, around the 3rd week of November, bringing a distinct, colorful display.

2025 specifics (based on recent patterns and announcements)

• Oxford Street: Switch-on date reported as Monday, 3 November 2025, with the big display lighting up at street level and in nearby areas.
• Regent Street: Typically around the same early November window; in 2025, announcements suggest a start in the first week of November, aligned with Oxford Street’s timing.
• Covent Garden: Expected to switch on in early November 2025, with coordinated lighting across the piazza and adjacent streets.
• Bond Street and Carnaby Street: Dates generally mid-November, with Bond Street sometimes announcing a later date (around November 12, 2025) for their LEDs and jewel-inspired display.

Practical tips

• If you’re aiming to see multiple displays, plan for a route that starts around Oxford Street and Regent Street in the first week of November, then include Covent Garden and Carnaby Street as the season progresses.
• Lighting tends to stay up through December, often continuing into early January for some districts, but the most intensive displays (and most events) happen in November.
• Check official local pages or major city guides closer to your visit for the precise, confirmed dates and any related events or road closures.

Would you like a compact, date-specific itinerary for a self-guided lights tour in a single evening, or a calendar-style list of the confirmed dates for 2025 as they’re announced?