Christmas Week in London: 23 December to New Year
The week from 23 December to New Year is the high point of the West End Christmas lights, and the hardest week to plan. Everything is lit, but not everything is open, and 25 December is a day apart. This guide goes through the week day by day: what is lit, what is open, what runs, and how to book when most evenings have gone.
What is lit in Christmas week?
Everything. The street displays go up through the first half of November and stay lit into early January, so every one of them is on through the week. In 2025 Regent Street's display ran until 4 January. The Trafalgar Square Christmas tree, lit in early December, stays until just before Twelfth Night. Each display, and who looks after it, is on the lights street by street.
It is also the darkest week of the year. In the week of 21 December the sun sets at 3:53pm and it is dark by about 4:34pm, so the lights are at their best from half past four.
| Date | Street lights | Kew trail | Winter fair | Chelsea trail | Lights tours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 December | Lit | Selected dates | Open | Open | On the calendar |
| 24 December | Lit | Selected; closes 9pm | Open | Open | On the calendar |
| 25 December | Lit | Check the calendar | Closed | Closed | None listed |
| 26 December | Lit | Quiet session listed | Open | Open | On the calendar |
| 27 to 28 December | Lit | Selected dates | Open | Closes after the 28th | On the calendar |
| 29 to 31 December | Lit | Selected dates | Open | Finished | On the calendar |
| 1 to 3 January | Lit into early January | Ends 3 January | Ends 3 January | Finished | On the calendar |
"On the calendar" means you pick the date when you book and see which departures are open. Kew runs on selected dates only, so check its calendar for the day you want.
Do tours run on Christmas Eve?
Pick 24 December on a tour's booking calendar and you see what is open. It is a popular evening, so book it first. Keep the evening early: Christmas at Kew closes at 9pm that night, with last entry up to an hour earlier than usual. The Chelsea trail and Hyde Park Winter Wonderland are both open.
A good Christmas Eve plan is short and early. Take a bus or a walk at half past four, when it is already dark, be done by half past six, and leave the rest of the evening for dinner and the people you came with. A black cab from your hotel is the easiest version of all: nobody has to find a stop, and the cab drops you back at your door. If you want a trail too, Chelsea is closest to the West End.
What about 25 December?
No tour listed runs on 25 December. Hyde Park Winter Wonderland is closed that day, and so is the Chelsea trail. The street displays are still lit, and they are free, so a walk of your own under them is the way to see them on the day. The route is in the self-guided walk. Plan it from your hotel on foot, and check how you will get around before the day.
How busy are the days after Christmas?
Expect crowds. The days after Christmas are shopping days in the West End, so the pavements under the lights are busy into the evening. Christmas at Kew lists a Quiet Access session on 26 December, for visitors who want a calmer trail. A black cab or a bus keeps you out of the crush.
What about the quiet days before New Year?
The days from 27 to 30 December are the best-kept secret of the season. The lights are all still on, many visitors have gone home, and tours have space again. Hampton Court's Winter Palace lists late openings to 7:30pm that take in 27 to 30 December. On 31 December the riverside market closed in 2025, so plan a lights evening with a market for another night.
How long do the lights stay up?
Into early January. The street displays have no published 2026 end date, but in 2025 Regent Street's ran until 4 January. Hyde Park Winter Wonderland and Christmas at Kew both end on 3 January 2027. The Chelsea trail ends sooner, on 28 December; the trails are compared on the light trails. Which week is best, on balance, is on the best time to see the lights.
If you arrive after New Year, you have a few days at most. Come in the first days of January, go out as soon as it is dark, and treat any evening from the 4th on as a bonus: the displays come down street by street, and no street publishes its date in advance. The week before Christmas, or the quiet days after it, is the safer bet for seeing everything lit.
When is the tree taken down?
Just before Twelfth Night. The tree comes down in the first days of January and goes for recycling: it is chipped and composted into mulch. If you are here for New Year, see it before you leave. How it got here is in the Norwegian tree in the square.
Which light trails are open that week?
Most of them, with gaps. Christmas at Kew runs on selected dates to 3 January 2027. On 24 December it closes at 9pm, with last entry at 6.20pm at the Brentford and Elizabeth gates and 7pm at Victoria Gate. The Chelsea trail in Ranelagh Gardens runs to 28 December and is closed on Christmas Day. Hampton Court's Winter Palace, indoors and in palace admission, runs to 3 January 2027.
On the South Bank, the free light art along the river ran from 4pm to 11pm each day in the 2025-26 season, to 18 January 2026. Its 2026 edition is not announced yet. Times and prices for each trail are on the light trails.
Which way round suits Christmas week?
The one that keeps you out of the crush. A black cab collects you from your hotel, keeps you warm and stops where you ask, which is worth most in the busiest week of the year; the cabs are on private London Christmas lights tours. A bus seat is booked and yours, however full the pavements are; see London Christmas lights bus tours.
On foot, pick a weekday evening and an early start, and choose a small group or a private guide. The walks are on London Christmas lights walking tours. If you are travelling with family over Christmas, a cab of six often costs little more a head than the bus.
What about New Year's Day?
The lights are still on. The street displays stay lit into early January, the tree stands until just before Twelfth Night, and Hyde Park Winter Wonderland and Christmas at Kew both run to 3 January. Plan a late-afternoon walk under the lights as the first outing of the year, and book a tour for 2 January or later if you want a guide.
How do you get around over Christmas?
Plan it before you go. Check the transport operator's Christmas timetable for your dates before you rely on the Tube or a bus, above all for 25 and 26 December. Walking is the surest way round the West End that week. A hotel close to the displays saves you the question; the areas are on where to stay.
⚠️ Important: On 25 December the winter fair and the Chelsea trail are both closed and no tour listed runs. Plan the day on foot from your hotel; the displays and how they link up are on the meeting-point map.
Can you still book late?
Yes, but be flexible, and look at more than one way round. The evenings just before Christmas go first, and small walks and cabs take one booking at a time. If your first evening is gone, try the day after Boxing Day or the days before New Year. A black cab takes one party per evening, so try a different start time too. Each tour listed refunds in full up to 24 hours ahead, so book as soon as you know your dates.
What if a tour is cancelled?
If you cancel at least 24 hours before the start, you get your money back in full. If the operator has to call off your evening, the booking page is where you rebook or claim. In Christmas week, when evenings are full, have a back-up: the self-guided route costs nothing and needs no booking. Other things to do that week are on things to do at Christmas.
Frequently asked questions
Do lights tours run on Christmas Eve?
What is open on Christmas Day?
When do the London Christmas lights come down?
Is there a London Christmas lights tour on Christmas Day?
When is the tree lit?
Do I need to book in advance?
Tours for the week of Christmas
London: Christmas Lights & Bites Tour
Tea, coffee or hot chocolate and festive snacks on a vintage bus for about 90 minutes, from stop 40B on the Embankment.
From $59 per person
Check Availability
London Private Christmas Lights Taxi Tour with Pick Up
Three or four hours in a private black cab from your address, with Wi-Fi on board and parking paid.
From $471 per group (up to 6)
Check Availability
London Christmas Lights Bike Tour with Local Guide
Three hours by bike with a guide, helmet and Santa hat from Kennington; riders on the open ride must be 10 or older.
From $60 per person
Check AvailabilityNext: Pick your evening between 23 December and New Year, then book it before the calendar fills. Every fare sits side by side on London Christmas Lights Tours.