The festive season in London’s West End has kicked off early this year, as our iconic theatre district prepared to sparkle for Christmas.

Here is your guide to when the major light displays will switch on across the West End and City of London.

Also check out our guide to Christmas in the West End – All shows playing.

West End Christmas Lights – 2025 Dates

Saturday 1 November
Piccadilly and St Martin’s Lane
Leicester Square (Christmas Market and ice rink)

Monday 3 November
Oxford Street

Thursday 6 November
Carnaby Street
Regent Street and St James

Wednesday 12 November
Covent Garden
Bond Street (1 New Bond Street)
Marylebone
Spitalfields

Thursday 13 November
City of London – Leadenhall Market

Sunday 16 November
Belgravia

Tuesday 18 November
Soho

Thursday 4 December
Trafalgar Square

Christmas Shows in the West End

A Christmas Carol at The Old Vic
A Christmas Carol
Old Vic
A Christmas Carol at The Old Vic - 10th anniversary production.

Booking to: 9 Jan 2027

A Homo Alone 2 poster - a Home Alone 2 parody
A Homo Alone 2: Yikes, We Did It Again!
The Other Palace
Kevin's back - and this time he's stranded in New York with Dad's credit card. Book A Homo Alone 2: Yikes, We Did It Again! at the Other Palace this Christmas.

Booking to: 3 Jan 2027

Cinderella movie poster with a large clock face behind the gold Cinderella title on a blue starry background.
Cinderella
Lyric Hammersmith
Book Cinderella tickets at Lyric Hammersmith for a hilarious and heartwarming festive pantomime for the whole family.

Booking to: 3 Jan 2027

Cartoon beach carnival poster: a man in a red jacket licks an ice cream cone, a prince and princess dance, a fortune-teller booth, and a seagull by the sea with a Ferris wheel in the background.
Cinderella: Buttons Undone!
Charing Cross Theatre
Book tickets now for the riotous new adult panto from He's Behind You!. Cinderella: Buttons Undone! comes to Charing Cross Theatre this festive season.

Starts: 21 Nov 2026
Booking to: 9 Jan 2027

Dick Whittington and His Cat
Dick Whittington and His Cat
King's Head Theatre
Book tickets for Dick Whittington: Adults Only at King's Head Theatre, the naughty panto starring River Medway and Victoria Scone.

Starts: 22 Nov 2026
Booking to: 3 Jan 2027

Dick Whittington Adults Only at the Kings Head Theatre 2026
Dick Whittington: Adults Only
King's Head Theatre
Book tickets for Dick Whittington: Adults Only at King's Head Theatre, the naughty panto starring River Medway and Victoria Scone.

Starts: 26 Nov 2026
Booking to: 2 Jan 2027

Cast in bold costumes pose for Ebony Scrooge at Sadler's Wells East, London, a hip hop dance take on A Christmas Carol.
Ebony Scrooge
Sadler's Wells East
Book Ebony Scrooge tickets for ZooNation’s joyful hip hop Christmas show at Sadler’s Wells East in London.

Starts: 24 Nov 2026
Booking to: 3 Jan 2027

Father Christmas Needs a Wee - Christmas 2023
Father Christmas Needs a Wee!
The Arts at Marble Arch
Get tickets to Father Christmas Needs a Wee!, back at the West End's Arts Theatre this Christmas

Starts: 12 Dec 2026
Booking to: 24 Dec 2026

Graphic with purple background with gold wording reading:Jack and the Beanstalk
Jack and the Beanstalk
Hackney Empire
Book now for Jack and the Beanstalk in London. Clive Rowe directs and stars as Dame Trot in Hackney Empire's beloved Christmas pantomime. 

Starts: 21 Nov 2026
Booking to: 31 Dec 2026

Jack and the Beanstalk Emerald Theatre
Jack and the Beanstalk
Emerald Theatre
Book tickets for Jack and the Beanstalk at the Emerald Theatre, TuckShop's all-drag panto with BONES and Kitty Scott-Claus.

Starts: 2 Dec 2026
Booking to: 10 Jan 2027

★  Save up to 51%
Poster for Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, with a green background and Christmas tree made of books.
Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley
Park Theatre
The UK premiere of Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon's hit US play gives Mary Bennet, Pride and Prejudice's most overlooked sister, the festive story of her own.

Starts: 2 Dec 2026
Booking to: 10 Jan 2027

Nutcracker - English National Ballet - London Coliseum (2025)
Nutcracker - English National Ballet
London Coliseum
English National Ballet return to the London Coliseum this Christmas with its spectacular production of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker.

Starts: 17 Dec 2026
Booking to: 10 Jan 2027

Pinocchio at Shakespeare's Globe
Pinocchio
Shakespeare's Globe
Pinocchio returns to Shakespeare’s Globe for Christmas 2026

Starts: 28 Nov 2026
Booking to: 3 Jan 2027

★  Save up to 68%
Poster advertising a pantomime show with a bright green background and a group of costumed performers in colorful outfits, promoting '7 Classic Pantos in 70 Minutes'.
Potted Panto
Apollo Theatre
Potted Panto, the Olivier Award-nominated festive celebration comes to the West End's Apollo Theatre this Christmas.

Starts: 6 Dec 2026
Booking to: 3 Jan 2027

★  Save up to 29%
Unicorn Theatre. Santa's First Christmas Artwork
Santa's First Christmas
Unicorn Theatre
Book […]

Booking to: 3 Jan 2027

Scrooge Cirque Extravaganza
Scrooge: Cirque Extravaganza
Immerse LDN
Watch Scrooge: Cirque Extravaganza at the Excel London, a Christmas classic reimagined with breathtaking artistry.

Starts: 23 Dec 2026
Booking to: 28 Dec 2026

★  Save up to 39%
Sherlock Holmes and the Twelve Days of Christmas
Sherlock Holmes and The 12 Days of Christmas
Alexandra Palace Theatre
Book tickets for Sherlock Holmes and the Twelve Days of Christmas, a festive whodunnit spoof at Alexandra Palace.

Starts: 24 Nov 2026
Booking to: 17 Jan 2027

★  Save up to 36%
Sophie's Surprise Christmas Party five-star poster, showing performers in a retro house-party scene on a circular stage, with the review quote 'Funny, Sexy & Breathtaking' (The Sun) and the tagline 'Circus. Comedy. Chaos.
Sophie’s Surprise Christmas Party
Smash-hit Edinburgh Fringe show Sophie's Surprise Party is back in London this Christmas 2026
Promotional poster for The Little Match Girl: a girl leaps before a glowing full moon in a snowy night over a city skyline, with the title and venue text: Christmas at Wilton's Music Hall.
The Little Match Girl
Wilton's Music Hall
Book tickets for enchanting fairy tale The Little Match Girl.

Starts: 3 Dec 2026
Booking to: 2 Jan 2027

The Snowman - Tickets - London
The Snowman
Peacock Theatre
The Snowman returns to London’s Peacock Theatre for Christmas 2026 in a brand-new production. Discover dates, ticket updates and festive family theatre magic.

Starts: 21 Nov 2026
Booking to: 3 Jan 2027

★  Save up to 44%
West End Musical Christmas - London
West End Musical Christmas
Lyric Theatre
Book tickets for West End Musical Christmas at the Lyric Theatre, London's feel-good festive concert series with a surprise West End cast.

Starts: 14 Dec 2026
Booking to: 14 Dec 2026



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Main photo: Leicester Square at Christmas. Photo via PR (Heart of London Business Alliance)

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