Christmas Lights Switch-Ons in Greenwich, London and Blackheath 2026

The Christmas lights switch-ons are when the festive season really starts in Greenwich and Blackheath. Two are confirmed so far for 2026: Greenwich Market's Lantern Parade on Wednesday 18 November and Blackheath Lights Up for Christmas on Saturday 5 December. Here's what to expect, how to make an evening of it, and which other switch-ons we're still waiting to hear about. Every detail was checked 1 November 2026 on the organisers' own websites.

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Greenwich Market

Market & Community · Greenwich

Greenwich's historic covered market, trading since 1737: more than 120 shops and stalls selling art, crafts, antiques, vintage and street food, plus a riverside food market by the Cutty Sark.

Greenwich Market Lantern Parade and Christmas Lights Switch-On

Wednesday 18 November 2026, 4pm to 6pm. Greenwich Market calls its Lantern Parade and Light Switch-On the first Christmas event in Greenwich. Children from local primary schools carry handmade lanterns through the grounds of the Old Royal Naval College, across Cutty Sark Gardens and on to the Grade II-listed Georgian market.

At 5pm the crowd counts down to the switch-on, when Greenwich Market lights up with its festive displays. The celebrations carry on until 6pm with live music and performances. The market is open daily from 10am to 5:30pm, so it's worth arriving early to browse the stalls first. Full details are on the Greenwich Market event page.

Royal Museums Greenwich also says Cutty Sark's festive lights turn the ship's mast into a Christmas tree, which is worth a look from the riverside while you're in town.

Blackheath Lights Up for Christmas

Saturday 5 December 2026, 4:30pm to 5:30pm, Blackheath Village. The Blackheath Society lists the switch-on in its events calendar, with details still to be announced. We'll update this guide once the programme is published. See the Blackheath Society event page.

The same day is Small Business Saturday UK, so it's a good afternoon to do some Christmas shopping in the village before the lights go on. Independents listed on our site include Postmark, Hortus and Lark Blackheath.

Charlton House decorated for Christmas

Charlton House says the house will be decorated from the end of November, ahead of its free Christmas Fair on 5 and 6 December. See Christmas 2026 at Charlton House.

Warm up nearby

In Greenwich, the riverside pubs Trafalgar Tavern and The Cutty Sark are a short walk from the market, and Goddards at Greenwich on King William Walk is a Greenwich institution. In Blackheath Village, The Railway Blackheath is next to the station, and Montpeliers and GAIL's Bakery Blackheath are handy for a hot drink.

Getting there

Greenwich Market is a few minutes' walk from Cutty Sark DLR station and Greenwich station. Blackheath Village is right by Blackheath station. Both switch-ons are popular, so allow extra time and take public transport if you can.

Still to be confirmed for 2026

When we checked, we couldn't find confirmed 2026 switch-on details on official pages for Eltham, Woolwich, Deptford, Lewisham or Greenwich Peninsula, and we've seen no 2026 light trail announced for Eltham Palace. We'll add each one here when the organisers publish it. For everything else this season, see our guide to Christmas in Greenwich and Blackheath and our Christmas markets and fairs guide.

Where we checked

All details were checked on 1 November 2026.

Greenwich Market Lantern Parade: greenwichmarket.london

Cutty Sark's Christmas lights: Royal Museums Greenwich, Christmas in Greenwich

Blackheath Lights Up for Christmas: blackheath.org

Charlton House: greenwichheritage.org

Small Business Saturday UK: smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com

Photos: Cutty Sark Christmas lights by Loco Steve, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Greenwich Market interior by Daniel Case, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Tranquil Vale, Blackheath Village by Reading Tom, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.