A night-time photo of the Christmas lights on Regent Street with lots of traffic A night-time photo of the Christmas lights on Regent Street with lots of traffic

Where to see the best Christmas lights in London

Each year, Christmas lights London up with festive cheer, as countless winter lights illuminate the dreary city streets. Various neighbourhoods across the capital put up Christmas lights and other festive decorations, and the London Christmas lights are a big draw for wintertime tourists from all over the globe. Each festive display has its own kick-off date, but most of them turn off around 6 January, the traditional Twelfth Night of Christmas. Our guide to where to see the best Christmas lights in London lets you take full advantage of the seasonal atmosphere while they're on, so read on and happy holidays!

In this guide
  1. London's best Christmas lights
    1. Fortnum & Mason – Traditional advent calendar display
    2. Oxford Street – World-famous London Christmas lights
    3. Seven Dials – Enchanting winter lights
    4. Covent Garden Market – Giant festive decoration
    5. Carnaby Street – Always decorated
    6. Trafalgar Square – The grandest Christmas tree in London
    7. Regent Street – The oldest London Christmas lights
    8. Piccadilly Circus – Not as romantic as it seems
    9. Marylebone Village – A more low-key affair
    10. Coal Drops Yard – Festive spirit in the heart of King's Cross
    11. St Christopher's Place – Welcome to St Christmas Place
    12. Kew Gardens – Famed Christmas light trail
    13. Belgravia – Bringing cheer to the capital
    14. Greenwich Market – Christmas at the market
    15. Bond Street – Luxurious Christmas lights
    16. Savile Row – Christmas lights that are a cut above
    17. South Molton Street – Some of Mayfair's best Christmas lights
    18. Mount Street – A luxurious Xmas wonderland
    19. Leadenhall Market – Impressive Victorian market
    20. The Churchill Arms – One of the most beautiful pubs in the UK
    21. King's Road – West London Christmas lights
    22. Kenwood House – An enchanting Hampstead light trail

London's best Christmas lights

Fortnum & Mason

Traditional advent calendar display

Though not a traditional Christmas lights display, the lights at Fortnum & Mason are very much a part of Christmas in London. The iconic 18th-century department store gets in the festive spirit by transforming its façade into a giant advent calendar. Different designers create beautiful installations according to the annual theme, with the building counting down to Christmas and revealing a new display each day.

  • From: TBD

Oxford Street

World-famous London Christmas lights

The busiest shopping street in Europe isn't just home to hundreds of shops, it also boasts one of the best Christmas light displays in the world. Countless stars twinkle above the street and many of the retailers share in the Christmas cheer with festive window displays and decoration. In the evening, all the signs, shopfronts, traffic, and general bustle give the street yet another dimension. Best of all, the Xmas lights are made from recycled materials and designed with sustainability in mind.

  • From: 5 November

Seven Dials

Enchanting winter lights

The Seven Dials area in Covent Garden is one of the prettiest roundabouts in the city on the worst of days, so just imagine what some sparkling lights do to the place. Twinkling across the square and in the trees, these Covent Garden Christmas lights are an obligatory stop on any Xmas lights tour London travel agents come up with. They're worth the detour if you just happen to be in the vicinity too.

  • From: TBD

Covent Garden Market

Giant festive decoration

Covent Garden draws millions of visitors each year and it knows to bring its A-game for Christmas. Featuring some of the most impressive Christmas decorations in London, the Covent Garden display includes oversized ornaments in the market building and all around the square. In 2023, the decorations were refreshed and now include huge golden bells with bows, giant baubles, and mirror balls.

  • From: 7 November

Carnaby Street

Always decorated

Carnaby Street is another of London's world-famous shopping streets. It features some sort of incredible decorative display with changing themes throughout the year. It doesn't hold back for Christmas either, with a beautiful display along the entire street. The 2023 Christmas lights theme is called Carnaby Universe and features celestial bodies and more wondrous neon ornamentation.

  • From: 8 November

Trafalgar Square

The grandest Christmas tree in London

Every year, London's famous Trafalgar Square is host to a majestic Christmas tree that, somewhat surprisingly, comes from Norway. The tradition goes back to 1947, when the Scandinavian country sent over the first 25-metre “queen of the forest” – not as reparations for the Viking raids of yore, but as a thank you for the UK's support during the Second World War.

  • From: TBD

Regent Street

The oldest London Christmas lights

Regent Street is where the tradition of decking out London's streets in festive gear first started back in 1954. The trademark angelic figures hanging above the street represent the Spirit of Christmas and are a perennial postcard classic. Just like with other busy London streets, the traffic and retailers add their own little bit of sparkle. The Christmas decorations stretch from Langham Place to Waterloo Place, but the consensus is that the best bit is between Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Circus.

  • From: 9 November

Piccadilly Circus

Not as romantic as it seems

The Piccadilly Christmas lights are similar to the Regent Street ones in that they also feature a winged figure high above the street, but it's not the same one. It's inspired by the statue of the Greek god of unrequited love Anteros, Eros' lesser-known and less popular brother, atop the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain in Piccadilly Circus. The end effect is the same, however – a shimmering festive vista stretching down Piccadilly.

  • From: TBD

Marylebone Village

A more low-key affair

Though bordering on Mayfair, Marylebone Village is a much more subdued shopping and dining destination than its more famous affluent neighbour. It's definitely still aimed at an upmarket clientele, but the pleasant streets offer a more relaxed experience. During the festive season, Marylebone Village is decorated with Christmas lights and hosts various events.

  • From: 13 November

Coal Drops Yard

Festive spirit in the heart of King's Cross

In winter, all sorts of festive installations and decorations sprout up around Coal Drops Yard, the redeveloped area in King's Cross. Past years have featured glowing sculptures, chalets, Christmas markets, and a majestic Christmas tree. There are plenty of food and drink vendors to keep you warm as you make your way around the festive displays too.

  • From: TBD

St Christopher's Place

Welcome to St Christmas Place

A quaint hidden gem next to Oxford Street, St Christopher's Place has a village feel to it throughout the year. During the holidays, that feel is amped up further with pretty Xmas lights and seasonal delights at the restaurants and bars lining the street and square. The pedestrianised area even goes one step further, renaming itself to St Christmas Place for the season. See? Quaint.

  • From: 14 November

Kew Gardens

Famed Christmas light trail

A visit to Kew Gardens is a classic Christmas bucket list item in London. The renowned botanical gardens are majestic throughout the year, and during the Christmas holidays they're festooned with lights in a series of magnificent displays, from tunnels of light to bejewelled trees. Note that unlike most of the Christmas light displays in this guide, the Christmas at Kew light trail isn't free to view.

  • From: 13 November

Belgravia

Bringing cheer to the capital

Spread across multiple streets in the neighbourhood, the Belgravia decorations bring the enchantment of Christmas with dazzling lights. The displays in Elizabeth Street, Motcomb Street, Eccleston Yards, Halkin Arcade, and Pimlico Road are accompanied by the Christmas Trail of Cheer, featuring extravagant floral displays throughout the neighbourhood.

  • From: TBD

Greenwich Market

Christmas at the market

Greenwich Market is a popular shopping destination, full of stalls offering stylish clothing, pretty jewellery, vintage finds, and more. It gets a Christmas makeover each year, with twinkling lights and festive treats and goods setting the mood. The Christmas lights kick off with a spectacular lantern procession.

  • From: TBD
New Bond Street Old Bond Street
New Bond Street
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Old Bond Street
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New Bond Street Old Bond Street

Luxurious Christmas lights

For the holidays, Bond Street, both Old and New, puts on a royal Christmas lights display. Having featured massive peacock feathers for multiple years, they switched to a dazzling display inspired by the Crown Jewels in 2022. Even so, the Xmas lights sometimes fade into the background – Bond Street is home to some of the world's most luxurious retail brands, and they always try to outdo one another with their spectacular window displays.

  • From: TBD
  • Old Bond Street, Mayfair New Bond Street, Mayfair
    Old Bond Street
    Old Bond Street, Mayfair
    New Bond Street
    New Bond Street, Mayfair
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    Old Bond Street
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  • New Bond Street Old Bond Street

Savile Row

Christmas lights that are a cut above

The world-famous home of top-quality craftsmanship and bespoke tailoring is unveiling a brand-new Christmas lights display in 2023, inspired by its heritage and values. Giant golden shears cutting through a glittering swathe of fabric illuminate the famous street. They're made from 5,154 energy-efficient and planet-friendly LED bulbs, along with recyclable materials, in an effort to minimise waste and reduce energy consumption.

  • From: TBD

South Molton Street

Some of Mayfair's best Christmas lights

As befits an upscale neighbourhood such as Mayfair, the streets in this area boast beautiful Christmas lights during the festive season, accompanied by the tasteful decor local restaurants and retailers put up. One of the highlights of Mayfair's Christmas decorations can be found in South Molton Street, where you can walk through tall arches full of starry lights.

  • From: TBD

Mount Street

A luxurious Xmas wonderland

Another one of Mayfair's top spots for Christmas lights and decor, Mount Street is one of the area's original shopping streets. Home to luxury boutiques, high-end restaurants, and five-star hotels, the street is illuminated with 63,000 sustainable lights comprising big blue bows during Christmas. The on-street establishments also put up their own fancy decor – The Connaught hotel's Christmas tree, designed by a different artist each year, is a world-famous highlight.

  • From: TBD

Leadenhall Market

Impressive Victorian market

With roots going back all the way to 1321, when it served as a meat, poultry and game market, the beautiful Leadenhall Market has seen its share of Christmas joy. It's still one of the best places for Christmas lights in the capital, with its intricate architecture covered with sparkling displays, and a massive fir tree centrepiece tying it all together.

  • From: 14 November
The Churchill Arms – Christmas lights
The Churchill Arms
The Churchill Arms – Christmas lights
The Churchill Arms
The Churchill Arms – Christmas lights
The Churchill Arms
The Churchill Arms – Christmas lights
The Churchill Arms
The Churchill Arms – Christmas lights
The Churchill Arms
The Churchill Arms – Christmas lights
The Churchill Arms
The Churchill Arms – Christmas lights
The Churchill Arms
The Churchill Arms – Christmas lights
The Churchill Arms
The Churchill Arms – Christmas lights
The Churchill Arms
The Churchill Arms – Christmas lights
The Churchill Arms
The Churchill Arms – Christmas lights
The Churchill Arms
The Churchill Arms – Christmas lights
The Churchill Arms

The Churchill Arms

One of the most beautiful pubs in the UK

With its flowering facade, The Churchill Arms in Kensington regularly ranks among the UK's most beautiful pubs, and the proprietors go all out for the seasonal winter display. The pub is covered with more than 90 conifer trees and lit up with thousands of Christmas lights. It's a bastion of Christmas cheer that's impossible to miss if you're passing by, and definitely worth making the trip for if you aren't.

  • From: 16 November

King's Road

West London Christmas lights

Chelsea's historic King's Road stretches from Slone Square to Fulham, and is part-pedestrianised during the festive season so you can take full advantage of the lovely Christmas lights strung up across the street. The various high-end boutiques and retailers along King's Road contribute to the atmosphere with beautiful Christmas displays as well.

  • From: 16 November

Kenwood House

An enchanting Hampstead light trail

Kenwood House is a grand manor house in Hampstead that sets up an interactive light trail in December. The seasonal display includes 13 installations, accompanied by tasty food, warming drinks, and plenty of photo opportunities. The immersive light trail transforms the already beautiful manor into a magical place.

  • From: TBD

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Editors

At Thatsup, we have extensive experience of guiding our readers to a city’s hidden gems. Since 2008, our editors have been writing insightful guides covering restaurants, bars, cafes, hotels, and hairdressers, among other things. Our guides consist of carefully selected tips based on our local knowledge and are regularly updated with the help of our focus group, where we collectively discuss selections and content. We are constantly working to inspire and provide you with the best possible experience, no matter where you are or what you are looking for.