Best London Christmas Lights 2023: Switch-On Dates & Tips (+Map)

The festive season is just around the corner and the city of London is dazzling with the most beautiful and largest Christmas decoration of all time.

The traditional streets of central London are already in the Christmas spirit filled with Christmas lights and ravishing displays and windows.

But the Christmas Lights in London go beyond this famous part of the town. You can find exquisite Christmas decorations, impressive displays of lights, and magical light trails in every corner of this phenomenal city.

From twinkling stars to golden illuminated angels, sparkling tunnels of lights, immense Christmas trees and dancing waterside reflections, here are the 15 best London Christmas Lights in 2023.

If you want to see most of the places mentioned in this post in one go, you should consider taking a Christmas Lights walking tour, a bus tour or a private tour on a traditional black cab.

You’ll be chauffeured around all the most festive locations in town and enjoy a unique perspective of London’s streets glowing in the dark.

Here are some of the tours that I recommend:

London Christmas Lights 2023 Switch-On Dates

1 – Kew Gardens

“Christmas at Key” is celebrating its 11th anniversary in 2023 and it’s more spectacular than ever.

You’ll find surprising installations including ‘Starry Night’, ‘Floating UV Feathers’, and ‘Willow Hives” alongside the Instagrammers-favourite ‘Christmas Cathedral’.

The final stop of the trail and grand finale is a phenomenal series of stunning projections across the historic glasshouse and adjacent lake accompanied by much-loved Christmas classics.

Kew Gardens Christmas Lights is beyond magical and fascinating. It’s a celebration of nature by night and a unique experience enchanting children and adults alike, like no other.

• Switch-on: 15/11/23 to 07/01/24
• Address: Kew Gardens, Richmond, London, TW9 3AE

Tips:

• Kew Garden Christmas Lights 2023 is open from 4:20 p.m. to 10 p.m. (last entry at 8:00).
• Tickets are a bit expensive (off-peak £22.50 / peak £29.00 + £2.5 admin fee), but it’s totally worthwhile.
• Dress appropriately, with tights, hats and gloves, as it can get very cold.

2 – Regent Street

We know that the countdown to the festive season starts when Regent Street Christmas lights are lit up.

‘The Spirit of Christmas’ is back in the capital with 300,000 LED lights forming stunning 45 spirit-shaped displays soaring through the evening skies above Regent Street and St James’s neighbourhoods.

The red double-deck buses running up and down Regent Street make everything even more picturesque creating an iconic image of Christmas in London that’s extensively shared on social media and enchants people all over the world.

• Switch-on: 09/11/23 to 03/01/24
• Address: Regent Street, London, W1B 4EA

Tips:

• Regent Street Christmas lights are switched daily from 3:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. for a more sustainable display.
• This area gets extremely busy on the weekends and if you want to take pictures for your Instagram, you should also avoid peak time because of the traffic.

3 – Covent Garden

If you’re looking for the best place to see the Christmas lights in London with kids for free, Covent Garden is the answer.

Starting with the famous Market Building bedecked with 40 gigantic bells with bows, 8 spinning mirror balls, to the huge 60-foot Christmas tree at the piazza, which claims to be the tallest in London, which is adorned with 30,000 festive lights.

There are festivals, a traditionally decorated Sleigh and even a daily snowfall (from midday to 9:00 pm, hourly).

What I like most about Covent Garden Christmas Lights is that all the buildings around the piazza have Christmas decorations. On the weekends there are always people playing music inside and outside the market.

• Switch-on: 07/11/23 to 03/01/24
• Address: Covent Garden Piazza, London, WC2H 7AR

4 – Carnaby Street

This year, Carnaby Street is celebrating 26 years of lights and installations, and the theme is Carnaby Universe.

You’ll be immersed in vibrant neon spheres of colour and light waves that will create a moving vortex on this pedestrianised street.

Carnaby Street Christmas Lights 2023 is in collaboration with the charity Choose Love to highlight and support the urgent need to raise funds for refugees around the world.

• Switch-on: 08/11/23
• Address: Carnaby Street, London, W1F 9PS

5 – Oxford Street

One of the most famous places to see London Christmas lights is undoubtedly Oxford Street.

And this year there are shimmering stars glowing softly above Europe’s busiest shopping street.

Some of the highlights of Oxford Street Christmas lights 2023-2024 are Selfridges, with its exquisite window displays and Christmas Market on the Mews, and John Lewis & Partners twinkling building.

• Switch-on: 02/11/23 to 03/01/24
• Address: Oxford Street, London, W1D 1BS

Tip:

• Similarly to Regent Street, you should avoid Oxford Street on the weekends as it gets overcrowded.

6 – New Bond Street

New Bond Street, a luxury shopping district, is another unmissable place to see the best Christmas lights in London.

Its new festive lights for 2023, royal-themed, feature giant illuminated necklaces and crowns inspired by The Imperial State Crown, with 93,652 LED shimmering lights and shapes mirroring the glistening platinum, gold, diamond, and pearl necklaces.

Walk towards the end of New Bond Street and you will find world-famous stores, such as Cartier, Chanel, Dior, Louis Vuitton and Polo Ralph Lauren, displaying opulent Christmas decorations on their façades and windows.

• Switch-on: 17/11/23 to 08/01/24

7 – South Molton Street

South Molton is a street near Bond Street Station that runs from Oxford Street to Brook Street.

This beautiful, pedestrianized shopping street lined with charming boutiques and cosy cafes is one of the top destinations during the festive season.

South Molton Street boasts spectacular Christmas lights displays, featuring a whopping 63,000 lights with a wonderful series of luminous triangular-shaped archways and fairy stars.

8 – Chelsea

Chelsea is undoubtedly one of the best places to see London Christmas lights! Even if you don’t live in this neighbourhood, it’s totally worthwhile paying a visit.

In the area that encompasses Sloane Square, Sloane Street, Duke of York Square, Pavilion Road, and the King’s Road, you’ll find superb clusters of starlights, twinkling trees, graceful glittering silver crowns, an amazing tunnel with floral decorations, a huge Christmas tree and beautiful windows.

My favourite places to see the Christmas lights and decorations in Chelsea 2023-2024 are Sloane Square and The Ivy.

• Switch-on: 18/11/23 to 01/01/24
• Address: Sloane Square, Chelsea, London, SW1W 8AQ; The Ivy Chelsea Garden, 195 – 197 King’s Rd, London, SW3 5EQ

9 – Wembley Park

There’s always something fun happening at Wembley Park and during the festive season, it couldn’t be different!

The main attraction of Wembley Christmas lights this year is The Luminaze – a brand new reflective, light-based, maze-like, walkthrough art installation that will amaze visitors of all ages.

Located off the iconic Olympic Way, The Luminaze will use energy-efficient neon lighting to create bespoke scenes along with motivational messages.

There will be also a four-metre-tall sculpture, The Hourglass, with the new show “We Love This Place” featuring projection mapping, Festive Markets on the first three weekends in December, a series of live music events with choirs and festive singing performances, and much more.

• Switch-on: 02/12/23 to 02/01/24
• Address: Wembley Park, Bridge Road, London HA9 9AA 

10 – Churchill Arms

London’s prettiest pub is also dressed up for Christmas.

Churchill Arms is known for its fabulous flower display but during the festive season the pub exchanges the flowers for pine trees, twinkling lights and lots of Christmas decorations.

The pub located near Notting Hill Gate tube station, is a Christmas spectacle and has become a tradition that everyone looks forward to each year. When you walk past, it’s hard to resist stopping to take a picture!

• Switch-on: 16/11/23 to 06/01/24
• Address: 119 Kensington Street Church, London, W8 7LN

Tip:

The pub is located on a very busy road and taking pictures of it isn’t that easy. So, be patient and go in the evening.

11 – Mayfair

This upscale district of elegant Georgian townhouses, high-end boutiques, exclusive hotels, and gourmet restaurants has a whole range of lavish Christmas decorations.

One of the biggest and brightest displays in the area is on the residential and retail-based road of Mount Street, where the colourful lights and lanterns are threaded through tree branches all along the avenue.

On the corner of Mount Street is The Connaught Hotel’s Christmas tree. Other unmissable places are Scoot’s Restaurant and Annabel’s.

• Switch-on: 17/11/23
• Address: Mount Street, London, W1K 2TN; Annabel’s 46 Berkeley Square, London, W1J 5AT

12 – City Hall

Christmas by the River returns with its annual Christmas Market and transforms the path between London and Tower Bridges into one of the most picturesque places to see the Christmas lights in London.

Alongside the City Hall, you can find colourful neon-lined trees and futuristic glass buildings contrasting with lovely winter wood cabins bringing some Christmas glow to this part of town.

The highlight is the stunning three massive stars glimmering brightly with the magnificent Tower Bridge, the historic Tower of London and the astonishing City’s skyscrapers as a backdrop.

Switch-on: 14/11/23 to 02/01/24
Address: The Queen’s Walk, London, SE1 2AA

Tip:

The best thing about going to Christmas by the River is that apart from seeing the decorations and glimpsing scenic views over the river, you can also enjoy a traditional Christmas market as well as a variety of free activities including outdoor film screenings, choir performances and community activations.

13 – Trafalgar Square and Surrounding Areas

A historically important Christmas tradition in London is the lighting of one of the world’s most famous Christmas trees, which takes place in Trafalgar Square, at the beginning of December, every year, since 1947.

The 25-metre-high tree is a gift from Norway to London, in recognition of Britain’s support in World War II and it’s decorated in traditional Norwegian style with vertical strings of lights.

During the lightning, there’s a blessing of the crib ceremony, featuring a torchlit procession and music from St Martin-in-the-Fields church.

Trafalgar Square isn’t my favourite place to see London Christmas lights. The tree is a bit disappointing. But the Northbank display set by the Strand and the Villiers Street twinkling lights are marvellous.

• Switch-on: 07/11/23 to 06/01/24
• Address: Trafalgar Square, London, WC2N 5DN

Tip:

There is a series of carol concerts and a vibrant market during Christmas in Trafalgar Square.

14 – Southbank

Southbank Centre’s Winter Light display returns to hosting free open-air art exhibitions, all of which feature light and colour, and some also use animation.

The featured artists use a dazzling array of techniques to explore ideas about nature, time, politics, society, and spirituality.

One of the highlights is David Ogle’s iconic illuminated trees on Queen’s Walk, in which the artist has worked with the natural forms of the trees, extending and merging them with brilliantly-coloured neon flex, to create an electric canopy that rises over the pedestrians’ heads.

Other highlights include Dichroic Sphere, a light sculpture powered by a single energy-efficient bulb by Jakob Kvist; Sixty Minute Spectrum, a light show transforming the Southbank Centre into an enormous colourful clock by David Batchelor.

• Switch-on: 13/11/23 to 07/01/24
• Address: Southbank Centre, London, SE1 8XX

Tip:

The best thing about the Southbank Christmas lights is that apart from seeing the artwork, you can grab something to drink or eat at its Winter Market and be entertained by the Electric Winter at Between the Bridges (a nearby riverside venue).

15 – Marylebone

Located between Oxford Street and Baker Street, Marylebone High Street is another shopping district in London that gets lit up to celebrate the festive season.

You can go shopping, drinking, and dining on this West End local’s favourite high street while taking in the Christmas illuminations.

You should also check out Marylebone Village, which boasts a vibrant mix of men’s high-quality fashion and premium independent stores, cosy cafes, and restaurants.

• Switch-on: 09/11/23 to 08/01/24
• Address: Marylebone High Street, London, W1U 5HD

London Xmas Lights 2023-2024 (Map)

After seeing this incredible array of light displays you’ll understand why London is considered one of the best places in the world to spend Christmas.

Whether you’re visiting the city this time of the year or residing here, like me, don’t take it for granted.

Go out and capture memories that you can enjoy and share for years to come.

Safe travels and have fun seeing the London lights.

Don’t forget to save these pins for later 😉