Ledbury's 2026 Christmas lights switch-on is set for Sunday 22 November on the High Street. The programme is not out yet; last year's ran noon to 5.30pm.

Ledbury’s Christmas lights switch-on in 2026 is on Sunday 22 November, on the High Street, with the lights going on at the Market House. Ledbury Town Council runs it, and the day is free.

Is it on this year? Yes, as far as the council’s own papers go. Its Events Working Party recommended in January that the council “hold the Light Switch on Event in 2026 on Sunday, 22 November 2026, to avoid clashes with events in neighbouring towns”, and asked Full Council to approve a £5,000 budget for it. Both recommendations went on the Full Council agenda for 29 January 2026. What the council has not published yet is the 2026 programme: the start time, the switch-on time, the market and the entertainment. Its events page still carries last year’s listing. We will update this page when the 2026 one goes up.

What is confirmed for 2026

Status on 31 October
Date Sunday 22 November 2026, per the Events Working Party recommendation
Where Ledbury High Street, with the switch-on at the Market House
Cost Free, as every year
Budget £5,000 recommended to Full Council, not including market stand hire
Programme and times Not yet published
Switch-on time Not yet published. It was 5pm in 2025
Road closures None published

What last year’s looked like

The council’s listing for the 2025 switch-on, on Sunday 23 November 2025, 12 noon to 5.30pm, gave this running order:

  • 10.30am to 1pm: lantern-making workshop at Ledbury Community Hub, for the evening parade
  • 12 noon: the Christmas market and the event open on the High Street
  • 1pm to 4pm: Santa’s grotto at Ledbury Community Hub, with a small gift for each child
  • Afternoon on the High Street: storytelling from Jonny Fluffypunk, two sets from The Hey Yahs, a Winter Fairy walkabout, and Morris dancing in St Katherine’s Square with a chance to join in
  • 2.30pm to 4.30pm: crafts and face painting in St Katherine’s Hall
  • 4.15pm to 5pm: the lantern parade from the Community Hub down the High Street, and Ledbury Brass Band with the Community Choir at the Market House
  • 5pm: the official switch-on at the Market House, then a last Morris dance at 5.05pm

The council’s January minutes call 2025 “a successful return to full-scale delivery” after a reduced event in 2024 that was cut back because of the weather. Expect the same shape on 22 November, but treat the times above as last year’s until the 2026 programme is out.

Parking

The day falls on a Sunday, and Herefordshire Council’s two main Ledbury car parks are free all day on Sundays:

  • St Katherine’s car park, HR8 2AB: 130 spaces, 5 accessible, long stay. Free all day Sunday
  • Bye Street car park, HR8 1BU: 72 spaces, 2 accessible, short stay. Free all day Sunday

Both sets of figures are from the council’s own car park pages. Our parking in Hereford and Herefordshire page has the county rules.

No road closure for the event has been published. If a temporary order appears for 2026, it will go on our roadworks and travel page.

The rest of Ledbury’s Christmas

Last year the council also listed a Christmas craft fair at the Market House, a late-night shopping evening on Friday 5 December 2025 and the town carol service. None of those has a 2026 listing yet. We will add them here as they are published.

Elsewhere in the county: Ross-on-Wye switches on at 4.30pm on Sunday 29 November at its Christmas Fayre (our Ross-on-Wye Christmas page), Leominster’s Victorian street market is on Saturday 12 December (Leominster Victorian Christmas market), and Hereford’s own switch-on date is still unannounced (Hereford Christmas lights). For everything else, see what’s on in Hereford this month.

Sources