Last updated 14 October 2026. Every date below is checked against the organiser's own page. Where a 2026 date has not been announced yet, we say so rather than guess.
For one Wednesday evening in December, Shepperton High Street closes to traffic and fills up with around six thousand people, forty-five stalls, a stage full of school choirs and a Santa with real reindeer. It is run entirely by volunteers, and it is free. Here is everything confirmed for 2026.
Big Tree Night
Shepperton High Street, from the traffic lights down to Mere Road · Wednesday 9 December 2026, 5pm to 8.30pm · Free, no tickets
The running order
The organisers have published this, with the usual note that timings can change on the night.
- 5pm Stalls open.
- 6.25pm The Mayor opens the evening.
- 6.30pm Santa arrives on stage.
- 6.35pm Santa heads to his grotto and his reindeer by Shepperton Library.
- 6.40pm Carols with St Nicholas School Choir, then Saxon School Choir, Thamesmead School Band and The Stewart Academy Choir.
- 8.30pm Santa leaves.
If you have small children, the reindeer are the thing, and the queue builds quickly after Santa leaves the stage. Head to the library end a little before 6.35pm.
Getting there
The High Street closes from 4pm and reopens by 10pm. Shepperton station is a few steps away, and the organisers say the train is the easiest way in. If you must drive, the nearest paid car park is Manor Park at the Memorial end of the High Street, and it fills early. The 555 and 557 buses are diverted for the evening, though the 555 still stops at Station Approach.
Close by
Hampton Court Palace
- Ice rink, 20 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, closed on Christmas Day. A separate ticket from the palace.
- The Winter Palace, 28 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, with the new Christmas Beast Ball in the Cartoon Gallery. Included in palace admission, and open late on some December evenings.
- Festive Fayre, 4 to 6 and 11 to 13 December 2026, 10am to 5pm. Included in admission, and the palace advises booking.
Walton's Festival of Light
Walton town centre · Saturday 28 November 2026, 11am to 7pm · Free
A lantern parade after dark and a market through the day. Our Walton Christmas guide has the details.
Ashford Wide Christmas Market
Church Road, Ashford · Wednesday 2 December 2026, 5pm to 8pm · Free
The week before Big Tree Night. See our Ashford Christmas guide.
Boxing Day racing at Kempton Park
Kempton Park, Sunbury · Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 December 2026
The King George VI Chase on Boxing Day, gates from 10.30am. Tickets are on sale through the Jockey Club. Our Sunbury Christmas guide has the toy fair and antiques market too.
Expected, but not yet confirmed
These ran in 2025. St Nicholas Church has not published its 2026 Christmas services yet, so please check before you go.
- Christingle at St Nicholas, Church Square. Ran on Sunday 14 December 2025 at 10am.
- Nine Lessons and Carols at St Nicholas. Ran on the Sunday before Christmas, 21 December 2025, at 6pm.
- Crib services on Christmas Eve at 3pm and 4pm, and the late service at 9.30pm, in 2025.
We will update this page as the dates land. If you would rather be told, the signup at the foot of this page is one short letter a month and nothing else.
Bringing a little of it home
Big Tree Night is a cold, crowded, lovely evening, and you will want to be warm the moment you get in. A few things we keep for exactly that:
- Home for Christmas Mug and Cosy Socks Set, £17.95. Hot chocolate and warm feet, in that order.
- Christmas Village Gingerbread Candle, £14.95. A tall glass printed with a little village, smelling of gingerbread.
- The Woodsmoke Edit, £39.95. Three candles for the darkest weeks of the year.
Our Christmas gift guide is grouped by what you want to spend, and the Christmas gifting collection has everything in one place. Delivery in the UK is included.
For the wider area, see Christmas markets near Sunbury-on-Thames, and what to take to a Christmas market.