Last updated 9 October 2026. The date and times below come from Teddington Together, who run the evening. The full 2026 programme has not been published yet, so the details further down are from last year, and we say so.
Teddington does its Christmas switch-on on a Thursday, after work and after school, with the whole High Street turned over to it for an evening. Lanterns, carols, a grotto, stalls and then the lights. It is one of the friendliest nights of the year in this corner of the river.
The date
Teddington town centre · Thursday 26 November 2026, 4.30pm to 8pm · Free
Organised by Teddington Together, the community group behind the town's events. They will publish the full running order nearer the time, and we will add it here when they do.
What happened last year
In 2025 the evening ran from 4.30pm to 8pm, and it is a fair guide to the shape of this year's:
- 4.30pm: the lantern parade, setting off from Broad Street.
- Through the evening: food, drink, craft and gift stalls, choirs and carol singing, children's funfair rides and an elf hunt with prizes.
- Santa's grotto at the King's Head.
- 6pm: the big switch-on.
The year before, there was also an indoor market at the Teddington Con Club on Stanley Road and the funfair rides were in the Cedar Road car park. Whether those come back in 2026 is not yet announced.
Making an evening of it
- Arrive for the parade, not the switch-on. If you have children with lanterns, 4.30pm is the moment. By 6pm the High Street is at its busiest.
- Bring some cash in small notes. Plenty of stalls take cards, but not every one, and the queues move quicker.
- Leave the car. The town centre is the event, so walking or the train is far easier than looking for a space. Teddington station is a short walk from the High Street.
- Wrap up for a long stand. It is late November and you will be outside for a couple of hours. A flask does not go amiss.
The same week nearby
- Kingston Christmas Market, open from 12 November 2026 to 3 January 2027. Thursday is a late night, with stalls open until 8pm.
- Christmas at Kew, 13 November 2026 to 3 January 2027. Ticketed and it sells out. Closed 16, 23 and 28 November and Christmas Day.
- Hampton Court Palace ice rink, from 20 November 2026 to 3 January 2027.
- Twickenham Christmas Light Up is usually the Friday of the week before. The 2026 date has not been confirmed yet.
Coming home
It is properly dark by the time the lights go on, and cold by the time you walk back. We leave a cordless lamp on in the window before we go out, so the house is glowing when we get in, and keep a throw on the sofa for the children to burrow into. If the stalls have you thinking about presents, our Christmas gift guide is grouped by budget, with UK delivery included.
More nearby: Christmas in Twickenham, Christmas in Kingston upon Thames and what to take to a Christmas market.