Get ready to embrace the city’s festivities with Lincoln’s Christmas Lights Switch-On – City of Lincoln Council

Lincoln’s Christmas Lights Switch-On returns to the city centre on Thursday, 26 November 2026, as City of Lincoln Council’s Civic Office joins special guests, performers and festive favourites to celebrate the start of the Christmas season. The lights will be switched on by the Right Worshipful the Mayor of Lincoln, Councillor Clare Smalley, alongside Abbie Donnelly, British athlete and bronze medallist in the individual marathon, and gold medallist in the team event at the 2026 European Athletics Championships.

Thousands of visitors are expected to gather in the heart of the city for an evening of live entertainment and family fun, building up to the moment both uphill and downhill Lincoln are lit up for the Christmas period. Stars from this year’s pantomime at the New Theatre Royal, including Olympic gymnast Louis Smith, will join the celebrations.

Music and live entertainment take place on the stage in front of the War Memorial from 4.30pm, with Ross Carrick and BBC Lincolnshire presenters taking to the stage from 5pm. There will be performances from the Danielle Rawlinson School of Dance, the County Amateur Operatic & Dramatic Society Choir, the New Theatre Royal Junior Ensemble and the cast of the New Theatre Royal’s pantomime, ‘Beauty & the Beast’.

Father Christmas will also appear throughout the evening. The countdown to the switch-on takes place at approximately 6.50pm, when the city centre will be illuminated.

Visitors to the switch-on will also get a preview of Lincoln Ice Adventure: as last year, an ice sculpture in the form of the Lincoln Ice Adventure logo will be on display in City Square.

The event also marks the start of Thursday late-night shopping, with selected stores staying open until 8pm on 26 November, 3 December, 10 December and 17 December, so visitors can enjoy the lights while shopping for gifts.

Free parking will be available from 4pm to 9.30pm on the night of the switch-on at Lincoln Central car park and all City of Lincoln Council pay-and-display car parks using the PayByPhone app. Free parking also applies on all the Thursday late-night shopping dates.