Oxford’s Christmas Light Festival returns from Friday 13 to Sunday 15 November 2026, with a Rose Hill lantern parade, a light trail in Cutteslowe Park and family activities across the city.
The programme stretches from Cowley and East Oxford to the Leys and the city centre. Many events are free, although some workshops need advance booking and the Museum of Oxford’s lantern-making activity costs £2 per person. Broad Street’s Victorian Christmas Market starts a day before the main festival, on Thursday 12 November.
At a glance
Festival dates: Friday 13 to Sunday 15 November 2026.
Locations: Venues and neighbourhoods across Oxford, with online activities in the lead-up.
Booking: Check individual listings. Free admission does not always mean a ticket is unnecessary.
Programme: See the official festival listings for updates.
Oxford Christmas Light Festival programme
The following dates and times are listed by the festival organisers. The Leys event has no published start time, and the Christmas Light Bus route should be checked before travelling to see it.
| Date | Event and location | Time and details |
|---|---|---|
| 12–15 November | Victorian Christmas Market, Broad Street | Friday and Saturday 10am–7pm. Sunday 10am–5pm. Check Thursday’s opening time with the organiser. Free entry. |
| Friday 13 November | Winter Lights at Ark-T, The Venue, 242b Barns Road, OX4 3RQ | 5pm–8pm. Music, food and creative activities. Listed as free, with a pay-what-you-feel option. |
| 13–14 November | Oxford Christmas Light Bus, various locations | Friday and Saturday. Check the festival listing for route and timing updates. |
| Saturday 14 November | Light Festival at Pegasus, Magdalen Road, OX4 1RE | Daytime activities 10am–4pm. Youth open mic 7pm–9pm. Free, with booking required for some activities. |
| Saturday 14 November | Christmas Lights Festival at MOX, Museum of Oxford, Town Hall, St Aldate’s, OX1 1BX | 11am–12.30pm and 1.30pm–3pm. Free gallery entry. Lantern craft £2 per person, with pre-booking recommended. |
| Saturday 14 November | DSO Singing and Signing Choir, Bonn Square | Noon–2pm. Free performance. |
| Saturday 14 November | Fantastic Fiction, Rose Hill Community Centre, Carole’s Way, OX4 4HF | Activities from 2pm. Gather for the parade from 4.30pm, with departure listed at 5pm. Event ends at 6pm. Free. |
| Saturday 14 November | Cutteslowe Light Trail, Cutteslowe Park | From 4pm, according to the festival programme. |
| Sunday 15 November | Lighting Up the Community From Within, The Barn, the Leys, OX4 7BU | Free community lighting project. Check the organiser’s listing for timings. |
Lanterns and storytelling at Rose Hill
Books and fictional adventures provide the theme for Rose Hill’s Fantastic Fiction celebration, organised by Film Oxford, Rose Hill Community Centre and Rose Hill Junior Youth Club.
Indoor activities begin at 2pm, with lantern-making and a free community meal. The organisers ask participants to gather outside the community centre from 4.30pm for a 5pm parade around the estate, accompanied by a live band. Young people’s lanterns will draw on favourite stories and characters.
In north Oxford, the council says The North Wall Arts Centre and Cutteslowe Community Association’s trail will bring craft activities, music, theatre, railway journeys and discos to Cutteslowe Park. Check the festival programme for further details before setting out.
Free theatre activities, with some tickets required
Pegasus Theatre’s daytime programme combines IF Oxford’s drop-in Glow Gallery with light-inspired arts and crafts led by Carmen Rodriguez Macias. Two bookable activities offer different ways to take part.
WhatNot Theatre’s The Battle of Night and Day is an interactive walking performance around the building, with free ticketed sessions at 10.30am, 11.30am, 1pm and 2pm on Saturday 14 November.
Emma Boor and Euton Daley lead the Wild Boor shadow-puppet workshops at 10am, 11.30am, 1.30pm and 3pm. These are also free but require tickets, and materials are provided.
The evening Youth Open Mic runs from 7pm to 9pm for performers aged 14–18, featuring music, spoken word and poetry. Tickets are free, and artists are asked to book a place. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
City-centre crafts and neighbourhood displays
The Victorian Christmas Market brings traders, food, drink and street entertainment to Broad Street over four days. On Saturday, visitors can also hear the DSO Singing and Signing Choir in Bonn Square or visit the Museum of Oxford for object handling, a new gallery trail and lantern crafts.
Ark-T’s Friday evening event offers music and creative activities in Cowley. Its listing identifies a quiet space for visitors with sensory needs, but warns that the main area can become difficult to navigate in a wheelchair during busy periods.
On Sunday, Integrate Community’s Leys project invites residents to decorate homes and shared spaces using festive lighting kits. The plans also include a communal tree-lighting activity, with The Barn listed as the event location.
For anyone creating a display at home, IF Oxford’s Glow Your Own programme combines coding and crafting, with online sessions and on-demand material. Check its equipment guidance before joining. The festival website also provides instructions for simpler willow, jam-jar and star lanterns.
Planning your visit
Is everything free?
No. Several events are listed as free, but the Museum of Oxford’s lantern craft costs £2 per person. Check individual activities rather than assuming the whole programme is free or that all extras are included.
Do I need to book?
Some activities are drop-in. Pegasus’s walking performances and shadow-puppet workshops need free tickets, while the museum recommends advance booking for its limited craft spaces.
Where can I check access arrangements?
Contact the relevant venue about your requirements, particularly for outdoor trails and busy sessions. Ark-T has published specific advice about its quiet space and wheelchair navigation at peak times.
Check the official Oxford Christmas Light Festival programme for changes, booking links and newly announced details before travelling.
