Christmas Light Switch-On 2026 – All you need to know
Norwich city centre will kick off the festive season in sparkling style on Thursday 19 November with the annual Lights Switch-On.
Event Details:
- City Hall, Hay Hill, Norwich Market, with lights across the city centre.
- Entertainment from 5.30pm, switch-on at 7pm
- Entertainment will include Dr DJ’s Dad Dancing Dispensary, Not Your Average Choir as well as the annual snowball throw.
- Following the Switch-On, enjoy live music from The Lovin’ Handful on Gentleman’s Walk as part of the very first Norwich Winter Sessions.
- The Switch-On event will also launch the Festive Love Letter trail, a family-friendly treasure hunt which will encourage visitors to seek out 30 festive love letters hidden in twinkling shop windows.
The magic doesn’t stop when the lights come on. Following the Switch-On, Norwich BID are delighted to be partnering with NORCA to launch the very first Norwich Winter Sessions.
A festive counterpart to our hugely popular summer festival, this exciting new event will treat visitors to live performances from the hugely popular and entertainment around Hay Hill and Gentleman’s Walk following the Switch-On at 7pm.
Visitors will be treated to live music from The Lovin’ Handful, an 8-piece skifflegrass band hailing from the city of Norwich. The Handful have been playing their own brand of entertaining pop/rock/indie covers for well over a decade, combining banjo, violin, double bass, cajon, all sorts of guitars and a well used cow-bell to create a unique rowdy melodic party shambles. Put on your dancing shoes and come sing along to some (Christmas) classics.
Sponsored by Costa Coffee, Norwich Winter Sessions gives visitors another reason to stay and soak up the festive atmosphere as they browse the shops after dark or enjoy with a warming drink or two.
And this festive season the twinkling array of lights, will decorate busy shopping streets across the city right up until the end of January. The move comes following feedback from residents, businesses and visitors keen to see some winter sparkle during one of the most challenging months of the year.
The lights are provided and managed by Norwich BID and powered almost entirely by renewable energy, reflecting the city’s commitment to sustainable events and being a climate-responsive place to live.
Stefan Gurney, Executive Director of Norwich BID, said: “Christmas is a wonderful opportunity to bring people together and celebrate everything that makes Norwich such a special place.
“From our city-wide festive lights and the new Norwich Winter Sessions, bringing music and performance to our streets, to the Festive Love Letters Trail encouraging families to explore and discover hidden corners of the city.
“We are proud to create memorable experiences that give people more reasons to visit, shop, eat and spend time here. And by keeping our lights shining until the end of January, we hope to carry some of that festive magic into the new year, brightening the darker winter days and supporting our city centre businesses to get 2027 off to a strong start.”
VisitNorwich will launch the new Love Letters trail on the same day as the Switch-On in conjunction with the Sainsbury Centre. It will run until 10 January with opportunities to win festive prizes.
Norwich City Council’s commitment to making sure events can be enjoyed by everyone has been recognised by bronze accessibility accreditation.
This year’s lights switch-on arrangements include an accessible viewing area, bookable in advance, and calm and quiet spaces available close to the event. Full details can be found here.