Greek Christmas in London does not wait for December. The big West End switch ons start in the first week of November, and this guide gives you the 2026 dates in one place, the easiest way to reach each street, and a Greek stop near every one of them, so a quick look at the lights becomes a proper evening out with coffee, souvlaki or a glass of Assyrtiko.
The dates come from the full list published by Time Out London on 26 October, with Carnaby details from Secret London. Save the page, the dates are close together and easy to mix up.
The short version: St Martin’s Lane goes first on Tuesday 3 November at 4.45pm. Carnaby follows on Wednesday 4 November and Regent Street on Thursday 5 November, the same evening Battersea Power Station lights its chandeliers and 40ft tree. Knightsbridge is Tuesday 10 November, Marylebone Village is Wednesday 11 November, and Thursday 12 November is the big one, with Covent Garden, Bond Street and Chelsea switching on together. Leadenhall Market closes the list on Thursday 19 November. Oxford Street has not confirmed its date yet, but its new design mixes the classic stars with a Harry Potter theme.
The trick to a good Greek Christmas in London is to pair each switch on with a Greek table nearby. Most of the streets below are a ten minute walk from a Greek List member, which matters when it is cold and the crowds are thick.
Carnaby switches on first, on Wednesday 4 November, with a brand new installation called Press Play on Christmas: 90s nostalgia, neon colours and a lot of phones pointed at the sky. A free Switch On Pass unlocks offers in the shops and bars on the night and through the winter, so register before you go. One night later, on Thursday 5 November, Regent Street closes to traffic for the return of its Spirits of Christmas angels, the huge winged figures that run from Piccadilly Circus up to Oxford Circus, with a promised twist this year.
Getting there: Oxford Circus (Central, Victoria, Bakerloo) for both. Carnaby is a three minute walk south of the station, Regent Street starts right outside it.
Greek stop nearby: The Elysée on 13 Percy Street, Fitzrovia, ten minutes on foot from Oxford Circus. Dinner downstairs, bouzouki upstairs, and the rooftop bar hosts the Greek List Halloween party on Saturday 31 October.
Marylebone keeps its switch on small and local. On Wednesday 11 November at 6pm the High Street fills with festive stalls, crafts and family entertainment, and this year a 55ft Ferris wheel goes up on Devonshire Street. The lights are the elegant white branches in the photo, not a showpiece like Bond Street, but the atmosphere is the warmest of the lot. It is also the most Greek corner of a Greek Christmas in London: Paddington Street has two of the best modern Greek restaurants in the city and the Hellenic Centre, which hosts talks and exhibitions all winter.
Getting there: Baker Street or Bond Street station, then eight to ten minutes on foot. Regent’s Park station is closer to the top of the High Street.
Bond Street is the one to photograph. On Thursday 12 November the street closes to cars from 4pm to 8pm, a brass band plays, and at 7pm the countdown switches on the giant illuminated crown inspired by the Crown Jewels, built from more than 80,000 LEDs. This is the year to see it: 2026 is the last season for the crown design before a new theme arrives. Go early and stand near the Burlington Gardens end for the crown and the whole street in one frame.
Getting there: Bond Street (Central, Elizabeth, Jubilee) or Green Park. The switch on crowd gathers on New Bond Street near the Maddox Street junction.
Greek stop nearby: Chill House Coffee on 10 Shepherd Street, Mayfair, eight minutes south through Berkeley Square. Freddo espresso, Greek pastries and a quiet table away from the crowds.
The same Thursday, 12 November, Covent Garden switches on 30,000 lights across the Piazza, Seven Dials and Neal’s Yard. The new trees take their inspiration from West End shows, and the market halls get gold bells, mirror balls and oversized baubles. It is the most family friendly of the central switch ons, with the big tree outside St Paul’s church. If you want the classic family photo of your Greek Christmas in London, grandparents and kids under the baubles, this is the place, and it is worth having a professional take it.
Getting there: Covent Garden (Piccadilly) is right on the Piazza but gets closed when busy. Leicester Square or Holborn are a five minute walk and far calmer.
Greek stop nearby: Manos Photography and Aneliza Photography, two Greek photographers in London for family portraits and winter sessions. Book a slot under the Covent Garden lights and the Christmas card is sorted.
The City waits a week longer. On Thursday 19 November Leadenhall Market, the Victorian arcade near Bank, switches on its garlands and a light tunnel, with live music and a 26ft tree in the atrium. It is covered, so it is the best option on a rainy evening, and after 7pm the office crowd thins out. Hyde Park Winter Wonderland opens the same evening, if you prefer rides to arcades.
Getting there: Bank or Monument, then three minutes along Gracechurch Street. Liverpool Street is seven minutes away.
Greek stop nearby: Dental Love on 1 King William Street, five minutes from the market. A Greek dental practice in the City, handy for a check up before melomakarona season.
Knightsbridge switches on Tuesday 10 November with an eco design made from aluminium and 3,000 recycled plastic bottles. Chelsea, from Sloane Square along the King’s Road, goes on Thursday 12 November with sparkling crowns. Christmas at Kew opens Friday 13 November and needs advance tickets. Skate Leicester Square is already open from 31 October, so you can combine skating with the Covent Garden lights. And Fleet Street gets a free Dennis the Menace trail from 18 November.
One more tip: the switch on nights are when office parties and family dinners start getting booked, so this is the week to sort hair, nails and the outfit, not the week before Christmas.
Greek stop nearby: Athena Salons on 125 Essex Road, Islington, a Greek owned hair and nails salon near Angel. Book early, December fills up fast.
A Greek Christmas in London is not only lights. Greek List events is the most complete list of Greek events in the UK, listing your own event is free, and here is what is on in the next ten days:
The businesses in this guide are Greek List members. More than 100,000 Greeks and Cypriots in the UK read Greek List every month on the site, in the newsletter and in the Ellines sto Londino Facebook group, and listings rank first on Google. Want your business in the next guide? Pick a plan or add your listing today.
Which switch on are you going to for your Greek Christmas in London? Tell us in the Facebook group Ellines sto Londino and share your photos of the lights.
