The lights go on at 4.30pm on 28 November, the Bligh's Walk market runs 11 to 24 December and the Stag panto opens on 11 December. Updated November 2026.
Christmas in Sevenoaks 2026 starts at 4.30pm on Saturday 28 November, when the Mayor switches on the High Street lights. The Bligh’s Walk Christmas market follows, every day from Friday 11 to Thursday 24 December, and Robin Hood opens at the Stag Theatre the same Friday evening and runs to 3 January.
The three dates to know
Saturday 28 November: the lights switch-on. The town centre event runs from 3pm to 5.30pm, with the Mayor, Cllr Victoria Granville, and the Robin Hood panto cast counting down to the lights at 4.30pm. There are fairground rides, stalls, Santa’s Grotto under the clocktower, and Elsa, Anna and Olaf from Frozen in the crowds. The High Street, Dorset Street and part of Akehurst Lane close from 1.30pm to 7pm (Sevenoaks Town Council). The switch-on timings and road closures have the full afternoon.
Friday 11 to Thursday 24 December: the Bligh’s Walk Christmas market. The town council’s market runs every day for a fortnight, for gifts, decorations and food, on top of the usual Wednesday and Saturday markets (Sevenoaks Town Council).
Friday 11 December to Sunday 3 January: Robin Hood at the Stag. The Sevenoaks panto runs for 43 family performances plus four adults only nights, with tickets from £16 (The Stag Sevenoaks).
The same Friday, 11 December, Sevenoaks Town Team holds the Holly Party, a shared Christmas party at the Bat and Ball Centre from 7.30pm to 11pm with the band Jonah’s Wail and a buffet, at £28 plus a booking fee (Sevenoaks Town Council).
See
- Sevenoaks Christmas lights switch-on: Saturday 28 November, 3pm to 5.30pm, lights on at 4.30pm.
- The panto cast joining the Mayor for the countdown, with the town council’s photographs from last year.
- The children’s Design a Christmas Light competition: the winning drawing becomes a real light outside House in the Basement, and the council says more than 260 children entered.
- Christmas light trails near Sevenoaks: five ticketed evening trails, including Hever, 25 minutes away.
- Carol services in Sevenoaks: choirs in Knole’s Green Court on 5, 12 and 19 December, Nine Lessons and Carols at St Nicholas on 20 December, and candles at the Vine bandstand at 5pm on Christmas Eve.
Do
- Father Christmas near Sevenoaks: Polhill at £15.50 a child, Coolings, Hever and five more, with the dates that are still available.
- Pantomimes near Sevenoaks: Robin Hood at the Stag and five more within an hour, with the performances already sold out.
- Ice skating near Sevenoaks: there is no rink in the district, so it is Bluewater, open to 3 January, or Tunbridge Wells from 26 November.
Eat
- Christmas Day lunch in Sevenoaks: six pubs with Christmas Day menus, from £89.95 at the Windmill to £125 in Westerham, with their deposits and child prices.
Shop
- Christmas markets near Sevenoaks: Westerham’s church craft market on 14 November, Chiddingstone Castle on 21 November, Edenbridge on 28 November, Tonbridge and the Bligh’s Walk market.
Travel and bins
- Christmas train times from Sevenoaks: the last train from Charing Cross on Christmas Eve is the 21:45, and there are no trains on 25 or 26 December.
- Christmas bin collections: collection days move from 25 December to 15 January, and garden waste stops from 21 December to 18 January.
What has not been announced yet
The town council has not published the Bligh’s Walk market’s daily hours for the Christmas run, the switch-on stage times, or whether Santa’s Grotto charges. No New Year’s Eve event in the town has been announced by the council, and St Luke’s and St Mary Kippington have not yet posted their 2026 carol services.
Have your say