Verified and updated November 13, 2026, at 9:02 a.m. GMT (UTC+00:00).
Crawley Borough Council’s Christmas lights switch-on is scheduled for Saturday, November 21, in Queens Square, with entertainment running from 1:00 to 5:30 p.m. GMT (UTC+00:00). The main moment comes at 5:20 p.m., when Father Christmas and the Mayor of Crawley are set to lead the countdown to the switch-on.
The afternoon programme combines choirs, theatre, swing music, a silent disco and the town poet laureate’s custom poems. For visitors planning around the countdown, the council’s published schedule means the festivities begin four hours and twenty minutes before it.
The event is an afternoon of entertainment in Queens Square, hosted by the mischievous North Pole Elves from Imajica Theatre, according to the council. The published line-up includes performances by Mr Lilley’s New Voices children’s and youth choir, the all-female Songbirds Choir, DMT Musical Theatre and British swing singer Shane Hampsheir.
There will also be skating Christmas trees and a silent disco. Woodzy, Crawley’s poet laureate, is expected to create custom poems on his typewriter for visitors to take away. The council says he will also write a poem for the day, to be shared before the tree lights are switched on.
The countdown is scheduled for 5:20 p.m. on Saturday, November 21, at Queens Square. The event’s location is Crawley, West Sussex, where the UK is on Greenwich Mean Time in November: 5:20 p.m. GMT is 17:20 UTC on the same date. The council says Father Christmas and the Mayor of Crawley will lead the countdown.
Entertainment is scheduled to continue until 5:30 p.m. The countdown is therefore ten minutes before the published end of the programme. Those hoping to see the switch-on should plan to arrive with enough time to find a place in the square before the countdown begins.
The council describes the switch-on as an annual Christmas tree lights event and says this year’s tree will be larger, with enhanced festive lighting across the town centre. Council Leader Michael Jones said additional investment made the changes possible. The council presents the event as a seasonal gathering for residents and visitors, and says it hopes the occasion will bring extra footfall to town-centre shops, cafés and restaurants.
That potential boost is an expectation, not a confirmed economic result. The council has not published a visitor forecast or a measured estimate of the event’s effect on local businesses in its announcement. The confirmed details are the venue, date, programme hours and listed performers.
The council’s announcement confirms the public programme and its timings, but does not provide detailed travel, parking, accessibility or weather arrangements in the information reviewed for this article. Check the Crawley Borough Council event announcement for any updates before setting out. The same council page lists two further free festive shows at the Town Hall: A Christmas Carol on November 28 and Goldilocks: The Christmas Show on December 5 and 6.
The council announcement does not specify admission details for the November 21 switch-on. It does describe the later Town Hall shows as free.
The countdown is scheduled for 5:20 p.m. GMT. Allow time to reach Queens Square and find a viewing spot beforehand.
It is scheduled to take place in Queens Square, Crawley, West Sussex.
Source: Crawley Borough Council, “Join the countdown as Crawley lights up for Christmas,” published November 9, 2026.
Ormskirk’s free Christmas lights event is set for Nov. 22, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. GMT. Find the 5 p.m. switch-on, markets and parking tips.
Stone Christmas events 2026: See when to arrive for the Nov. 19 lights switch-on, 5 p.m. entertainment, 7 p.m. countdown, funfair and stalls.
Skelmersdale’s free Christmas lights event is Nov. 15, 2026 on Southway. Find the noon start, 5 PM GMT switch-on, 5:15 PM finish and family activities.
Plan for Scunthorpe’s free Christmas celebration on November 21, 2026, with daytime activities from noon and the official lights switch-on at 5:30 p.m. GMT.
Crawley’s Christmas lights switch-on brings live music, festive performances and a 5:20 p.m. countdown to Queens Square on November 21, 2026.
Plan for Greenwich’s free Christmas Lantern Parade on Nov. 18, 2026: see the route, start time, market light switch-on and visitor details.
Greenwich Market’s Christmas lights switch on at 5 p.m. on Nov. 18, after a lantern parade gathers at 4 p.m. See the route, schedule, and event end time.
Plan for Oldham’s November 14 Christmas lights switch-on: the Parliament Square show begins at 5:30 p.m. GMT, with free council car parking from 3:30 p.m.
Darlington's free Christmas lights event starts November 15 at 4 p.m. Find the switch-on schedule, viewing accessibility and transport options.
Newcastle’s free Christmas lights event is scheduled for November 12. Entertainment is listed from 6 p.m. and the switch-on at 7 p.m. GMT near Grey’s Monument.
