Covent Garden Christmas Lights Switch-On

Covent Garden switches on its Christmas lights on Thursday 12 November, the moment that sets the season in motion for one of London's most memorable displays. The estate usually announces the date in October, and from there the lights run daily from mid-afternoon until midnight into early January, so the switch-on is the first look at what stays up for the next few months.

The display itself is built around the 19th-century Market Building, where giant gold bells and oversized baubles hang from the ceiling. Mistletoe-style installations stretch over the streets, and a Christmas tree stands in the West Piazza. It doesn't stop there, either — the lights extend through Seven Dials and Neal's Yard, so it's a good bit of ground to cover on foot. The whole festive programme runs for about seven weeks, and the area's Christmas market has been named the best in the UK.

Most people pair the lights with dinner or another festive activity rather than making a dedicated evening of it, and the neighbourhood's churches run their own seasonal services while the Royal Ballet and Opera stage a separate winter season. If you'd rather watch the switch-on from a table than from the street, Pivot British Bar & Bistro at 3 Henrietta Street is running a dinner with a view of the tree and the lights, with complimentary drinks included. Tickets there go from £48.60 to £54.00.