St Luke's Festival of Light and Christmas Market

St Luke's Festival of Light and Christmas Market returns to St Luke's Hospice on Sunday 6 December, and this year it's a bit bigger than usual. 2026 marks 55 years of the hospice providing care to patients and families across Sheffield, and to mark the anniversary, the festival now spans both of St Luke's sites. The main event is at the hospice on Ecclesall Road South (S11 9PX), and it's one of the city's most cherished festive traditions: thousands of twinkling lights fill the gardens, each dedicated in memory of a loved one, turning the evening into a moment of reflection, remembrance and togetherness.

There's a new addition this year: a Christmas Market that runs from 11am to 4pm, well before the lights go on. It'll have street food, festive refreshments, live entertainment from local performers and a family photo area, so you can make a proper day of it. The ceremony itself opens with the Book of Remembrance, and there's complimentary mulled wine and mince pies to go around. If you want to donate and dedicate a light in memory of someone, you can do that at www.festival-of-light.org.uk.

The ceremony is hosted by BBC Look North presenter and St Luke's supporter Tom Ingall, with tributes from nurse Lynne Ghasemi and supporter Richard Scholey, who is remembering his wife Margaret. The lights are switched on at 6pm, and the whole thing wraps up around 7pm.

Logistically, the hospice is on Ecclesall Road South (S11 9PX), and there's a free park-and-ride bus running from Tesco Abbeydale Road (S7 2QB) to make getting there easier. The Christmas Market runs 11am to 4pm, the Festival of Light opens at 4pm, the switch-on is at 6pm, and it finishes around 7pm.