York Winter Lights

York Winter Lights returns to the city centre on Thursday 12 November, with the official switch-on that night. It's the annual winter lights festival that takes over the centre, and this year it's run by York Business Improvement District (BID) in partnership with Make It York.

There's a fair bit to it: around 175,000 lights spread across more than 50 streets, so it's not just one high street but a good chunk of the centre. Historic buildings, trees and lamp posts get garlands, drop lights and solar-powered Christmas trees. The Tree of Light uses Twinkly LED technology, and there's a giant illuminated post box standing in Museum Gardens. It's a proper city-wide display rather than a single installation.

It doesn't just vanish after Christmas, either. The lights stay up throughout the Christmas Festival and carry on into February, so you've got plenty of time to see them if you're not out on the night. There's also a dedicated York Nutcracker Trail running alongside the lights, which gives you something to look for while you're walking around. Local hospitality businesses have reported a welcome uplift in footfall to the city centre during the festival, which makes sense when you think of the scale of it.

If you're planning to head in, the official switch-on is on Thursday 12 November, and the display stays on display from November through to the end of February. The lights cover more than 50 streets across York city centre, including Museum Gardens.