Warwick Victorian Evening: Lights at 7pm, Thu 26 November

Warwick’s Victorian Evening runs on Thursday 26 November 2026, from 3pm to 9pm, in Warwick town centre and Market Place, CV34 4SA, and entry is free. The date, times and location come from the organiser’s own 2026 event listing, published by CJ’s Events Warwickshire.

That is the night Warwick’s Christmas lights come on, and Warwick District Council’s own event page now confirms the lights will be switched on at 7pm.

Updated 3 October: the council has published the 7pm switch-on, the 7.30pm costume competition, the St Mary’s Christmas tree display and the full road closure list.

If you are searching for a date and finding 27 November, that was 2025: Visit Warwick’s event page carried last year’s Thursday.

What the organiser has confirmed for 2026

• Thursday 26 November 2026, 3pm to 9pm
• Warwick Town Centre, Market Place, CV34 4SA
• Free entry
• A visit from Father Christmas
• A traditional carousel, traction engines and fire spinners
• Mulled wine, seasonal food and market stalls

What the council has added

From Warwick District Council’s event page:

The stage line-up and the name of whoever throws the switch are still listed as “TBC”.

That fits the shape the organiser published in full for earlier years. For 2022, CJ’s Events said the Victorian market started at 12pm, the rides at 3pm, the main event at 5pm and “the lights will be switched on at 7pm”, with the Mayor of Warwick turning them on alongside Commonwealth Games boxing gold medallist Lewis Williams (CJ’s Events). The 2021 evening ran to the same timetable (CJ’s Events).

Road closures: 7am to 11.59pm

The council lists these streets as closed from 7am to 11.59pm on Thursday 26 November 2026:

• Northgate Street
• Old Square
• Church Street
• New Street
• Brook Street
• Swan Street, with access kept to Swan Court
• Market Place
• Market Street
• The Woolpack
• The Holloway
• New Bridge Street
• Puckerings Lane

That is the whole town centre core from breakfast, on a weekday, so plan the school run and deliveries around it.

Parking

For parking, the organiser names three car parks for Market Place events: New Street (CV34 4RX), West Rock (CV34 4DZ) and Cape Road (CV34 4UN). The nearest public toilets it lists are at 30 Market Place, CV34 4SH.

New Street itself is one of the closed streets, so getting in and out of New Street car park that day is likely to be awkward; the council has not said whether the car park stays open. West Rock and Cape Road sit outside the closed streets. Check our parking page for charges and the roadworks and travel page for live closures before you set off.

Warwick’s other market dates this Christmas

The Victorian Evening is one night in a longer programme on the same square. From the CJ’s 2026 calendar:

Note the gap. There is no Warwick Market on Saturday 17 or Saturday 24 October, because the Mop Fair has the town centre for both those weekends. We have set out what the Mop closes and when separately.

Why it is called a Victorian Evening

It is not a re-enactment of any particular event. It is a Christmas trading night in period costume, and it is old enough that Warwick District Council marked its 40th anniversary in 2023, which puts the first one in the early 1980s. The costumes, the traction engines and the Court Leet procession are the tradition. The lights switch-on is what pulls the crowd.

Checked against the organiser’s and the council’s own published pages on 3 October 2026. This page will be updated when the stage line-up is published.