Lyme Regis goes first on 21 November; Dorchester, Weymouth and Swanage on 28 November; Blandford lights its tree at 6.15pm on 4 December, Sherborne on 6 Dec.

Six Dorset towns have confirmed when they switch their Christmas lights on this year. Lyme Regis goes first on Saturday 21 November, then Dorchester, Weymouth and Swanage all on Saturday 28 November, Blandford Forum lights its tree at the Yuletide Festival on Friday 4 December, and Sherborne lights its tree on Sunday 6 December.

Updated 28 October: Brewery Square now says Dorchester’s evening starts at 5pm, with Wessex Theatre and a Michael Bublé tribute before the countdown. It has not given the time of the countdown itself.

Updated 18 October: Weymouth’s lights go on at 5pm on 28 November after an elf world record attempt and parade at 1.15pm, and Blandford’s Yuletide Festival is confirmed for Friday 4 December, with the Mayor lighting the tree at 6.15pm. Dorchester’s times are still to come.

Updated 4 October: Brewery Square has confirmed Dorchester’s switch-on for Saturday 28 November 2026. Times are still to come.

Switch-ons are organised town by town, by town councils, chambers of trade and volunteer committees. There is no county-wide list, and several towns had published nothing for 2026 when this page went up on 6 September. What follows is what each organiser has actually said, with the gaps marked as gaps.

Confirmed for 2026

Town Date Time Where
Lyme Regis Saturday 21 November Parade from about 5pm Broad Street
Weymouth Saturday 28 November Switch-on 5pm, elf parade 1.15pm New Bond Street
Dorchester Saturday 28 November From 5pm, countdown time not given Brewery Square
Swanage Saturday 28 November 3pm to 4.30pm, to be confirmed Outside The Mowlem
Blandford Forum Friday 4 December Parade 6pm, tree lit 6.15pm Market Place
Sherborne Sunday 6 December 4pm Town centre

Lyme Regis, Saturday 21 November

Lyme Regis switches on in Broad Street, and it is the most theatrical of them all. Love Lyme Regis says Santa will arrive on his sleigh to lead the countdown.

The lantern parade makes its way down Broad Street from around 5pm, after the lantern judging. Lyme Regis Majorettes perform a routine, and Lyme Morris dance before the lights go on at 5pm.

Lyme has a full festive run after that:

  • Lyme Regis Christmas Tree Festival, Friday 11 to Sunday 13 December, Lyme Regis Baptist Church
  • The Big Christmas Weekend, Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 December
  • Santa’s grotto, Saturday 12 December from 10.45am, Lyme Regis Baptist Church
  • Carols Round the Tree, Wednesday 23 December, 7pm, Broad Street

Weymouth, Saturday 28 November

Weymouth Town Council has the switch-on in its events calendar for Saturday 28 November, listed as 4.30pm to 5.30pm, in the town centre, and the lights themselves go on at 5pm. The venue is given as New Bond Street, DT4 8LY.

The council’s Elf World Record Attempt and Parade listing now sets out the whole day, from 9am to 5pm in the town centre:

  • 9am to 12pm: workshops to make elf hats, ears and collars, face painting, and Christmas crafts for anyone already in costume
  • 11am to 1pm: register at Weymouth Pavilion for a wristband to be counted in the record attempt, with a photo at 1pm
  • 1.15pm to 2pm: “Dorset’s Largest Elf Parade” through the streets, led by a marching band and Santa in his sleigh
  • 1pm to 5pm: the main stage, with the panto cast, local choirs, dance groups, bands, street performers and stilt walkers
  • 5pm: the town’s Christmas lights, trees and Christmas Elf are switched on from the main stage in New Bond Street by the Mayor, the winner of the Primary Times competition and the panto cast

Weymouth Town Council has also applied for free parking on event days in past Novembers and Decembers, in the Dorset Council car parks in the town centre. Nothing has been confirmed for 2026, so do not count on it yet.

Dorchester, Saturday 28 November

Brewery Square’s switch-on page now gives the evening as Saturday 28 November 2026, from 5pm. The running order it lists:

  • Wessex Theatre opens the evening
  • a Michael Bublé tribute act sings festive favourites
  • the countdown and the switch-on
  • the Brewery Square House Band’s Christmas Special, with walking acts in the crowd

There are festive stalls and pop-up bars through the evening. Brewery Square has not said what time the countdown itself happens.

Weymouth’s lights also go on at 5pm that day, so you cannot see both switch-ons. Brewery Square is at 3 Copper Street, DT1 1GH, a short walk from Dorchester South station.

Brewery Square’s switch-on page says Skating in the Square “is back” and open through the Christmas season, but gives no dates. The rink’s own site still shows last winter’s run, 29 November 2025 to 3 January 2026. It opened on switch-on day in each of the last three years; our Dorset ice rink page has last winter’s prices and the Bournemouth rinks’ 2026 dates.

Swanage, Saturday 28 November

Swanage gathers outside The Mowlem. The event listing gives 3pm to 4.30pm but marks the timings as to be confirmed, so check nearer the date.

There is live entertainment, a formal countdown and mulled wine, and Father Christmas arrives on his sleigh. Swanage Pier holds a separate switch-on of its own, where you can dedicate a light to someone.

Swanage’s Christmas market follows a week later, on Saturday 5 December.

Blandford Forum, Friday 4 December

The Yuletide Festival’s site now gives Friday 4 December 2026 and a running order, which it says is “subject to change”:

  • 6pm: the lantern parade starts, led by Father Christmas and the Mayor of Blandford Forum, with the town’s primary schools, Badgers, Cadets and the local Scout group, from East Street into the Market Place
  • 6.15pm: the Mayor’s welcome and the lighting of the Christmas tree, on the stage at the west end of the Market Place
  • 6.25pm: carols with Stour Valley Band
  • 6.35pm: entertainment, still to be announced
  • 9pm: the event ends, and the town centre roads reopen at 10pm

Father Christmas’s grotto has moved this year to Woodhouse Gardens, The Plocks, DT11 7AA, next to the post office and opposite the library, and opens from about 6.30pm. The festival asks spectators to stand on the pavements to let the parade through. It also has stalls in the streets and the Corn Exchange; our Christmas markets page has those.

Sherborne, Sunday 6 December

Sherborne folds its switch-on into the end of its Festive Shopping Day. The Chamber of Trade and Commerce says the parade and the lighting of the tree happen at 4pm, closing a day that runs from 10am.

Cheap Street and South Street are shut to traffic all day, and the chamber lists eight free car parks. The full detail is on our Dorset Christmas markets page.

Not announced yet

  • Dorchester’s times. The date is set (above). Separately, Dorchester Town Council has confirmed Carols in the Gardens on Thursday 17 December at 6.30pm in Borough Gardens, a free carol concert with carol books provided.
  • Bridport, Shaftesbury and Wimborne. All hold switch-ons. None had published a 2026 date when this page went up.

We will add these as the organisers publish them.

Before you go

Switch-ons draw big crowds into small town centres in the dark, and several towns close their main street for the evening. Check our Dorset roadworks and travel page for closures on the day, and the parking in Dorset page for where to leave the car and what it costs.

Frequently asked questions

When are the Weymouth Christmas lights switched on?

Saturday 28 November 2026, lights on at 5pm from the main stage in New Bond Street, DT4 8LY, after the elf world record attempt and a parade at 1.15pm. Weymouth Town Council has both on its own calendar.

When is the Lyme Regis Christmas lights switch-on?

Saturday 21 November 2026 in Broad Street. The lantern parade comes down Broad Street from about 5pm and Santa arrives on his sleigh for the countdown.

When does Swanage switch its lights on?

Saturday 28 November 2026, outside The Mowlem. The listed timing is 3pm to 4.30pm, but the organisers have marked it as still to be confirmed.

When is the Dorchester Christmas lights switch-on?

Saturday 28 November 2026 at Brewery Square, from 5pm. Wessex Theatre and a Michael Bublé tribute come before the countdown; Brewery Square has not given the exact time of the switch-on itself. Dorchester Town Council has also confirmed a free carol concert, Carols in the Gardens, on Thursday 17 December at 6.30pm in Borough Gardens.

Which Dorset town switches on first?

Lyme Regis, on 21 November, a week ahead of Dorchester, Weymouth and Swanage.

Sources