Belfast Christmas Lights Switch-On

Belfast switches on its Christmas lights on Saturday 14 November 2026, at City Hall, from 6.30pm to 7.30pm. The Lord Mayor of Belfast is joined on stage by local artists and performers for the countdown, and the city’s lights come on across the centre.

It’s ticketed

Unlike most switch-ons, Belfast’s is a ticketed event. Belfast City Council says it will publish ticket release information on its events page; tickets for events like this tend to go quickly, so keep an eye on the page if you want to be in the grounds for the countdown. Without a ticket you will still see the lights once they are on — they are the point, after all — but not the stage.

The same day the market opens

14 November is also opening day for the Belfast Christmas Market, the Continental market in the grounds of City Hall, with more than 100 traders from around 28 countries. That makes this the weekend to visit Belfast if you want the whole thing at once: the market by day, and the lights coming on in the evening.

What happens

An hour of live performance on the stage outside City Hall, the Lord Mayor’s countdown, and the lights. The dome of City Hall, lit up behind the stage, makes it one of the more photogenic switch-ons in the UK.

Getting there

Donegall Square is the centre of the city, and virtually every Belfast bus passes it. Great Victoria Street and Lanyon Place stations are both about ten minutes’ walk. Expect road closures around the square and very busy buses afterwards.

Switch-on crowds build well before the countdown, so arrive early if you want to see the stage, and dress for standing still outdoors after dark — see our guide to what to wear.

Worth knowing

Belfast city centre is busiest on switch-on evening between about 5pm and 8pm, when the market, the shops and the switch-on crowds overlap. If you are coming for the market as well, go in the afternoon and stay on for the lights rather than arriving at six.