Thatcham Christmas Lights Switch-On & Market

For 2026, Thatcham has combined its Christmas lights switch-on and its Christmas market into a single festive day: Saturday 28 November, from midday until 7pm, along the High Street and The Broadway. It is the first time the two have been held together, and the town council is billing it as a full day out rather than an evening countdown.

What’s on

A mix of commercial, charity and community stalls for Christmas shopping, food and drink, live entertainment, Father Christmas, and — a Thatcham favourite — the steam train, before the lights switch-on itself. It is a community event in the best sense: local groups, local traders, and a lot of people who know each other.

Why come to a small-town switch-on?

Big-city switch-ons are spectacles, but they are also crowded, ticketed or both. A town switch-on like Thatcham’s is free, relaxed, and easy with small children: you can get close to the stage, the stalls are run by local people, and nobody has to queue for an hour to see Father Christmas.

Getting there

Thatcham sits between Newbury and Reading. Thatcham station is on the Reading–Newbury line, about twenty minutes’ walk from The Broadway, or a short bus or taxi ride. Expect road closures in the centre during the event.

Make a day of it

Newbury, a few minutes away by train, has its own Christmas lights and shopping, and Greenham Common — once a Cold War airbase, now open heathland — is a good place for a bracing walk before the evening’s festivities.

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

Because this is the first year the switch-on and the market have been combined, the exact time of the switch-on itself may be confirmed closer to the day. Check the town council’s page in November if you want to time your visit to the lights.