Holt switches on its Christmas lights at 5.30pm on Friday 13 November, with shops open to 7pm, a music and arts day on the Saturday and a Sunday market.

Holt’s Christmas lights go on at 5.30pm on Friday 13 November, the start of a three-day Festive Holt weekend that runs to Sunday 15 November. Shops in the town will stay open until 7pm on the Friday for late-night shopping, Father Christmas will be in his grotto at Bakers & Larners, and the organisers say music will be playing in the town’s yards.

The weekend is put together by local businesses, artists, musicians and community groups, and its organisers are clear about what they want it to be. “Festive Holt is about more than Christmas lights,” they say. “It is an opportunity for the community to come together, support local traders and celebrate the independent businesses and organisations that make the town what it is.”

Friday 13 November: lights, late shopping and a fair

Before the lights go on, Holt Community Centre hosts a fundraising fair from 3pm to 6pm. Local community groups and charities will run games and activities for children, each raising money for its own cause. Later in the afternoon the entertainer Neil Reeve will do a magic show and balloon modelling for families.

The switch-on itself is at 5.30pm, with businesses open until 7pm.

Saturday 14 November: music and arts

The Saturday is billed as Festive Holt’s Music and Arts Day, which the organisers describe as “celebrating the creativity that makes Holt such a distinctive place to visit”. Visitors are encouraged to walk the streets, catch the live music and look round the town’s galleries.

The Odd Object Window Trail returns for the day: an unusual object is hidden in the window of each participating shop, and the challenge is to spot them. In the evening the country band Southbound plays at Holt Community Centre.

Sunday 15 November: the market

The weekend closes with Holt Sunday Market. The organisers describe it as “known for its talented makers, artisan produce and delicious food” and call it “a fitting finale to a weekend celebrating everything that makes Holt special”.

After Storm Claudia

Last year’s weekend ran in the weather brought by Storm Claudia. The organisers say residents and visitors still turned out to support it, and they hope to build on that in 2026, with local businesses and community groups “once again playing a central role”.

More announcements are expected before the weekend. The organisers suggest following Festive Holt on social media and watching individual shops in the town for details of what each is doing.

At a glance

  • When: Friday 13 to Sunday 15 November 2026
  • Lights switch-on: 5.30pm, Friday 13 November
  • Late-night shopping: until 7pm on the Friday
  • Fundraising fair: Holt Community Centre, 3pm to 6pm, Friday
  • Father Christmas: grotto at Bakers & Larners
  • Saturday: Music and Arts Day, Odd Object Window Trail, Southbound in the evening at Holt Community Centre
  • Sunday: Holt Sunday Market

For Christmas in Norwich itself, see our guides to the Norwich Christmas lights switch-on, Santa’s grottos in Norwich and the Norwich Christmas market.