Five Shropshire towns have 2026 switch-on dates, from Oswestry on 19 November to Bridgnorth and Ludlow on the 27th. Shrewsbury has still not named its night.

Five Shropshire towns have named a 2026 Christmas lights switch-on date. Oswestry is first, on Thursday 19 November, and the last full weekend of November carries four more: Bridgnorth and Ludlow on Friday 27th, Shifnal and Wem on Saturday 28th. Shrewsbury, the county town, has published nothing.

Here is each one, with what the council itself has said.

Oswestry: Thursday 19 November, Bailey Head

Oswestry Town Council’s own event entry has the whole evening (Oswestry Town Council):

Thursday 19 November, from 4pm. Bailey Head, Oswestry.

Carols, entertainment, food and drink, a special guest, and the lights themselves going on at around 6.30pm. It is the earliest switch-on in the county this year by more than a week.

Oswestry then runs two more festive nights, both with 2026 dates already fixed:

  • Christmas Live, Friday 4 December from 5pm, town centre. Fairground rides, Santa’s grotto, live music, market stalls and late night shopping.
  • Christmas Parade, Saturday 5 December from 11am, organised by Borderland Rotary Club, with floats, trucks, music and dancing through the streets.

Worth knowing if you go looking for these yourself: Oswestry’s public events page at oswestry-tc.gov.uk/events renders as an empty list. The dates exist, they are just on the individual event pages rather than the calendar.

Bridgnorth: Friday 27 November, 4pm to 8pm

Bridgnorth Town Council has not written its 2026 switch-on up as a news item at all. The date is in the trader paperwork, and it is unambiguous. Every one of the four application forms on the council’s events page is headed:

Bridgnorth Christmas Light Switch On, Friday 27th November 2026, 4pm - 8pm

The event runs on Bridgnorth High Street and Central Court, and the performance form adds that the stage will be by Northgate, running 4pm to 8pm in 20-minute slots, with 10-minute slots for primary and infant schools.

For traders, the published fees are £50 for a single 3m by 3m commercial pitch and £100 for a double, £30 and £60 for charity stalls, and £250 for a commercial catering pitch. Payment is due at least a month before the event and all bookings are non-refundable. The council cannot supply stalls, gazebos or electricity, and only silent generators are allowed. Enquiries go to 01746 762231.

Ludlow: Friday 27 to Sunday 29 November

Ludlow does not run a standalone switch-on. Its lights go on inside the Ludlow Winter Festival, which the town council confirms for Friday 27 to Sunday 29 November 2026 (Ludlow Town Council).

The council describes the festival as the last full weekend of November, with a visit from Santa, live music and local performances, “all culminating in the much-anticipated Christmas light switch-on”. In previous years the switch-on has been on the Saturday of the festival at 5pm in Market Square, alongside a light trail at Ludlow Castle, a makers’ market in the Castle Beacon Rooms, late-night shopping on the Friday and a craft fair at St Laurence’s.

The 2026 programme is not out yet. The dates are confirmed; the running order, the switch-on time and which of those elements return are not. Ludlow Town Council published its 2025 line-up in the autumn, so expect the same.

Shifnal: Saturday 28 November, 4pm to 8.30pm

Shifnal’s mayor, Councillor Paul Williamson, wrote to residents in February with the date and an unusually frank explanation (Shifnal Town Council):

As a council, we look to learn and act upon feedback from residents, and it was clear from the views expressed by residents we missed the mark on the 2025 event.

The 2026 switch-on runs Saturday 28 November, 4pm to 8.30pm, longer than last year. The letter promises more live music, a wider range of children’s activities, a visit from Santa with his sleigh, the return of market and food stalls, and a reviewed layout for accessibility, crowd flow and signage. Nothing beyond the date and the hours is fixed yet.

Wem: Saturday 28 November

Wem Town Council lists the 2026 Wem Christmas Festival for Saturday 28 November, with the Christmas market again on High Street and Leek Street (Wem Town Council). Stall bookings go to info@wem.gov.uk. No times are published.

Shrewsbury: nothing announced

Shrewsbury Town Council runs the county town’s switch-on in The Square, and as of 6 September 2026 it has published no date. Its events calendar runs out at 2 October, its press releases carry nothing festive, and the two Christmas entries still on its site are both historic: Wednesday 19 November 2025, 4.30pm to 6.40pm in Shrewsbury Square, and Wednesday 20 November 2024, 4.30pm to 7pm in The Square.

Two Wednesdays in the third week of November, two years running. On that pattern the 2026 event would fall on Wednesday 18 November, but that is our arithmetic and not the council’s announcement. In 2024 the date was made public at the start of November, so expect the same window. This page will be updated when it lands.

Every confirmed date

Town Date Time
Oswestry Thursday 19 November From 4pm, lights on about 6.30pm
Bridgnorth Friday 27 November 4pm to 8pm
Ludlow (Winter Festival) Friday 27 to Sunday 29 November Switch-on time not yet published
Shifnal Saturday 28 November 4pm to 8.30pm
Wem Saturday 28 November Not published
Shrewsbury Not announced Not announced

Town centre parking is free on Sundays and bank holidays at the cheaper long-stay council car parks and half price at the dearer short-stay ones, but these are all weekday and Saturday evenings, so normal charges apply. Our parking page has the tariff for each car park, and the roadworks and travel page covers anything closed on the night.

Sources