From the first Christmas lights over Regent Street to carols in Handel's own house on Brook Street, November and December are Mayfair's busiest weeks of the year. This guide gathers everything confirmed so far in and around W1, with the date, the place and a link to the organiser, so you can plan an evening, a weekend or a whole festive season in one go.
Last checked: 29 October 2026. Every date below comes from the organiser's own website. Where a 2026 date has not yet been published, we say so rather than guess, and we update this page as soon as it is announced.
Mayfair events at a glance: November and December 2026
| Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Tue 3 Nov | London Handel Festival concert, plus free lunchtime recitals (3, 4 and 11 Nov) | St George's Hanover Square |
| Wed 4 Nov | Phillips Design auction; Sotheby's Chinese Art sale | Berkeley Square; New Bond Street |
| Thu 5 Nov | Regent Street Christmas lights switch-on | Regent Street |
| Sun 8 Nov | Remembrance Sunday service | St George's Hanover Square |
| Tue 10 Nov | "A Handel Celebration" concert | St George's Hanover Square |
| Thu 12 Nov | Bond Street Christmas lights switch-on and Christmas market | Bond Street |
| Thu 19 Nov to Sun 3 Jan | Hyde Park Winter Wonderland | Hyde Park, off Park Lane |
| From Sat 21 Nov | Peggy Guggenheim in London exhibition opens | Royal Academy, Piccadilly |
| Sat 21 Nov | "Feasting for Christmas!" | Handel Hendrix House, Brook Street |
| Thu 26 to Sat 28 Nov | Mayfair Christmas Market | Mayfair Place |
| From Fri 27 Nov | Festive dining season at Claridge's and The Connaught | Brook Street; Carlos Place |
| Tue 8 to Fri 11 Dec | Sotheby's Old Masters Week | New Bond Street |
| 8, 10 and 12 Dec | Royal Institution Christmas Lectures filming | Albemarle Street |
| Thu 10 Dec | "Deck the Halls!" Handel carols | Handel Hendrix House, Brook Street |
Christmas lights and switch-ons
Regent Street: Thursday 5 November
The season opens on the eastern edge of Mayfair. Regent Street and St James's switch on their "Spirit of Christmas" lights on Thursday 5 November, when Regent Street goes traffic-free from 5pm to 9pm and Hamleys reveals its Christmas windows at 5pm. Details are on Regent Street's official announcement, and the toy shop itself is in our directory as Hamleys.
Bond Street: Thursday 12 November
A week later it is Bond Street's turn. The street closes to traffic from 4pm to 8pm on Thursday 12 November, a brass band leads the countdown, and the lights go on between 6pm and 7pm, with the Bond Street Christmas Market running alongside. See Bond Street's Christmas lights page.
Oxford Street, Mount Street and South Molton Street
Oxford Street's lights this year bring Harry Potter designs alongside the familiar stars, according to the New West End Company, and the street has been traffic-free since 26 October (our report on what pedestrianisation means for Mayfair explains the changes). The switch-on date has not yet been announced. Neither have the 2026 dates for Mount Street or South Molton Street. For the story behind each display and the best walking route, read our guide to seeing the Christmas lights in Mayfair.
Christmas markets and Winter Wonderland
The Mayfair Christmas Market returns to Mayfair Place from Thursday 26 to Saturday 28 November; our Mayfair Christmas Market 2026 guide has the opening hours and what to expect.
Just across Park Lane, Hyde Park Winter Wonderland runs from Thursday 19 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027. It is closed on Christmas Day, closes at 10pm and entry is ticketed. Check the Winter Wonderland tickets guide before you go, and see our piece on the joy of Winter Wonderland for tips.
Exhibitions at the Royal Academy
Burlington House on Piccadilly has two shows running through the festive season. Painting the French Riviera fills the Main Galleries until 31 January 2027, and Peggy Guggenheim in London: The Making of a Collector opens in the Sackler Wing on 21 November and runs to 14 March 2027 (tickets £17). Book through the Royal Academy of Arts.
Auctions on Bond Street and Berkeley Square
Mayfair's auction houses keep a full calendar through to Christmas:
- Phillips, 30 Berkeley Square: Design auction on Wednesday 4 November at 2pm, with viewing until the day of the sale (Phillips sale page).
- Sotheby's, New Bond Street: Chinese Art on Wednesday 4 November at 10.30am, then Old Masters Week from 8 to 11 December, with its exhibition opening on 3 December (Sotheby's Old Masters).
- Bonhams, 101 New Bond Street: Fine Chinese Art on 5 November, Islamic and Indian Art on 11 November, Modern British and Irish Art on 18 November, and Fine Jewellery on 25 November (Bonhams New Bond Street calendar).
Music, carols and the Christmas Lectures
Handel lived and worked on Brook Street, and his parish church was St George's Hanover Square, so the composer is at the heart of Mayfair's musical season:
- Tuesday 3 November, 7pm: "Handel and the New Society" with Spiritato, for the London Handel Festival (£15 to £55), plus free lunchtime recitals at 1.10pm on 3, 4 and 11 November, all at St George's.
- Sunday 8 November, 11.05am: Remembrance Sunday at St George's.
- Tuesday 10 November, 7pm: "A Handel Celebration" with Helen Charlston and the Brook Street Band at St George's (£25). See the St George's events page.
- Saturday 21 November, 6pm: "Feasting for Christmas!" at Handel Hendrix House, 25 Brook Street (£25).
- Sunday 29 November, 11am: First Sunday in Advent Sung Eucharist at St George's.
- Thursday 10 December, 5pm and 7pm: "Deck the Halls! (with boughs of Handel)", Handel carols at Handel Hendrix House (£25). Book on the Handel Hendrix House website.
On Albemarle Street, the Royal Institution films its famous Christmas Lectures on 8, 10 and 12 December, with Professor Jim Al-Khalili on the subject of time. They are broadcast on the BBC in late December; the Royal Institution's Christmas Lectures page will confirm the dates.
Festive dining and the famous hotel trees
Claridge's serves Thanksgiving on 26 November and festive menus from 27 November to 31 December (not Christmas Eve dinner, Christmas Day or New Year's Eve dinner). The Connaught follows with Thanksgiving on 27 November and festive menus from 28 November to 1 January, except Christmas Day. Both hotels publish details on their Maybourne festive pages. The designers of this year's Claridge's and Connaught Christmas trees have not yet been announced.
For Christmas lunch, work parties and where to stay, see our guides to Christmas in Mayfair and Mayfair's Christmas hotels.
Still to be announced
These usually appear in November, and we will add them here as soon as the organisers publish them:
- Oxford Street Christmas lights switch-on date
- The Claridge's and Connaught Christmas trees
- Mount Street and South Molton Street lights
- Carol services at St George's Hanover Square
- Burlington Arcade's Christmas programme
- BBC broadcast dates for the Christmas Lectures
Hosting an event in Mayfair?
If your gallery, restaurant, shop or venue has an event coming up, tell us the date, time, address and booking link through our contact page and we will consider it for the next update. Looking for something to do on a budget? Start with our list of free things to do in Mayfair.
