Short answer: Late November is the town switch-ons and the light trails (Heligan from 13 November, Eden from 20 November); the first weekend of December is Padstow's Christmas Fayre (3–6 December); mid-December the Mousehole lights; 21 December Montol; Christmas Day and Boxing Day are for sea swims; New Year's Eve belongs to Looe and St Ives. Truro's City of Lights parade is not running this year.
New this week (11 October): Heligan Night Garden from 13 November; Christmas at Eden lights from 20 November; the Hall for Cornwall panto 4 December to 3 January; Lostwithiel's Dickensian Evening on 10 December; the Cotehele garland from 21 November. Trebah's Garden of Light is not running this year. Month by month: November · December.
Confirmed 2026 dates so far (updated 3 October): Padstow Christmas Fayre 3–6 December; Fowey Christmas Market cancelled for 2026; Truro's market 21 November to Christmas Eve; Mousehole Harbour Lights 10 December to 3 January; Newquay's lights weekend 27–29 November, with its lantern parade on 20 November; Eden's ice rink from 17 October. Truro's City of Lights parade is not running. Everything else is confirmed by the towns through November — each town link below says what's known.
Cornwall doesn't close for winter — it changes shape. The beaches empty, the villages string their harbours with lights, and a calendar of small-town festivals and cold-water traditions runs from the last week of November to New Year's Day. This is the whole season in one place, with a link to the practical guide for each town: how it runs, where to park, what to do with children and dogs, and where to warm up after.
A note on dates. Most organisers confirm 2026 dates in October and November. Each town guide carries a dated line that we update the moment they do; the patterns below are what's held for years.
Want it all in one place? Every date on this page, plus parking, Santas, swims and fill-in planner pages, is in our printable Cornwall Winter Planner 2026–27 (£3).
New town guides (15 October): Redruth in Lights on Saturday 5 December; Mevagissey harbour lights (switch-on listed for 27 November, to be confirmed); Porthleven lights (usually the first Friday of December); and Boscastle in winter.
More new town guides: Polperro Christmas lights (date not out yet; 6 December last year); Christmas in St Agnes (lights and lantern parade, dates to come); Tom Bawcock's Eve in Mousehole on Wednesday 23 December, and why the Mousehole lights dim on 19 December; the free Cornish Winter Fair at Wadebridge on 21–22 November; and Christmas Day lunch in Redruth.
Pick a town and plan the day around who's with you.
Browse all Cornwall town guides →