Lights on at 5pm on Thursday 26 November with Tobias and Santa, then four days on Church Walk: free ice rink, grotto times, headliners, hours and parking.

Burgess Hill’s Christmas lights go on at 5pm on Thursday 26 November 2026, switched on by Santa, Tobias and the Town Mayor on Church Walk. The switch-on opens a four-day festival that runs to Sunday 29 November, and the town council has now published the full programme. (Burgess Hill Town Council, Christmas Festival programme)

The quick answer

  • Lights switch-on: Thursday 26 November, 5pm, on the stage on Church Walk. Tobias plays from 4pm to 7pm.
  • Festival: Thursday 26 to Sunday 29 November on Church Walk and in Market Place. Free.
  • Free ice rink: Saturday 28, 10am to 8pm, and Sunday 29, 10am to 4pm, outside the Help Point. Skates provided, no booking. More on our ice rink page.
  • Santa’s grotto: free, with a gift for every child. Booking only for Saturday.
  • Parking: district car park charges run to 6pm Monday to Saturday, so arriving for the 5pm switch-on means paying for the first hour or so; evenings after 6pm are free.

Updated 24 October: the council has published the programme and performer times, confirming a 5pm switch-on, the headliners, grotto times and a free ice rink on the Saturday and Sunday.

Dates and opening hours

Day Date Chalets open Headliner on the Church Walk stage
Thursday 26 November 11am to 7pm Tobias, 4pm to 7pm (lights on at 5pm)
Friday 27 November 11am to 7pm Small Talk, 5pm to 7pm
Saturday 28 November 10am to 8pm In Yer Face, 5.30pm to 8pm
Sunday 29 November 10am to 4pm No headliner; choirs and Tomfoolery

Everything happens on Church Walk, the pedestrianised shopping street between Church Road and Market Place, with some performances in Market Place Shopping. (Burgess Hill Town Council, Christmas Festival 2026)

The hours are longer than last year. The council says that following feedback from the 2025 event the chalets open from 11am on Thursday and Friday and 10am at the weekend.

Thursday 26 November: the switch-on

The council’s programme says: “On Thursday 26 at 5pm, join Santa, Tobias and Burgess Hill Town Mayor on Church Walk for the grand light switch on.” The day on the stage, from the council’s performers sheet: (Burgess Hill Town Council, performers)

  • 11.15am: Burgess Hill Girls
  • 1.45pm: Burgess Hill Academy
  • 2.15pm: London Meed School
  • 4pm to 7pm: Tobias
  • 5pm: Christmas lights switch-on

Also on the Thursday:

  • Teacups: free rides for children over two on the classic roundabout, 11am to 7pm.
  • Wreath making: 2pm to 5pm at Glendale Countryside’s chalet, free, no booking.
  • Santa’s grotto: 2.45pm to 4.45pm, no booking that day.
  • Children’s crafts: 4pm to 4.45pm and 5.15pm to 6pm at The Hub, free, book at the Help Point.
  • Storytime and sing-along: 4pm to 4.30pm in Burgess Hill Library, for ages 0 to 5, no booking.
  • Drama workshops: free, from Burgess Hill Theatre Club’s youth group for ages 7 to 11, 5pm to 6pm or 6.30pm to 7.30pm, booked through TicketSource. The council’s printed programme gives 5.30pm and 7pm; the club’s booking page and its listing on the council website both say 5pm and 6.30pm, so go by your booking.
  • Late night shopping in Market Place Shopping until 7pm.

Friday 27 November

On the stage: Woodlands Meed and Al Start (11am), Haywards Heath College (12pm), Aimee Iris (1pm), Southway School (2pm), Rock Choir (2.40pm and 3.40pm), Belle and Snow White (4.20pm) and Small Talk at 5pm. In Market Place Shopping, the Salvation Army Band plays at 11am and the Sussex Harmonisers at 1.30pm.

  • Santa’s grotto: 3pm to 5pm.
  • Art fair: Burgess Hill Artists at St John’s Church, 11am to 5pm (also Saturday), with the Spire Cafe serving a hot drink and cake for £5.
  • Adult card making: 11am to 2pm at The Hub, £2, drop in.
  • Print wreath making: 1pm to 3pm at St John’s Church (also Saturday), free, book at the Help Point.

Saturday 28 November: the busiest day

The stage opens at 10am with Burgess Hill Marching Youth, who march from Market Place Shopping. After them: Mia Hayman-Lewis (11am), Ariel Drama Academies (12.30pm), Niruththiyalayam School of Dance (1pm), Joe Parrott Music (2pm), DJ Deano (3pm) and In Yer Face from 5.30pm to 8pm.

  • Free synthetic ice rink: 10am to 8pm outside the Help Point on Church Walk. Skates are provided and there is no advance booking.
  • Snow globe to climb inside: 10am to 8pm, free.
  • Santa’s grotto: 10.30am to 12.30pm and 1pm to 3pm. Saturday is the only day you must book, through burgesshillsanta.as.me.
  • The Nutcracker and the Mouse King by Quantum Theatre: 12.15pm and 2.15pm in Cyprus Hall. £5 for adults and children over 12, under-12s free; book at the Help Point.
  • Community market: 11am to 3pm in Market Place Shopping, with stalls from local charities and groups including the Bonfire Society, the Lions and the Scouts.
  • Crafters market: Burgess Hill Creative Community, 10am to 8pm at The Hub, 77 Church Walk.
  • Face painting (ages 3 and over) 10am to 2pm and a balloon artist 2pm to 6pm, both in the Help Point and free.

Sunday 29 November

The ice rink and snow globe run again from 10am to 4pm. On the stage: Ariel Choir (10.30am), Brighton School of Singing (11.15am), Tomfoolery (12pm and 2pm), M&M Theatre (12.45pm) and Vocal Dimensions Choir (3pm). Face painting is in Market Place Shopping (10.30am to 12.30pm and 1.30pm to 3.30pm). Burgess Hill Theatre Club holds its Christmas craft fair from 10am to 4pm, and the festival closes with Advent carols at 4pm in St John’s Church.

Who is trading

The council lists the chalet traders, among them Burgess Hill Town FC (mulled wine and beer), Happy Go Souvlaki, Garden to Jar, The Custom Spirit Co, M.S. Venison and Cuckfield Coffee Co., with fresh Christmas trees from Firestory Events on all four days. Food stalls include wood-fired pizza, crepes and German sausages. Some traders come on one day only, so check the council’s festival page if you are going for a particular stall.

Mid Sussex’s other Christmas markets and fairs are on our Christmas markets page, and other places to see Santa on our Santa’s grotto page.

Getting there and parking

The practical point most people miss: Mid Sussex District Council’s pay and display charges run 8am to 6pm Monday to Saturday and 9am to 5pm on Sundays and bank holidays. (Mid Sussex District Council)

That means anyone arriving for the 5pm switch-on pays until 6pm, after which the town centre car parks are free on the Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, including for the Saturday ice rink and headliner sessions that run to 8pm. On the Sunday, charges apply to 5pm, an hour after the festival closes. Burgess Hill also has fewer spaces than last Christmas: the Martlets multi-storey closed for good on 31 March 2026.

Full charges, car park by car park, are on our parking page, and any closures or works around the town centre that week will be on our roadworks and travel page. No road closure order for the festival had been advertised on the Public Notice Portal when we checked on 24 October; Church Walk is already pedestrianised.

Remembrance in Burgess Hill, 8 and 11 November

The town council has now published the timings. The Remembrance Parade on Sunday 8 November leaves the rear of Cyprus Road car park at 10.15am, with a rolling road closure, and ends with a service and wreath laying at the War Memorial Garden, followed by a service at St John’s.

Road closures from 10am on 8 November: Church Road, Civic Way (east of Lower Church Road), Crescent Road, Crescent Way, Cyprus Road and Mill Road (south of Cyprus Road). The back of Cyprus Road car park cannot be used from 9.45am while the parade forms up.

On Wednesday 11 November the Armistice Day service starts at 10.45am, with a short march from the Help Point in Church Walk to the War Memorial and the two minutes’ silence. (Burgess Hill Town Council) East Grinstead and Haywards Heath are on our Mid Sussex Remembrance Sunday page.

For the bonfire season, the town’s own society opened the Sussex calendar on Saturday 26 September. Dates and details for every display in the district are on our Mid Sussex fireworks page.

Sources