Elmbridge Christmas lights 2026: Cobham date is set

Elmbridge has no single town centre, so it has no single Christmas lights switch-on. It has eight or nine of them, run by different village and business groups over about a fortnight, and they are announced at different times.

One 2026 date is confirmed: Cobham’s Onederland, Saturday 21 November. Everything else below is last year’s date, given here because the pattern is stable and because the council’s own guide did not go up until 10 November last year, by which point some of the events were a fortnight away.

Confirmed for 2026

Cobham Onederland, Saturday 21 November

One Cobham lists Onederland for Saturday 21 November 2026 and describes it as “our festive village party, packed with entertainment and special activities and offers from our businesses, with the Christmas lights switch on”.

Times for 2026 are not out. The 2025 edition ran 2pm to 7pm with the lights switched on at 5pm, and included a stage line-up of live music and performances, Santa’s Grotto, food and drink, business giveaways and a lantern parade. The council put on free parking at Hollyhedge Road car park for it.

Christmas in Surrey, Sandown Park, Saturday 21 to Tuesday 24 November

Not a switch-on but a four-day indoor Christmas fair at Sandown Park Racecourse, Portsmouth Road, Esher KT10 9AJ, run by Life Events Management Ltd. 10am to 5pm each day, with independent makers and small businesses, creative workshops, family activities and a Santa’s Grotto.

Early bird entry is £6 a head, £10 for a couple with no children and £12 for a family of two adults and up to two children under 13. Workshops are ticketed separately at £20 and £30 plus fees. There is paid parking for more than 2,000 vehicles and step-free access; Esher station is about a 20 minute walk.

Not yet dated for 2026

These are the 2025 dates, from Elmbridge Borough Council’s Love Elmbridge at Christmas guide. Treat them as a guide to the week, not a booking.

• Oxshott Christmas Spectacular, Sunday 23 November 2025
• Magical Molesey, Thursday 27 November 2025, Walton Road, East Molesey
• Claygate Christmas lights switch-on, Saturday 29 November 2025
• Walton Festival of Light, Saturday 29 November 2025, with free parking at Drewitts, Ashley Park and Manor Road car parks
• Thames Ditton Christmas lights switch-on, Sunday 30 November 2025
• Weybridge Christmas Festival, Sunday 30 November 2025, with free parking at Churchfields and Baker Street car parks
• Hersham Christmas lights switch-on, Saturday 6 December 2025, from 4pm on the green

Esher is the gap. The council’s 2025 guide names no Esher switch-on at all, and we have found no organiser advertising one. If you are in Esher, Claygate and Cobham are the nearest events.

One warning about searching for these yourself. The page that ranks for the Walton Festival of Light with a full running order, lantern parade time and choir schedule is a 2019 page, and the 23 November it names is a 2019 Saturday. The event moved to 29 November in 2025.

The Christmas markets

Also from the council’s 2025 guide, and also not yet redated for 2026:

• Cobham Farmers’ and Artisans market, Hollyhedge Road car park, Saturday 22 November 2025
• Hersham Christmas market, Sunday 23 November 2025
• Weybridge Christmas market, Sunday 30 November 2025
• The Court Circular Christmas market, Vine Hall, East Molesey, Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 December 2025
• Walton on Thames Farmers’ and Artisans market, The Heart Shopping Centre, Saturday 6 December 2025
• Claygate Christmas market, Sunday 14 December 2025

Free parking: what the council did last year

Elmbridge Borough Council gave free town centre parking on Saturday 6, Saturday 13 and Saturday 20 December 2025, in 22 car parks, excluding commuter car parks. The list was:

• Claygate: Hare Lane, Torrington Lodge
• Cobham: Cedar Road, Hollyhedge Road
• Esher: Berguette, Civic Centre, Heather Place, Highwaymans Cottage
• Hersham: New Berry Lane
• Long Ditton: Southbank
• Molesey: Walton Road
• Oxshott: Steels Lane
• Thames Ditton: Ashley Road
• Walton-on-Thames: Ashley Park, Drewitts Court, Halfway, Manor Road
• Weybridge: Baker Street, Churchfields, Monument Hill, Oatlands Village, York Road

Nothing equivalent has been announced for 2026. Everyday tariffs, the free 30 minutes and which car parks are free on a Sunday are on our parking in Elmbridge page.

What it means for you

• Cobham Onederland is Saturday 21 November 2026. It is the only borough switch-on with a confirmed date at the start of September.
• If the pattern holds, the last weekend of November carries Claygate and Walton on the Saturday and Weybridge and Thames Ditton on the Sunday, with Molesey on the Thursday before and Hersham a week later.
• Do not trust the top search result for the Walton Festival of Light. It is a 2019 page with a 2019 running order.
• The council publishes its combined guide at elmbridge.gov.uk. Last year it appeared on 10 November. The organisers themselves post earlier, so One Cobham, Love Walton and the village groups are the faster source.
• Free Christmas parking, if it is repeated, will be Saturdays in December and will not include the station car parks.

Sources

• One Cobham events, for the Onederland date of Saturday 21 November 2026 and its description, and Onederland for the 2025 running times, the 5pm switch-on, the stage line-up, Santa’s Grotto and lantern parade.
• Love Elmbridge at Christmas 2025, Elmbridge Borough Council, published 10 November 2025, for every 2025 switch-on and market date, the event-day free parking at Hollyhedge Road, Drewitts, Ashley Park, Manor Road, Churchfields and Baker Street, and the full list of 22 car parks free on 6, 13 and 20 December.
• Christmas in Surrey: Entry Tickets, Eventbrite, for the 21 to 24 November 2026 dates, the 10am to 5pm times, the Sandown Park address, the organiser, the parking and access notes and the entry prices, which are taken from the listing’s checkout.
• Walton on Thames Festival of Light, Walton-on-Thames Life, cited only as the stale 2019 page that still ranks for this search.

More from Elmbridge News: things to do in Elmbridge, parking in Elmbridge and roadworks and travel.