Drayton's Christmas lights go on at 5pm on Wednesday 25 November at Florence Carter Playground, School Road, with food, music and the junior school choir.

Drayton’s Christmas lights switch-on is on Wednesday 25 November 2026, with the lights going on at 5pm at Florence Carter Playground on School Road. Drayton Parish Council posted the poster on its website on 26 October, and the council’s 10 September minutes had already recorded the date as confirmed.

The quick answer

  • When: Wednesday 25 November 2026. The lights are switched on at 5pm.
  • Where: Florence Carter Playground, School Road, Drayton. Last year’s notice named the venue as Florence Carter Memorial Park.
  • What’s on: food, music and the Drayton Junior School Choir.
  • Organiser: Drayton Parish Council.
  • Not published: a finishing time, any road closure, parking arrangements or a price.

What is confirmed

The parish council’s poster for 2026, headed “Christmas Lights Switch On”, gives the date as Wednesday 25th November, says “Lights will be switched on at 5pm”, and names the venue as Florence Carter Playground, School Road, Drayton. It promises food, music and the Drayton Junior School Choir, and invites people to “a festive evening to celebrate the start of the Christmas season” (Drayton Parish Council, Christmas Lights Switch On 2026).

The date was settled well before that. The minutes of the full parish council meeting on 10 September 2026 record that “the date for the Christmas Lights Switch On event had been confirmed for Wednesday 25th November” (Drayton Parish Council minutes, 10 September 2026).

What happened last year

The 2025 switch-on followed the same pattern: Wednesday 26 November 2025 at 5pm at Florence Carter Memorial Park, with the Drayton Junior School Choir singing. The council said then that food vendors would serve “before and after the light switch on”, so it is worth arriving a little before 5pm if you want to eat (Drayton Parish Council, Drayton Christmas Lights Switch On, 2025).

The council has not said which food vendors are booked for 2026 or whether any stalls will run.

Getting there and parking

The parish council has published no parking arrangement and no road closure for the evening. If one is needed, it will appear as a Norfolk County Council traffic order, and we will add it here. If you live in the village, walking is the simplest option. Our page on parking in Broadland lists the district council’s free car parks, and Broadland roadworks and travel has the week’s works before you set off.

Other switch-ons nearby

  • Thorpe St Andrew switches on four days later, on Sunday 29 November, at River Green, with Yarmouth Road shut 2.30pm to 7.30pm. Our Thorpe St Andrew switch-on page has the diversion.
  • Aylsham’s switch-on is on Friday 27 November, 5pm to 9pm, with the lights on at 6pm. Our Aylsham switch-on page has the details.

For everything else on in the next six weeks, see what’s on in the Broads this month.

Questions

Drayton Parish Council’s office is at King George V Playing Field, Drayton High Road, NR8 6AW, open Monday to Wednesday, 9.30am to 2.30pm. The clerk is on 01603 864492 or office@draytonparishcouncil.gov.uk.

Sources