Thorpe St Andrew's Christmas lights switch-on is Sunday 29 November at River Green, with Yarmouth Road shut 2.30pm to 7.30pm. Diversion, parking, new lights.

Thorpe St Andrew’s Christmas lights switch-on is on Sunday 29 November 2026 at River Green. The town council published Norfolk County Council’s road closure notice for it on 16 October. Yarmouth Road will be shut from about 2.30pm to 7.30pm that afternoon.

The quick answer

  • When: Sunday 29 November 2026. The road closure runs 2.30pm to 7.30pm; the switch-on time itself is not published yet.
  • Where: River Green, Yarmouth Road (A1242), Thorpe St Andrew.
  • Road closed: Yarmouth Road from Harvey Lane to Thunder Lane.
  • Way round: the county’s plan marks Harvey Lane, Plumstead Road East and Thunder Lane.
  • Still to come: the switch-on time, the programme and any parking arrangements.
  • New this year: the town council has ordered new lights for the lamp columns at River Green and pennants for six main street lights.

Is it on this year?

Yes. The evidence is the order itself. Norfolk County Council’s notice, dated 15 October and posted by Thorpe St Andrew Town Council on 16 October under the heading “Road Closures Christmas 2026 River Green”, says the county intends to close the road “to facilitate the Christmas Lights Switch-On” and that the order is in force on 29 November 2026. It names Thorpe St Andrew Town Council as the promoter (Road Closures Christmas 2026 River Green).

The council has not yet put out a programme: no switch-on time, no list of stalls, music or who presses the button. When it does, it will appear on its news page, and we will add it here.

Yarmouth Road closure and diversion

The order closes the A1242 Yarmouth Road from its junction with Harvey Lane to its junction with Thunder Lane, the stretch that runs past River Green. It applies to vehicles only; emergency vehicles and people on foot can still get through. The notice says the closure is “anticipated to be between 2.30pm and 7.30pm” and will only apply while the on-site signs are displayed.

The plan published with the notice marks the way round the closure via Harvey Lane, Plumstead Road East and Thunder Lane.

Buses that use Yarmouth Road are likely to be diverted for the afternoon. First Bus had not posted a notice for 29 November when we checked on 20 October; when it did for the Remembrance closure on the same stretch last year, it published the diversion on its service updates page. Our roadworks and travel page carries closures as they are confirmed.

Parking

The council has not published parking arrangements for the switch-on. With Yarmouth Road closed from 2.30pm you cannot drive along it to the green during the event, so allow time to walk in from the streets to the north. None of Broadland District Council’s eight free car parks is in Thorpe St Andrew: see parking in Broadland for the list.

New lights at River Green

The town council has been reworking its Christmas lights this autumn. At its 7 September meeting, councillors looked at quotes for a River Green display but were unwilling to sign up to a five-year contract, and resolved that the Clerk should concentrate on lights, strings in between and the Christmas tree (full council minutes, 7 September 2026).

On 28 September the Clerk brought back a quote for lights on the lamp columns at River Green and pennants on the six main street lights, controlled from a phone without needing to work inside the streetlights’ own electrics. Councillors resolved to order the lights so they would be in place on time, and asked the Clerk to look at whether council staff could put them up and take them down (full council minutes, 28 September 2026).

Father Christmas at Fitzmaurice Park

At the same 7 September meeting the council decided a Fitzmaurice Winter Wonderland was not worth running for the one day Father Christmas would be on site. A further item, “Father Christmas, Fitzmaurice Park”, was on the agenda for its 5 October meeting (agenda, 5 October 2026). The minutes of that meeting are not published yet, so whether Father Christmas visits the park this year is still open. For grottos that are confirmed, see our Santa’s grotto page.

Other Christmas dates nearby

Sources