Colchester's Christmas light parade leaves the Mercury Theatre at 5pm on Saturday 14 November. The ice rink operator now gives 5 December to 3 January.
Colchester’s Christmas lights switch-on is Saturday 14 November 2026. The Light Switch-On Parade starts at 5pm and sets off from the Mercury Theatre before working its way through the High Street.
The date and the start time come from InColchester, the city centre business improvement district that runs the event, on its Christmas in Colchester page. That is the only place either has been published so far, and it is first-party, so it is what this page is built on.
Updated 29 September: the ice rink’s operator now says its season runs from 5 December 2026 to 3 January 2027, not from switch-on day as the BID still says. Details below.
Two things are worth flagging straight away. The switch-on and the Christmas market are three weeks apart this year, not the same weekend. And the Culver Square ice rink may not be open on switch-on night: its two sources disagree.
What is confirmed
| Detail | Status |
|---|---|
| Date, Saturday 14 November 2026 | Confirmed |
| Parade start, 5pm | Confirmed |
| Start point, Mercury Theatre | Confirmed |
| Route, through the High Street | Confirmed in outline |
| Moment the lights come on | Not published |
| Road closures and times | Not published |
| Bus diversions | Not published |
| Stage acts and line-up | Not published |
The BID says to expect performances from local schoolchildren, illuminated costumes, giant festive characters, stilt walkers and live music along the route. It has not yet named a single act, a stage location or the countdown time.
Road closures: what happened last time
No closure order has been advertised for 14 November 2026 as at 5 September, and the council has published nothing about Christmas on its news page.
The last published notice gives a reliable shape for what to expect. For the 2024 switch-on, First Bus told passengers that Head Street, High Street and North Hill would all close to traffic, and that services were diverted between 5pm and 7.30pm, returning to normal routes early if the roads reopened sooner. That notice covered roughly 25 routes, including the S1 to S10 town services and the 1A, 2A, 68, 75, 86, 87, 88A, 102, 320 and X20.
Treat that as the pattern, not as this year’s arrangement. We will update this page when the 2026 order appears.
Parking on the night
The parade runs on a Saturday evening, which changes one thing. St Mary’s multi-storey closes its entrance lane at 10pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, reopening at 5am. You can still drive out at any time, you just cannot drive in after 10pm. That is well after the parade, but worth knowing if you plan to stay in town for dinner.
Evening tariffs on council car parks, all from the council’s own car park pages:
| Car park | Evening charge |
|---|---|
| Priory Street, CO1 2QA | £2.40, entry after 6pm to midnight |
| St Mary’s, CO3 3AA | £2.40, entry after 6pm to midnight |
| Britannia, CO2 7EF | £1.40, 6pm to 6am |
Arriving before 6pm for a 5pm parade means paying a daytime rate instead. At Priory Street that is £4.90 for up to three hours. Britannia has 92 spaces closed at its western end for archaeological work.
Full tariffs are on our parking in Colchester page, and Colchester roadworks and travel tracks the closures already in place.
The ice rink: two different opening dates
Culver Square gets a covered, real-ice rink for 2026. Its two first-party sources do not agree on when it opens.
| Source | What it says |
|---|---|
| InColchester, the BID, on its Christmas page | Opens Saturday 14 November 2026 |
| Colchester Ice Rink Ltd, the operator, in its 2026 season post of 17 September | Runs 5 December 2026 to 3 January 2027 |
The operator runs the rink, so its dates carry more weight, but its homepage still reads “Website launching soon” and no tickets are on sale. Until booking opens, do not plan a skate around switch-on night.
What the operator has published so far:
- Sessions: public skating, family and toddler, Relaxed (SEN), schools and home education, disco evenings and private hire.
- Skate hire is included in the ticket.
- Relaxed sessions run at reduced capacity with calm music and mood lighting, and wheelchairs are allowed on the ice in those sessions only.
- Skate aids cost £7.50 per session if reserved with an online booking, or £8 if hired on the day, subject to availability.
- 20% off for serving and retired Army personnel, NHS staff, and fire, police and ambulance staff, with proof of service on arrival.
No session prices or times have been published. The BID’s pre-registration list promises a discount code before general sale.
Our Colchester ice rink page tracks the dates and prices as they appear.
The rest of the festive season
Four other dates are already fixed, all from first-party sources:
- Jack and the Beanstalk at the Mercury Theatre, Saturday 21 November 2026 to Sunday 17 January 2027. See our Mercury Theatre pantomime page for the full 78-performance calendar and the accessible dates.
- Step Into Christmas at Charter Hall, Sunday 22 November 2026, 7.30pm.
- Colchester Christmas Market on the High Street and the Moot Hall Christmas Gift Market in the Town Hall, both Sunday 6 December 2026. Our Colchester Christmas market page has the detail, along with the Santa Fun Run in Castle Park that morning.
- The Wizard of Oz at Charter Hall, from Saturday 12 December 2026.
When to check again
The parade line-up, the exact switch-on time, the road closure order and the ice rink’s session prices and confirmed opening day are all still outstanding. On past timing, the closure notice lands in the first half of November and the line-up in late October. This page will be updated as each is published.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Colchester Christmas lights switch-on 2026?
Saturday 14 November 2026. The Light Switch-On Parade starts at 5pm and leaves from the Mercury Theatre before going through the High Street.
What time do the Colchester Christmas lights come on?
The exact moment has not been published. InColchester has confirmed the 5pm parade start but not the countdown time. We will add it here when it appears.
Will roads be closed for the Colchester light parade?
No order has been advertised yet. At the last switch-on with a published notice, Head Street, High Street and North Hill all closed and buses were diverted between 5pm and 7.30pm.
When does the Colchester ice rink open?
The operator, Colchester Ice Rink Ltd, says the season runs from 5 December 2026 to 3 January 2027. The city centre BID still gives Saturday 14 November, switch-on day. Tickets are not yet on sale and no prices have been published.
Sources
- InColchester, Christmas in Colchester
- Colchester Ice Rink, 2026 season post
- Colchester Ice Rink, skate aids and service discount
- Colchester Events, What’s On listing
- First Bus Essex, Colchester Christmas lights switch-on service notice, 2024
- Colchester City Council, St Mary’s car park
- Colchester City Council, Priory Street car park
- Colchester City Council, Britannia car park
Have your say