Christmas in Lichfield: Lights on 22 November, Then Robin Hood and a Cathedral Full of Trees

Christmas in Lichfield starts with the lights switch-on in Market Square from 5pm on Sunday 22 November 2026, two days after the Garrick opens its pantomime. Three things to know first:

• The lights go on on Sunday 22 November, 5pm to 8pm, in Market Square. The city council has published the date, place and times, but no line-up. (Lichfield City Council)
• Robin Hood opens at the Garrick on Friday 20 November and runs to 10 January. Seats start at £10, and two performances already show no seats left: Thursday 26 November at 7pm and Thursday 17 December at 1.30pm. (Lichfield Garrick)
• There is no Christmas Fayre this year. The Chamber of Trade and Commerce says it “will return in 2027”, and the Victorian Christmas Market has not been announced for 2026. (Lichfield Chamber of Trade and Commerce)

The dates, in order

Every date below was checked on 12 November 2026 against the organiser’s own page, except the two Burntwood Town Council events and the Producers’ Market: those councils’ sites were behind security checks that day, so they are as last published.

Sources: Lichfield City Council events, Lichfield Cathedral, Advent and Christmas, Lichfield Garrick.

See

• Lichfield Christmas lights switch-on: the city’s evening on Sunday 22 November, then Burntwood’s three nights at Boney Hay, Chasetown and Sankey’s Corner in the week after.
• Lichfield Cathedral light show: Follow the Star, Tuesday 15 to Monday 21 December, in 15-minute entry slots from 5.15pm. Adults pay £12 to £15 depending on the night, and entry is by Dam Street only. The ticket includes the Christmas Tree Festival after hours.
• Lichfield Cathedral Christmas services: the Advent Carol Service at 6pm on 28 and 29 November, Nine Lessons and Carols at 6pm on 23 and 24 December, the crib services at 1.30pm and 3pm on Christmas Eve, and Midnight Mass at 11pm. Carols for All on Thursday 10 December at 7.30pm is ticketed, with no entry on the door.
• National Memorial Arboretum Illuminated: the light trail at Alrewas, 4 to 22 December, with no tickets on 7 or 14 December. Adults are £25 off-peak and £27 peak now that the advance prices have ended.
• The Christmas Tractor Run: lit-up tractors leave Rymans at 5pm on Sunday 20 December for a 15-mile loop round Lichfield, collecting for charity.

Do

• Lichfield panto: all 76 public performances of Robin Hood with the price band for each, the relaxed show on 29 November and the BSL shows on 17 December and 3 January. Also in the Garrick’s Studio: A Shoddy Nativity, 4 December to 3 January.
• Santa’s grotto near Lichfield: Manor Farm Fruits at Hints, on weekends and selected dates from 6 to 24 December, and Rymans Farm at Wall to 20 December, at £22 a child and £8.50 an adult. Both are pre-booked only.
• Ice rinks near Lichfield: there is no rink in the city, so the nearest is the SnowDome in Tamworth, about eight miles away, with Birmingham’s Centenary Square and Derby’s Cathedral Quarter further out.
• Christmas trees near Lichfield: five places to buy a real tree, from Rymans Farm at Wall to Dobbies at Shenstone, and the St Giles Hospice tree collection from 9 to 12 January.

Eat

• Christmas Day in Lichfield: 13 pubs and hotels open on Christmas Day, from £71.95 at the Star in Burntwood to £115 at the Quill and Scholar.
• Christmas dinner in Lichfield: nine pubs and hotels with their Christmas Day menus and deposits, from the George Hotel on Bird Street to the Tame Otter at Hopwas.

Shop

• Christmas shopping in Lichfield: 20 shops, from Dame Oliver’s on Dam Street to Nero Bianco’s candles, with opening hours and addresses.
• Lichfield Christmas markets: why the Fayre is off until 2027, what is known about the Victorian market, the Producers’ Market on Sunday 6 December and the nearest multi-day market, at Sutton Coldfield from 11 to 13 December.

Travel and bins

• Lichfield Christmas trains: Birmingham New Street shuts on Christmas Eve, 27 and 28 December, so the Cross-City line from Lichfield does not run on those days and buses replace it. There are no trains at all on Christmas Day or Saturday 26 December.
• Lichfield bin collection days: Christmas is the one time bin days move. Lichfield District Council had not published its 2026 changes on 12 November; its page still showed last year’s.
• New Year’s Eve in Lichfield: no public fireworks or countdown in Lichfield or Burntwood, the panto at 11am and 3pm, and the last trains home.

Not announced yet

• The Victorian Christmas Market: its own site still says only “Thank you for attending!”, and its organiser’s 2026 list does not include Lichfield.
• The city switch-on line-up and any road closures for 22 November.
• Lichfield District Council’s Christmas bin changes and any Christmas parking offer.
• Chasewater Railway’s Santa trains: its events page still shows only last year’s.

Frequently asked questions

When are the Lichfield Christmas lights switched on in 2026?

Sunday 22 November 2026, in Market Square, from 5pm to 8pm, according to Lichfield City Council’s event listing. The council has not published a line-up.

Is there a Lichfield Christmas market in 2026?

Not the big one. The Chamber of Trade and Commerce says its Christmas Fayre will return in 2027, and the Victorian Christmas Market has not been announced. The Producers’ Market is in Market Square on Sunday 6 December, 10am to 4pm.

What is the Lichfield panto this year?

Robin Hood, the Garrick’s own production, from Friday 20 November 2026 to Sunday 10 January 2027. Tickets start at £10, and 76 performances are on public sale.