London Autumn Guide: Festivals, Christmas Lights Switch-On Dates and Seasonal Events
London offers a range of seasonal activities and upcoming autumn events for visitors and residents. From historic local festivals to early preparations for the festive period, here is an overview of what is happening across the city.
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Festivals and Special Events

The Bloomsbury Festival 2026 features a programme of art, music, theatre and local history. Meanwhile, the BFI London Film Festival brings a site-specific, multisensory immersive art installation titled Water Body to St Martin-in-the-Fields.
For families and community participants, Fun Palaces will appear across London in October, offering free activities such as drama workshops and clowning. Visitors can also celebrate the free Diwali Festival in London, alongside the Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity's Autumn Fundraiser, Race for the Kids, taking place in Hyde Park this October.

Festive Preparations and Sightseeing
Christmas light switch-on dates for 2026 have been revealed for Carnaby and Covent Garden. For those exploring the city outdoors, autumn walks can be enjoyed across various parks, embankments, and mewses, including spots like Brompton Cemetery.

Other points of interest mentioned in recent London features include new housing developments mapped out with over 2,000 homes, a model of the Old White Horse pub in Holborn, a surviving World War Two bomb shelter near Mortlake station on a residential street in South West London, and Apsley House, which holds the address number 1 London.
Bloomsbury Festival: Art, music, theatre and history
Fun Palaces (October): Free activities including drama and clowning
Race for the Kids: Hyde Park fundraiser in October
Christmas Lights: Carnaby and Covent Garden switch-on dates announced for 2026

