Actor Jonathan Linsley switches on Hailsham's lights at 6pm on Friday 27 November. Market, carols and Father Christmas from 1pm; High Street shut 11am-9pm.

Hailsham’s Christmas lights are switched on at 6pm on Friday 27 November 2026. The event around it runs through the afternoon on Vicarage Field and the High Street, and the High Street is closed to traffic from about 11am until 9pm.

The quick answer

  • When: Friday 27 November 2026, 1pm to 7pm, lights on at 6pm
  • Where: Vicarage Field and Hailsham High Street
  • Cost: the council lists no entry charge; the stalls sell their own goods
  • Road closure: High Street, about 11am to 9pm
  • Is it on this year? Yes. Hailsham Town Council confirmed it again in a press release on 5 November

Updated 5 November: the council reissued its release on 5 November. Times, the 11am to 9pm High Street closure and the line-up are unchanged; its event listing still says 2pm, but every release says 1pm. No traffic order or car park closures are published.

Updated 29 October: the council’s latest release names the switcher-on, actor Jonathan Linsley (Ogilvey in two Pirates of the Caribbean films), who will flick the switch at 6pm in costume, and adds Hailsham Choral Society to the line-up. Times and the 11am to 9pm closure are unchanged.

Updated 8 October: the council reissued its release today and says the market is fully booked, so no more trader pitches are available. Times and the 11am to 9pm High Street closure are unchanged.

What the council has confirmed

Everything here is from Hailsham Town Council, which organises the switch-on with local community groups. Its most recent release, on 5 October, sets out the day.

  • The switch-on at 6pm by actor Jonathan Linsley, who played Ogilvey in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest and At World’s End, in his Pirates costume. The council announced him in its 29 October release.
  • Live music from The Sussex Stompers and Con Brio through the afternoon, and a performance by Hailsham Choral Society.
  • Carols from pupils at Hailsham Academy and Hailsham Academy Primary before the lights go on.
  • Father Christmas, courtesy of Hailsham Rotary Club, meeting children during the afternoon.
  • Hailsham FM broadcasting live from the town centre.
  • Hot chocolate and marshmallows, free, at Hailsham Parish Church after the switch-on.

Market stalls line the event. The council’s 5 October release names 21 confirmed traders, among them Kie’s Tasty Temptations (homemade cakes), Misty Acres (flowers), Ace Knits & Bits, The Rum Infusionist, Sweet Kettle Bakes, Unique Crochet, LAW Designs (handcrafted jewellery), Polly’s Patchworks and Hailsham Lions selling candy floss. Food and drink listed so far: pizza, a hog roast, coffee, crepes, jacket potatoes, chips, burgers, bratwurst, mulled wine, candy floss, and hot chocolate with marshmallows. The stalls are now full: the council’s Operations and Facilities Manager, Tony Lee, says in the release that “we are now fully booked for the event”, so there are no pitches left to apply for.

One detail to check: does it start at 1pm or 2pm?

The council’s three September press releases and its 5 October release all say 1pm to 7pm. Its event listing, posted in July, still gives a start time of 2pm and an end of 7pm. The releases are newer and more detailed, so we have gone with 1pm. The 6pm switch-on is the same in all of them, and that is the part to arrive for.

Road closure

The event listing, rechecked on 6 October, still says only that a High Street closure would be in place, “details of which will be announced soon”. The releases fill that in: Hailsham High Street will be closed to traffic from approximately 11am until 9pm on Friday 27 November. The council says the closure is for safety and to give people room to move between the parts of the event.

No formal traffic order or diversion route has been published yet. We will add it here when it is.

Parking

Vicarage Field is next to two district council car parks of the same name, both at postcode BN27 1BE, according to Wealden District Council’s car park directory:

Car park Bays Stay limit
Vicarage Field West 90 short stay, 4 disabled 3 hours
Vicarage Field East (Waitrose) 94 mid stay, 5 disabled 6 hours
Vicarage Lane, BN27 7AX 59 short stay, 227 long stay, 6 disabled 3 hours short stay, 23 hours long stay
South Road, BN27 2AU 95 long stay, 5 disabled 23 hours
Victoria Road, BN27 2AY 68 long stay 23 hours

Wealden’s directory marks only two of its car parks as pay and display, The Willows in Alfriston and Sea Road in Pevensey Bay, so the Hailsham car parks are free within their stay limits. The limits are enforced; our parking in Crowborough page explains how Wealden’s time limits and excess charges work, and the rules are the same district-wide. If you are coming for the 6pm switch-on and arriving in the afternoon, a long stay car park is the safer choice than the three-hour bays.

The council has not said whether any car park bays are closed for the event. Wealden is also consulting on changes to some of its car park conditions; the directory does not say which, so check the signs on the day.

From Crowborough

Hailsham is south of Crowborough, beyond Heathfield. Our roadworks and travel page lists the closures and works that could slow the drive. Crowborough’s own lights go on the same evening, at the Christmas Cracker on Crowborough High Street, also at 6pm, so you will have to choose one.

Last year, and the Christmas market

The council says last year’s switch-on was a success and one of the town’s best-attended events. In 2024 it also ran a separate Christmas Market on a Saturday in mid-December. No 2026 Christmas Market date is on the council’s site yet; we will add it here when it is.

This page will be updated in November with the traffic order, any car park changes and the final programme.

Sources