Light Up Leigh is on Friday 27 November from 4pm, free, with the Broadway and Elm Road shut 3pm to 8pm. All three children's sessions have now sold out.

Light Up Leigh is on Friday 27 November 2026, from 4pm, and it is free. For the first time the town council is closing the roads: Elm Road, the Broadway, Broadway West and Rectory Grove shut to traffic from 3pm to 8pm so the centre of Leigh can fill with people (Leigh-on-Sea Town Council).

Updated 3 November: the last bookable children’s session, Art Ministry Christmas Arts and Crafts, has now sold out too, so all three 4pm sessions are gone. The evening itself is free and needs no ticket; date, times and road closures are unchanged.

Overview

  • Friday 27 November 2026, from 4pm, central Leigh-on-Sea. Free, no tickets for the evening itself.
  • Roads closed 3pm to 8pm: Elm Road, Broadway, Broadway West and Rectory Grove (stretches below).
  • Choirs in Leigh Library Gardens 6pm to 7pm, a Christmas market in the Lower Hall 3pm to 8pm, free mulled wine and mince pies in the Community Centre from 4pm.
  • All three bookable children’s sessions are sold out (checked 3 November); the council keeps an email waiting list.

This is Leigh’s own Christmas evening, separate from the city’s. Southend’s switch-on is two weeks earlier, on Saturday 14 November in Victoria Circus: see our Southend Christmas lights switch-on page.

What is on, and when

Leigh-on-Sea Town Council published the 2026 programme on its events page. It promises the evening will be “bigger and better” than last year:

Time What Where
3pm to 8pm Roads closed to traffic Elm Road, Broadway, Broadway West, Rectory Grove
3pm to 8pm Festive Christmas market Lower Hall, Leigh Community Centre
From 4pm Santa’s grotto with Leigh Lions Booked through the Leigh Lions Facebook page
From 4pm Free mulled wine and mince pies Leigh Community Centre
4pm to 5pm Children’s activities, booked in advance Leigh Community Centre
6pm to 7pm Choirs Leigh Library Gardens
Evening Live music The Ironworks cafe
Evening Late-night shopping, with businesses, churches, bars and restaurants taking part Central Leigh

The council names its sponsors as BTMK Solicitors (road closure partner), c2c (travel sponsor), Cliffs Pavilion and St Michael’s School (event sponsors) and The On-Crown (marketing sponsor).

The council has not published a single “switch-on” moment for 2026. Last year’s running order put the bell ringing at St Clement’s Church at 6pm and the choir at the Library Gardens Christmas tree at 6.10pm, but this year’s page lists choirs from 6pm to 7pm and does not mention the bells, so do not plan around last year’s times.

Road closures, 3pm to 8pm

The town council lists four closures for the evening (Leigh-on-Sea Town Council):

  • Elm Road, from the Sarah Moore to Broadway and Broadway West.
  • Broadway, up to Leighton Avenue.
  • Broadway West, up to the junction with Rectory Grove.
  • Rectory Grove, from Broadway West to Elm Road.

That is the whole shopping centre of Leigh, so anyone driving through between Chalkwell and Hadleigh after 3pm should plan to go round. The city council had not published a formal order for the closure when we checked its special events road closures page on 13 October (Southend-on-Sea City Council), and neither the council nor the bus companies have said yet how buses on the Broadway will be diverted. We will add both when they appear. Our Southend roadworks and travel page tracks other closures that week.

Children’s activities: all three sessions sold out

The council asks families to book the 4pm to 5pm children’s sessions through its website. Three sessions are listed for the evening, each £2 a child with a maximum of four tickets per family:

  • Mrs Claus Sing Along and More, 4pm to 5pm, with Ami from Quackers, best for children aged five and under. Sold out on 13 October (Leigh-on-Sea Town Council).
  • Joe Banana Christmas Party, 4pm to 5pm. Sold out on 13 October (Leigh-on-Sea Town Council).
  • Art Ministry Christmas Arts and Crafts, 4pm to 5pm, suitable for everyone. Sold out by 3 November (Leigh-on-Sea Town Council).

For all three sessions the council now runs a waiting list by email; the address is on each event page. Santa’s grotto is booked separately, through the Leigh Lions’ Facebook page, not the council.

Parking and getting there

With the Broadway and Elm Road shut, driving into the middle of Leigh is the wrong plan. The council’s car park tariffs work in your favour if you arrive late (Southend-on-Sea City Council, car park pricing):

  • Elm Road and Leigh Foundry car parks are Zone 3A, which charges only from 8am to 6pm: £1.30 for an hour, £2.50 for two. Park after 6pm and it costs nothing. The council has not said whether Elm Road car park can be reached while Elm Road itself is closed, so do not count on it (car park zones).
  • Leigh Hill car park is free, one of 14 free council car parks.
  • Leigh Marshes car park is listed as closed on the council’s zone page.

c2c is the evening’s travel sponsor. Leigh-on-Sea station is down by the estuary, below the town, so walking up to the Broadway is a climb; Chalkwell station is the other option. Our parking in Southend page has every tariff and the full list of free car parks.

Is Light Up Leigh on this year?

Yes. The town council’s event page confirms Friday 27 November 2026 from 4pm and lists the road closures and the programme above. It is the same Friday-before-December slot as last year, when Light Up Leigh ran on Friday 28 November 2025 with children’s activities from 4.30pm, bell ringing at St Clement’s at 6pm, a choir at the Library Gardens tree at 6.10pm and mulled wine and live entertainment at the Community Centre from 7pm (Leigh-on-Sea Town Council, 2025 event). Neither the road closures nor the Lower Hall market appeared in last year’s running order.

Frequently asked questions

When is Light Up Leigh 2026?

Friday 27 November 2026, from 4pm, with the Christmas market open from 3pm to 8pm.

Which roads are closed for Light Up Leigh?

Elm Road from the Sarah Moore to Broadway, Broadway up to Leighton Avenue, Broadway West up to Rectory Grove, and Rectory Grove from Broadway West to Elm Road, from 3pm to 8pm.

Is Light Up Leigh free?

Yes. The evening is free, and the council is serving complimentary mulled wine and mince pies from 4pm. The children’s sessions cost £2 a child and must be booked.

Where do I book Santa’s grotto at Light Up Leigh?

Through the Leigh Lions’ Facebook page. The council’s own booking only covers the children’s sessions at the Community Centre.

What we will update, and when

  • The formal road closure order and bus diversions. Expected in November.
  • Choirs and live music line-up. Not yet named by the council.
  • Children’s sessions. We will note when the last one sells out.

Sources