Stockport's Christmas lights go on at 4.45pm on Sunday 15 November, after a 100-drummer parade that ends a free afternoon of more than 50 street shows.

Stockport town centre will switch on its Christmas lights at 4.45pm on Sunday 15 November. The switch-on is the finale of this year’s Spectacular Sunday. It follows a parade of more than 100 drummers.

The council announced the date on Friday (Stockport Council). It is the fourth Spectacular Sunday. Last year’s programme finished with a giant bee puppet parade from 4.30pm to 5pm, and listed no switch-on (Totally Stockport).

What is on

The event is free and runs from 12pm to 5pm. The council promises more than 200 performers and over 50 free shows across Merseyway, Suffragette Square, the Underbanks, Market Place and Redrock. Totally Stockport’s listing adds Warren Street (Totally Stockport).

The acts named so far are:

  • a giant Snow Lion, with dancing elves and stiltwalkers
  • Over The Moon, a circus adventure into space
  • Hydropunk, a hands-on water show of pipes, pumps, sprays and puzzles
  • The Miniscule of Sound, billed as the world’s smallest nightclub, which returns again this year
  • Brazilian-inspired drumming from Juba do Leão and Katumba

Festive bands and local community performers fill the rest of the afternoon. The full programme, with stages and times, is “to be announced soon”.

The event is run by the council, Totally Stockport, Merseyway Shopping Centre and Stockport Market, and produced by Global Grooves. Totally Stockport also names Redrock as a partner. It is part-funded by the UK Government.

What they said

Cllr Micheala Meikle, the council’s cabinet member for economy, regeneration and skills, said the event “has become a much-loved part of Christmas in Stockport”.

Victoria Nichol, Merseyway’s centre manager, said visitors could “make an afternoon of it, pick up some Christmas gifts and stay for what is set to be an incredible finale”.

The lights themselves

The council’s lights contract starts on 1 November. It put its Christmas Lights Programme out to tender in May, at £105,000 before VAT. That covers the town centre, district centres and key gateways. Merseyway and Stockport Exchange light their own estates. The detail is on our Stockport Christmas lights page.

The Underbanks has held its own evening switch-on in past years, run by Totally Stockport and the independent traders. In 2025 it was on Saturday 29 November. No 2026 date has been announced.

What it means for you

  • Put Sunday 15 November in the diary. Shows run from midday, and the lights go on at 4.45pm.
  • It is free. No tickets are needed for any of the 50-plus shows.
  • Stay late for the finale. The drummers’ parade leads straight into the switch-on.
  • Driving in? Our parking page lists the council car parks and their charges.
  • Check the roads. Town centre resurfacing and other closures are on our roadworks page.

For other dates, see our guides to Stockport’s Christmas markets and Santa’s grottos.

Sources