When is the Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony 2024?

In London at Christmas, you can’t depend on there being snow, or expect to wake up hangover-free after the work Christmas party, but there is one thing you can count on. And that’s people mocking the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree after it goes up every year. 

Nevertheless, we’re quite fond of the Norwegian spruce that is gifted to the UK by Norway each winter, even if it does look a bit bedraggled. It wouldn’t be yuletide in the city without it. 

Now that it’s here, you’re probably wondering when it’s going to be lit up. So here’s everything you need to know about the Trafalgar Square tree-lighting ceremony in 2024. 

When is the 2024 tree lighting ceremony?

As per tradition, the fir will be lit up on the first Thursday of December. This year that’s Thursday December 5, with the ceremony taking place from 5.30pm to 6.30pm. The event will include carol singing and poetry readings and is totally free to attend. The 56-year-old, 20-metre-high fir will be decorated in the traditional Norwegian style, with vertical lights using energy-efficient bulbs. 

What happens to the tree after Christmas?

We’re glad you asked. After the twelfth night of Christmas, the fir is recycled: it gets chipped and composted, to make mulch.

Don’t miss London’s loveliest Christmas tree displays.