Carterton's Christmas Fayre runs 2pm to 7pm on Saturday 28 November in Market Square. The lantern parade sets off at 5.45pm and the lights go on at 6pm.

Carterton’s Christmas lights go on at 6pm on Saturday 28 November 2026, at the end of a Christmas Fayre that runs from 2pm to 7pm in Carterton Market Square. The lantern parade leaves the Methodist Church at 5.45pm and arrives in time for the switch-on. Carterton Town Council published both posters on 25 September: one for the Christmas Fayre and Lights Switch On Event and one for the lantern workshops and parade.

The quick answer

  • Is it on this year? Yes. The town council has confirmed Saturday 28 November 2026.
  • Times: fayre 2pm to 7pm, lantern parade from the Methodist Church at 5.45pm, lights on at 6pm.
  • Where: Carterton Market Square, on Alvescot Road.
  • What it costs: the council lists food, stalls and entertainment and publishes no entry charge.

What is confirmed
Date Saturday 28 November 2026
Christmas Fayre 2pm to 7pm
Lantern parade Sets off from the Methodist Church at 5.45pm
Lights on 6pm
Venue Carterton Market Square
Organiser Carterton Town Council

The fayre poster lists “Festive Stalls, our traditional Lantern Parade and Christmas Lights Switch On Event”, under the heading “Food, Stalls, Entertainment”. It does not yet name the stallholders, the entertainment or who presses the switch.

Make a lantern first

The town council runs two lantern-making sessions beforehand so families can make a lantern to carry:

  • Saturday 7 November, 10am to 2pm, Carterton Community Centre.
  • Saturday 14 November, 10am to 2pm, Carterton Family Centre.

The poster asks for a small suggested donation towards the light. Its slogan is “Come and make, carry and share the light”.

What changed from last year

The 2025 fayre was on Saturday 29 November and ran from 1pm to 7pm, with the lights on at 6pm, according to the town council’s own countdown poster from November 2025. This year it starts an hour later, at 2pm, and the switch-on time is unchanged.

The council asked for volunteer marshals for the 2025 event, to cover 3.30pm to 7pm. It has not yet issued a 2026 call; if it does, it will be on the council’s news page.

One knock-on effect is already decided. The monthly Saturday market at Shilton Park, normally on the last Saturday of the month, will not run separately in November because it falls on the same day. A report to the council’s Economic Regeneration and Environment Committee for 6 October 2026 says the organisers “have therefore agreed not to hold a separate market that month, and some stallholders will attend the Christmas market instead.”

Roads and parking

No road closure order has been published for the Carterton fayre. Oxfordshire County Council’s large public events register, checked on 2 October 2026, lists no Carterton event. We will add any order to this page and to our roadworks and travel page if one appears.

Carterton’s two district council car parks are on Black Bourton Road (56 spaces) and Alvescot Road (36 spaces), both with a 12-hour maximum stay, and West Oxfordshire’s council car parks are free. Our parking page has the full list. Market Square itself is on Alvescot Road.

The same weekend elsewhere

Carterton’s switch-on is the second of three in the district in two days:

  • Witney, Friday 27 November, 5.30pm to 7.30pm, lights on at 6pm, run by the Rotary Club of Witney. See our Witney switch-on page.
  • Woodstock Festive Fayre, Friday 27 November, 5pm to 8pm, and Saturday 28 November, 10am to 6pm. See our Woodstock Christmas page.
  • Cogges Christmas Market in Witney, Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 November. See our Christmas markets page.

What we will update

  • The entertainment line-up and who switches the lights on.
  • Any road closure or parking suspension around Market Square.
  • A call for marshals, if the council issues one.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Carterton Christmas lights switch-on in 2026? Saturday 28 November 2026. The lights go on at 6pm, during a Christmas Fayre that runs from 2pm to 7pm in Carterton Market Square.

What time does the lantern parade start? 5.45pm, from the Methodist Church, ending at the switch-on.

Where can my child make a lantern? At the town council’s workshops, for a small suggested donation: Saturday 7 November at Carterton Community Centre or Saturday 14 November at Carterton Family Centre, both 10am to 2pm.

Is it free? The council publishes no entry charge. Food and stalls are pay as you go.

Is the Shilton Park market on in November? Not separately. Its organisers have agreed to skip November because it clashes with the Christmas fayre, and some of its stallholders will trade at the fayre instead.

Sources