London's Oxford Street to get Harry Potter Christmas lights this year
Lumos
London gets some seriously impressive Christmas decorations up each year, but 2026’s will be a bit special — themed around Harry Potter.
The lights will deck the halls of Oxford Street, as part of a collaboration between HBO Max and the New West End Company.
And, of course, it’s here to commemorate the upcoming Harry Potter TV show as much as Christmas.
The series arrives on Christmas Day itself, while Oxford Street’s lights are typically rigged up in early November. Not long to wait now.
This is not just a big year for Harry Potter, it’s a biggie for Oxford Street too. Around half of the busiest shopping area of the road is about to become fully pedestrianised — no cars, no buses, no bikes. It begins on 26th October, just ahead of when the Christmas lights should appear.
Oxford Street is also getting its own Harry Potter store in-sync with these Christmas lights. It’s set to open on 4th November.
“This will be a historic moment for Oxford Street. Bringing the world of Harry Potter to the street will create an unforgettable Christmas experience and showcase the West End at its very best,” says Dee Corsi, CEO of the New West End Company.
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Sadly we don’t have any concept images of the lights’ design, but we could be in for something special.
A big bet is clearly being made on the Harry Potter show, which is planned to span seven seasons in 10 years. Just like the films, this will let the stars age somewhat in line with the characters of the books.
The show’s cast includes Domionic McLaughlin as Potter, Paapa Essiedu as Snape, John Lithgow as Dumbledore and Nick Frost as Hagrid.
Nicholas Hoult was originally on-board to play Gilderoy Lockhart, but left the production to be replaced by Kit Harrington. The official line is it was down to scheduling conflicts, not because of the flak he received thanks to the general controversy surrounding Harry Potter author JK Rowling.
Andrew Williams has written about all sorts of stuff for more than a decade — from tech and fitness to entertainment and fashion. He has written for a stack of magazines and websites including Wired, TrustedReviews, TechRadar and Stuff, enjoys going to gigs and painting in his spare time. He's also suspiciously good at poker.
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