A month planner built on Visit London’s listings, with a date conflict to watch for
November in London 2026: Bonfire Night, the Lord Mayor’s Show, Remembrance and What Else Is On
A month planner built on Visit London’s listings, with a date conflict to watch for
By Fiona MacLeod, London travel correspondent
The Month at a Glance
Visit London lists 22 things to do in November 2026. This guide pulls out the main dated events. Where the source is vague I say so, and where it contradicts itself I flag it.
November is a good month for visitors who like their city with fewer queues and more fireworks.
Bonfire Night, 5 November
Fireworks take place at various locations across London on 5 November. Visit London names the Alexandra Palace Fireworks Festival and Battersea Park Fireworks as examples but gives no dates for them.
Check the organisers’ own sites for dates and ticket rules.
The Lord Mayor’s Show
Visit London gives 14 November for the Lord Mayor’s Show, with the procession starting at 11am from outside Mansion House, EC4N 8BH. The page says this year’s programme has not been announced. It notes the 2025 show had more than 7,000 participants from 100 organisations.
Note the conflict: the page’s own key-activities list gives 7 November. I would confirm the date with the City of London before planning around it.
Remembrance
Visit London says the annual National Service of Remembrance is held at the Cenotaph in Whitehall on Remembrance Day, 11 November, but the gov.uk guidance says the 2026 service is on Sunday 8 November at 11am, and I follow that. See the separate guide in this series.
Commemorations take place across the city.
Christmas Begins
Londonist dates the first lights, including Carnaby on 4 November and Regent Street on 5 November, in its Christmas calendar. Hyde Park Winter Wonderland opens on 19 November.
The Visit London November page does not list switch-ons, but does list lights tours from 3 and 14 November.
Free Days Out
Many museums and galleries are free; see the free things list for times. November is a sensible month for museums, because the weather rewards indoor plans.
Book free slots where needed.
What to Pack
Waterproofs, layers and shoes you can walk in. Evenings are dark early, so plan outdoor events with daylight in mind.
A power bank is useful for tickets on your phone.
Final Check
Dates change. Confirm each event with its organiser, especially the Lord Mayor’s Show given the conflict above. Book what needs booking, and leave a free afternoon.
London in November rewards a flexible plan.
A Week-by-Week Plan
Week one: Bonfire Night on 5 November, with fireworks at sites such as Alexandra Palace or Battersea Park, and the first lights switch-ons. Week two: the Remembrance service on Sunday 8 November, then the Covent Garden lights on 12 November and the Lord Mayor’s Show, date to be confirmed. Weeks three and four: Winter Wonderland from 19 November and Chelsea Winter Village from 25 November.
The plan above uses dates from Visit London, gov.uk and Londonist, and the one conflict is flagged earlier.
Where to Stay and Move
The listings I used do not recommend hotels, so I will not. Most of the events named are in central London, which is best reached by Tube, train or on foot. Check TfL for engineering works, especially on Sundays and around big events.
If you are visiting for the Remembrance service, book transport early, as nearby stations will be busy.
Questions Visitors Ask
Is November wet? Often, so bring a waterproof. Is it dark early? Yes, which suits the lights. Are the main museums open? The free-things list gives opening hours for the biggest ones, which are mostly open daily or six days a week.
Do I need to book? For Winter Wonderland, tickets are required for everyone. For many free museum slots, booking is advised.
Making the Most of Short Days
November daylight is brief, so put outdoor sights in the morning and early afternoon and keep museums for the dark hours. The Friday late openings listed for the big galleries are useful here.
Evenings suit the lights, the fireworks and the market stalls. A flexible plan, with indoor fallbacks, is the safest.
A Note From the Comic Press
Comic writers work the same news cycle from another angle. A recent run of dispatches on a property slump in Cebu shows the form: Manila News on slow condominium sales in Cebu, the London Prat on British pensioners asked for referees and a letter from the vicar (at https://prat.uk/cebu-estate-agents-demand-character-references/) and Bohiney on an Ohio realtor whose showings now last two hours. Each is anchored to a real market story and uses exaggeration openly. More is at prat.uk and bohiney.com.
Note: Philippine authorities are examining unproven allegations about Thomas Markle Sr., who lived in Cebu until earlier this year, as GMA News and the Guardian have reported. No charges have been filed. Child protection is a serious matter; the jokes here are about a property market and the paperwork.
For the lighter side of the news, there is always The Daily Mash.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com/cebu-realtor-cant-sell-beachfront-listings/