Radlett's Winter Fair is Sunday 22 November, 2pm to 5pm, free at the Radlett Centre, lights at 4.45pm. Grotto £3, rides £2, and no parking on site.
Radlett’s Christmas lights go on at the parish council’s Winter Fair, and the 2026 date is confirmed: Sunday 22 November, 2pm to 5pm, at the Radlett Centre, with the switch-on at 4:45pm. Entry is free. This page has what Aldenham Parish Council has published, what it costs once you are inside, and where to park when the venue’s own car park is not available.
The quick answer
- Yes, it is on this year: Sunday 22 November 2026, 2pm to 5pm, The Radlett Centre, 1 Aldenham Avenue, Radlett WD7 8HL.
- Lights switched on at 4:45pm, at the front of the building.
- Free entry. Santa’s grotto is £3 a ticket and outdoor rides and games £2 a ticket, bought on the day at the box office.
- No parking at the Radlett Centre. Newberries Car Park across the road is free on Sundays; disabled parking is at the Red House Surgery opposite.
What happens and when
Aldenham Parish Council calls it its “popular annual winter fair” (Aldenham Parish Council, Winter Fair 2026). Inside the auditorium are Santa’s grotto and a range of festive stalls. Outside are funfair rides and games and food trucks. The lights are switched on at 4:45pm, and the council asks people to gather safely at the front of the building for it.
The parish council has not yet said who will throw the switch. Last year, on Sunday 23 November 2025, it was Dame Dotty and the cast of the Radlett Centre pantomime. This year’s Radlett panto is Snow White, from 5 December; our pantomime page has the dates and prices.
Tickets for the grotto and rides
Entry costs nothing. The paid extras are bought at the box office inside the Radlett Centre, and the council asks you to buy them before joining a queue:
| Ticket | Price | Sold until | Use until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outside rides and games | £2 a ticket | 4:30pm | 5pm |
| Santa's grotto | £3 a ticket | 4pm | 5pm |
No refunds are given for unused tickets. Grotto tickets stop selling at 4pm, half an hour earlier than last year, so if a visit to Santa matters, buy that ticket first. Last year’s tickets were cash only; the 2026 page does not say either way, so carry some cash in case.
Food and drink
Teatro, the Radlett Centre’s cafe, will be serving hot drinks and seasonal treats throughout. Outside, food trucks sell burgers, hot dogs, chips and sweet treats.
Accessibility
The council lists:
- disabled parking at the Red House Surgery, first come, first served
- fast-track ticket access for anyone who finds queuing difficult; it encourages parents and carers to wear sunflower lanyards so staff can help
- a quiet space away from the crowds and noise, by asking a member of staff
- full wheelchair access
Parking and getting there
There is no parking at the Radlett Centre for the fair. The council points everyone else to Newberries Car Park, across the road, which it says is free on Sundays. Newberries has been resurfaced from early September with no end date published, so check its state before you count on a space. Our Borehamwood and Hertsmere parking page has the borough’s other car parks and tariffs.
Radlett station is on the Thameslink line, a short walk from Aldenham Avenue. Sunday engineering works do close the line some weekends, so check before you travel; our roadworks and travel page carries road closures and rail works across Hertsmere. No road closure has been published for the fair.
The other switch-on
Borehamwood’s own switch-on, run by Elstree and Borehamwood Town Council at All Saints Church on Shenley Road, has no 2026 date yet. It has been held on Advent Sunday two years running, which this year is 29 November. Everything known is on our Christmas lights page, and the town’s indoor markets at Fairway Hall on 22 November and 13 December are on our Christmas market page.
Still to be confirmed
- Who switches the lights on.
- Whether ride and grotto tickets are cash only again.
- Whether Newberries Car Park’s resurfacing is finished by 22 November.
Sources: Aldenham Parish Council, Winter Fair 2026 event page, checked 9 October 2026; last year’s details from the parish council’s Winter Fair 2025 page and Around Radlett issue 132.
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