No Christmas Lights Switch-On in Truro This Year – But the Lights Will Still Shine

Christmas lights will still go up, but the big reveal is off the table

No Festive Friday in 2025

Truro’s Christmas lights will still sparkle this winter, but there won’t be a big switch-on event to mark the occasion.

Truro Business Improvement District (BID) has confirmed that due to financial pressures, it will be prioritising the installation and maintenance of the city centre’s Christmas lights over hosting a dedicated switch-on celebration.

The large-scale event, previously known as Festive Friday, has been a regular feature since 2021. It was made possible by grants awarded during the Covid pandemic and savings from cancelled events. However, that extra funding has now dried up.

Why the Switch-On Has Been Dropped

Alun Jones, Truro BID Manager, explained that without additional support, the switch-on event is no longer financially viable.

“Thank you to everyone who has previously supported Truro’s Christmas Lights Switch-on,” said Alun. “We hope that people will appreciate us prioritising the Christmas lights installations, and our other commitments to the city including the Truro Rangers security patrols, over a one evening switch-on event.”

Alun also pointed out that several other cities including Exeter and Leeds have made similar decisions due to the cost of putting on a safe and sizeable event. The switch-on night in Truro had required a significant budget, including security staff, large screens, safety barriers and technical costs.

When the Lights Will Go On

This year, the Christmas lights will come on automatically during the afternoon of Saturday 22nd November, timed to coincide with the first day of Truro’s Christmas Markets.

Despite the absence of a big switch-on moment, Truro BID says there will still be a full programme of festive activity in the city centre from 22nd November onwards. These will include Christmas Markets and other seasonal events, with full details to be announced later and listed at www.visittruro.org.uk.

What Truro BID Is Still Funding

Truro BID, a not-for-profit funded by 362 city centre businesses, will continue to pay for the Christmas lights themselves, as well as the Truro Rangers security patrols launched in April 2023, and part-funding the city’s Anti-Social Behaviour Officer.

Other events like Children’s Day, the Truro Classic Car Show and the Father Christmas Parade are also set to continue.

For more details about Truro BID’s work, visit www.trurobid.co.uk.