Christmas in Blyth 2026

Christmas in Blyth is a town-centre affair. The council fills the Market Place for the lights, the Phoenix Theatre puts on a month of panto, and the beach and Ridley Park are there for the walk that follows a big dinner. This guide covers what happens every year, with the dates we have confirmed for 2026. Where something has not yet been announced, we say so rather than guess.

The 2026 dates at a glance

• Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 November: The Silver Bells Christmas Show at the Phoenix Theatre
• Saturday 21 November: Blyth Christmas Lights On, Market Place, 10am to 6pm
• Sunday 22 November: Strut Dance's Christmas show at the Phoenix Theatre
• Saturday 5 to Sunday 27 December: Jack and the Beanstalk, the Phoenix Theatre pantomime
• Monday 14 December: Punch-Drunk Comedy Xmas Special at Blyth Comrades Club
• Saturday 26 December: Blyth Spartans v Ashington at Croft Park, 3pm

The Christmas lights

The Blyth Christmas Lights On day is on Saturday 21 November 2026, from 10am to 6pm in Blyth Market Place (NE24 1BW). The date is confirmed on the Blyth Town Council events page. It is free, there is no booking, and the day ends with the lighting of the town Christmas tree.

We have a full guide to the day, with what happened last year, where to stand and where to eat afterwards: see Christmas Lights Switch-On in Blyth 2026.

Festive Saturdays and Santa

In 2025 the council followed the switch-on with four festive Saturdays in the town centre, run with Blyth Celebrates. They included Christmas market stalls and hot food in the Market Place, real reindeer, a festive window trail, buskers, and Mrs Claus with crafts and face painting at Blyth Library. In earlier years the council has also run a Santa's grotto in the town centre.

The 2026 festive Saturday programme and any grotto had not been announced at the time of writing. If the format repeats, it will be listed on the town council's events page in November. Until then, the regular market still trades on Market Street on Fridays and Saturdays from 9am to 3.30pm, with a car boot and flea market on Wednesdays; our Blyth Market guide has the details.

Pantomime and Christmas shows

The Phoenix Theatre on Beaconsfield Street is the heart of Christmas entertainment in Blyth. Its 2026 pantomime is Jack and the Beanstalk, running from Saturday 5 to Sunday 27 December with matinee and evening performances. Book through the theatre's website, as weekend shows close to Christmas sell first.

Before the panto, the theatre hosts The Silver Bells Christmas Show, its annual variety evening with Leah Bell and Crissy Rock, on 14 and 15 November. On 22 November local dance school Strut Dance takes the stage with Strut the Halls and Sleigh and Sparkle, with shows at 1pm and 6pm.

For grown-ups, the Punch-Drunk Comedy Xmas Special comes to Blyth Comrades Club on Wright Street on Monday 14 December at 8pm, hosted by Kai Humphries.

Best for: Book the panto early: Saturday and Sunday shows in the week before Christmas are the first to go.

Carols and church services

Blyth's parish churches hold Christmas services each year, though the 2026 times were not yet published when we checked. St Cuthbert's Church has traditionally held a Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, and St Mary's Church has hosted a community nativity with carols. For this year's carol services, Christingles and Christmas Day times, check each church's page on A Church Near You in early December.

Festive walks

Blyth is made for a walk on a crisp winter day. Ridley Park, five minutes from the town centre, is flat and pushchair-friendly, with play areas and formal gardens; our Ridley Park guide has more.

For sea air, start at the free Links Road car park and follow the Eve Black Walkway south along the dunes towards Seaton Sluice, or head north along the promenade to the Blyth Battery and the harbour. Our best walks in Blyth and Blyth beach guide cover the routes. Short daylight is the main thing to plan for in late December, so set off by early afternoon.

Just down the coast, Seaton Delaval Hall dresses for Christmas, with Festive Late Nights on 10 and 11 December and A Very Delaval Christmas, a family show on Saturdays from 28 November.

Work Christmas parties

If you are the one organising the work do, our guide to corporate Christmas party venues in Blyth rounds up the local places that take festive bookings for teams and groups, with what each offers and how to book.

Christmas trees

The nearest specialist tree seller is Edelweiss Christmas Tree Co. at Seaton Delaval, which usually opens in the last week of November. Northumberland's garden-waste bins aren't collected from December to February, so in January real trees go to Bebside household waste recovery centre. Our guide to Christmas trees in Blyth covers where to buy, tree care and recycling.

Christmas Day dip and Boxing Day football

Blyth Lifeguard and Swimming Club has a long tradition of a Christmas morning dip at Blyth beach, with dozens of swimmers and as many watching from the sand. We have not seen 2026 details, so check with the club before you go, and only swim with an organised group: the North Sea in December is properly cold. If you would rather watch than swim, the larger Newbiggin Boxing Day Dip is a short drive north.

On Boxing Day, Blyth Spartans host Ashington at Croft Park in a Northumberland derby, kicking off at 3pm. Festive derbies draw one of the biggest crowds of the season, so buy tickets in advance.

Shopping, parking and buses

Town-centre parking in Blyth runs on a free parking disc system, with time limits that vary by car park, so keep a disc in the car. Our where to park in Blyth guide lists the options. We found no confirmed late-night shopping evenings for 2026; the Keel Row and the independent shops on Bowes Street, Regent Street and Waterloo Road keep their usual hours unless they announce otherwise.

Without a car, the Northumberland Line stops at Newsham and Blyth Bebside, and Blyth bus station is a few minutes from the Market Place. Train and bus timetables change over Christmas and New Year, with reduced or no services on some days, so check before you travel.

Know about a Christmas event in Blyth we have missed, or spotted a change to the dates? Get in touch and we will update this guide.