Big Tree Night

One evening a year the High Street closes to traffic, the shops stay open and the village turns out to watch the Christmas lights go on. Big Tree Night is free, run entirely by volunteers, and it is the closest thing Shepperton has to a village Christmas.

The basics
Next Big Tree NightWednesday 9 December 2026, expected
Usual dateThe second Wednesday in December
WhereShepperton High Street, around the Big Tree
EntryFree
Last heldWednesday 10 December 2025, from 5.30pm
A note on the 2026 date. The organisers confirm the date and publish the timetable on their own site each autumn, and the night has fallen on the second Wednesday in December in recent years. Check before making plans.

What happens on the night

The lights at the top of the High Street are the centre of the evening, with stalls the length of the street, music and singing, and the shops and pubs open through it. The full timetable goes up on the Big Tree Night site nearer the night.

Getting there

Walk in if you are local. The High Street is closed to traffic from late afternoon, and in 2025 it shut at 4pm for a 5.30pm start. Buses 555 and 557 divert via Green Lane or Russell Road to Marshall's Roundabout while the road is closed. Shepperton station is a few steps from the event. Parking is limited, and the nearest paid car park is Manor Park at the memorial end of the High Street.

On the night

Community toilets and first aid, run by St John Ambulance, are both in the Guardian Angels Carers shop on the High Street. The main stage is the meeting point for lost children and the collection point for lost property.

Getting involved

Big Tree Night is run entirely by volunteers and paid for by stalls, programme advertising, sponsorship and donations. Stalls and adverts are booked through the official site, and the programme is distributed at least a fortnight beforehand, so an advert reaches people in the run-up as well as on the evening.

High Street businesses can also order a Christmas tree for the front of the shop. It is £45 for a four foot tree with white LED lights, fitted where the brackets are already up. Trees usually go up the third or fourth weekend in November and come down early in the new year.

Hear from the organisers

Big Tree Night and the rest of the village Christmas featured in our festive episode.

Venue, road closures, parking, stalls and Christmas tree details taken from the official Big Tree Night website and last checked on 25 August 2026. The 2026 date is our expectation based on the last few years, not a confirmed announcement.