Christmas in Hebburn 2026

Christmas in Hebburn is a small-town affair. There is no market of its own and no headline concert, but there is a lights switch-on, a community that looks after its own, a riverside park for a frosty walk and a Metro station that puts the region's bigger festive events within easy reach. This guide covers what happens every year and what is confirmed for 2026.

The lights switch-on at Fountains Park

Hebburn's lights are switched on at Fountains Park on Station Road, one of three South Tyneside Council switch-ons alongside South Shields and Jarrow. In recent years it has been held on a late-November weekday, usually a Monday, for about an hour from around 4pm, with school choirs and music. In 2025 it was on Monday 24 November from 4pm, a few days after the South Shields and Jarrow switch-ons.

It is weather-dependent: in 2024 it was called off on the day because of wind and rain.

2026 date: TBC. As of 2 November, South Tyneside Council has not published the 2026 switch-on dates. When it does, they will appear on the council's Christmas in South Tyneside page, and we will update this guide.

Christmas markets

Several markets are a short Metro ride away, covered in our guide to Christmas markets near Hebburn. In short, Newcastle Christmas Market runs from 19 November to 23 December 2026 around Grey's Monument, straight through on the Metro to Monument. Jarrow Hall, two stops away at Bede, usually holds an indoor Christmas fayre on the last weekend of November, and South Shields has a twilight market at Hedworth Hall on 10 December.

Giving at Christmas

Christmas is hard for some families, and Hebburn has a habit of helping. Hebburn Helps, the community food bank and crisis charity, runs a Christmas Aid scheme offering gifts, food hampers and Christmas dinner to families who are struggling. Applications for 2026 close on Friday 13 November; our post on Hebburn Helps Christmas Aid 2026 explains how to apply. The charity's website also explains how to donate.

Pantomimes and shows nearby

There is no theatre in Hebburn itself, so the nearest pantomime is at The Customs House in South Shields, at the end of the Metro line. This year's show is Sleeping Beauty, running from 20 November 2026 to 2 January 2027 with Ray Spencer as the Dame, and tickets from 14 pounds. The Customs House is also staging Christmas with the Crackers from 28 November.

Nearby, The Word on the Market Place hosts A Very Victorian Christmas on 12 December and a free Doorstep Carols singalong on 16 December.

Meeting Santa

We have not found a Santa's grotto confirmed in Hebburn for 2026. The nearest confirmed options are a Metro ride away: The Santa Experience at Life at the Life Science Centre, next to Newcastle Central Station, from 21 November, and Christmas Daytimes at Beamish from 21 November to 24 December.

Carol services and church at Christmas

Hebburn's churches mark the season with carol services, Christingles and Christmas services. St Aloysius Catholic Church is the town's Catholic parish church, while the Church of England parish covers St Cuthbert's on Argyle Street and St Oswald's on St Oswald's Road. None had published 2026 Christmas times when we checked, so look at each church's noticeboard or its A Church Near You page in December. Our guide to churches in Hebburn lists the town's congregations.

Festive walks

Hebburn Riverside Park on Prince Consort Road is laid out on the old shipyard land, with a riverside path and a jetty looking up and down the river. South Tyneside Council's walking-for-wellbeing routes include a Hebburn Circular walk of about 2.4 miles, starting at the library and returning through the park. Note the long flight of steps, and that the only toilets are at the library.

For something gentler, Carr-Ellison Park on Park Road has level paths around the Hebburn Hall Ponds. Our guide to the best walks in Hebburn has more routes.

Boxing Day football

This year's Boxing Day game is a derby. Hebburn Town, now in National League North, are listed to host South Shields on Saturday 26 December at 3pm at the Trustmark Group Stadium on South Drive. See our Boxing Day derby event page for details, and check the club's channels for ticket news, since fixtures can move.

Work Christmas parties

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

Christmas trees

The closest tree yard to Hebburn is Scott's House Farm at West Boldon, and Lamesley Farm near the Team Valley lets you pick your own. In January the council has run a tree drop-off point at Campbell Park. Our guide to Christmas trees in Hebburn has the details on buying and recycling.

Christmas shopping

For everyday present shopping, Mountbatten Shopping Centre on Station Road is the heart of the town centre, with a mix of high-street names and independents. For something less predictable, see our guide to independent shops in Hebburn. Hebburn Central on Glen Street, home to the library and pools, has hosted festive workshops in past years, so it is worth watching the council's events listings.

Getting about: Metro and parking

Hebburn station is on the Metro's Yellow line, with direct trains to Gateshead and Newcastle one way and Jarrow and South Shields the other. Plan around the holidays: in 2025 there was no Metro service on Christmas Day, and Boxing Day ran a reduced Sunday-style timetable. Nexus publishes its festive timetables each December, so check the 2026 times before you travel.

South Tyneside Council has offered free festive parking in South Shields town centre in previous Decembers. No 2026 parking offer had been announced when we checked.

What is not confirmed yet

As of 2 November 2026, the lights switch-on date, church service times, Jarrow Hall's fayre dates, any festive parking offer and the Metro's Christmas timetable are all still to be announced. We will update this guide as they are published. For the wider festive calendar, see Christmas in the North East.

Know about a Hebburn Christmas event we have missed, such as a school fair, a church concert or a community grotto? Get in touch.