By 
Six streets in Stratford-upon-Avon town centre will be closed from 4am to 10pm on Saturday 14 November for the Christmas lights switch-on. They are Bridge Street, Union Street, Henley Street, Meer Street, Wood Street and High Street, according to the Town Council’s closure notice.
The closure starts six hours before the event and ends three hours after it. The festive day runs from 10am to 7pm, and the lights go on at 5.30pm on the Wood Street stage.
If you normally park on these streets
The district council’s order bans driving, riding or leaving a vehicle waiting on these streets from 4am, so a car left there overnight on Friday would be caught by it. The order carries a fine of up to £1,000. Emergency vehicles are exempt, as are vehicles allowed through by a police officer. Bridge Street is closed from its junctions with High Street and Union Street down to Waterside.
What stays open
Sheep Street and Waterside aren’t on this order, unlike the two Christmas market weekends, when both shut. Rother Street, Windsor Street and Guild Street aren’t listed either, but expect them to be busier than usual.
Buses and parking
The bus stops on Wood Street and Bridge Street are inside the closed area, so services will have to use other stops that day. We haven’t seen the operators’ plans yet, so check the signs and our live bus times before you set off.
If you plan to use the Park & Ride, note that the last dedicated bus back to Bishopton normally leaves at 6pm on a Saturday, half an hour after the switch-on. A later X21 heads that way at about 7.35pm.
Town car parks fill early on a busy Saturday, so arrive by late morning if you’re driving in. Our Stratford parking guide compares them all.
Stage times, activities and tips are in our Christmas lights switch-on guide, and every closure is on our Stratford road closures page.
Know more about this, or got another story? Send us a story, a photo or a press release. We read everything.
Alex Harrington
Alex Harrington grew up in Stratford-upon-Avon and runs What's up, Stratford? as an independent guide to the town.
