Most Regent Street stores open 10am to 8pm on weekdays, 9am to 8pm on Saturday and noon to 6pm on Sunday, with flagships such as Apple often trading later into the evening. Regent Street is one of London’s grandest shopping addresses — a sweeping curve of Grade II-listed Edwardian stone from Piccadilly Circus to Oxford Circus, managed by The Crown Estate and lined with flagship stores: Apple’s beautifully restored 235 Regent Street store, the seven floors of Hamleys, the Burberry world flagship, Liberty just around the corner on Great Marlborough Street, and a deep run of premium fashion and beauty. Each November the street switches on its Christmas lights, among the most photographed in London. Below you will find the opening times for every day of the week, the Sunday hours, a verified table of the headline stores, the festive schedule and how to get there.
Regent Street Christmas Lights
Regent Street Christmas lights are an annual fixture going back to 1954, when they became the first festive lights scheme on a central London shopping street, and they remain a draw for tourists from across London and beyond. The lights are commissioned and operated by The Crown Estate, which manages Regent Street, and typically run from the second or third week of November through to early January, with a high-profile public switch-on event drawing celebrity guests to the Apple Store steps near Hamleys.
When do the Regent Street Christmas lights go up?
The Regent Street Christmas lights are typically installed in early November and switched on in the second or third week of November — the exact switch-on date is announced each autumn by The Crown Estate. Once switched on, the lights run every evening from dusk through to midnight (and longer on selected late-shopping evenings), continuing through to early January.
Where are the best spots to see the Regent Street Christmas lights?
The most photographed views are the curve of Regent Street as you look north from Piccadilly Circus toward Oxford Circus — the angled approach catches the full sweep of illumination overhead. The stretch outside the Apple Store and Hamleys is the most crowded, particularly on switch-on night and the December weekends. For a quieter view, walk south from Oxford Circus during the early evening; for a daytime visit, the Christmas lights become decorative shop-front anchors during shopping hours.
Regent Street Christmas lights vs Oxford Street
Both Oxford Street and Regent Street run flagship Christmas lights schemes — Oxford Street is older as a shopping district but Regent Street is older as a Christmas lights destination. The two routes intersect at Oxford Circus, which makes a combined two-street walk possible in a single evening. Carnaby Street nearby (just east of Regent Street, off Great Marlborough Street) also runs a celebrated Christmas lights scheme, often with a themed installation each year.
Correct as of June 2026. Hours are set by individual retailers and the Regent Street Christmas lights schedule is set by The Crown Estate — please check the official Regent Street website before you travel.
Regent Street Opening Times
Regent Street opening times depend on the individual retailer — there is no single “Regent Street mall” with one published schedule. Most flagship stores trade on similar hours, however, and the standard pattern across the major retailers is:
| Day | Typical Regent Street store hours |
|---|---|
| Monday | 10.00am – 8.00pm |
| Tuesday | 10.00am – 8.00pm |
| Wednesday | 10.00am – 8.00pm |
| Thursday | 10.00am – 8.00pm |
| Friday | 10.00am – 8.00pm |
| Saturday | 9.00am – 8.00pm |
| Sunday | 12.00pm – 6.00pm |
These are the general hours published by The Crown Estate; individual stores set their own. Apple Regent Street typically runs later into the evening, and Hamleys keeps tourist-friendly hours through the school holidays. Sunday is shorter because the Sunday Trading Act caps large shops (over 280 square metres) at six hours of trading. For a special trip, confirm the day’s hours on the retailer’s own page before you set out.
Correct as of June 2026. Hours are set by individual retailers and the Regent Street Christmas lights schedule is set by The Crown Estate — please check the official Regent Street website before you travel.
Regent Street Shops on Sunday: Opening Hours
Regent Street shops open at noon on Sunday and close at 6pm — a calm, six-hour window that suits an unhurried afternoon. The shorter day is not the retailers’ choice but the law: the Sunday Trading Act limits any shop larger than 280 square metres to six hours of trading on a Sunday, so the big flagships such as Apple, Hamleys and Liberty all settle on the 12pm–6pm pattern. Many will let you browse from around 11.30am before tills open at noon. The quietest stretch is the first hour; by mid-afternoon the curve fills with visitors, particularly in the run-up to Christmas.
Key Regent Street Store Hours
A handful of the headline flagships, with the hours you can expect on a normal week. Treat these as typical and confirm for a special trip — the larger stores in particular vary their evening close.
| Store | Typical hours (confirm for a special trip) |
|---|---|
| Apple Regent Street (235 Regent St) | Mon–Sat to 8pm or later; Sun 12–6pm |
| Hamleys (188–196 Regent St) | Mon–Fri 10am–9pm; Sat 9am–9pm; Sun 12–6pm |
| Burberry world flagship (121 Regent St) | Mon–Sat 10am–8pm; Sun 12–6pm |
| Liberty (Great Marlborough St) | Mon–Sat 10am–8pm; Sun 12–6pm |
| & Other Stories (256–258 Regent St) | Mon–Sat 10am–8pm; Sun 12–6pm |
Regent Street Late Night Shopping
Regent Street’s general close is 8pm Monday to Saturday, though the bigger flagships — Apple, Hamleys and Burberry among them — often trade later, and the restaurants and bars along the curve keep going to 10pm or 11pm. The genuine late-night occasion is the December festive period, when the Christmas lights draw evening crowds and most shops extend their hours through to Christmas Eve. For a true late finish on an ordinary week, the dining offer outlasts the shops.
Shops at Regent Street: The Full List
The shops at Regent Street include some of London’s most photographed flagship stores. The Regent Street shops list spans the curve of the street from Piccadilly Circus in the south to Oxford Circus in the north. The categorised guide below covers the headline brands.
Flagship anchors
Apple Regent Street (235 Regent Street, one of the brand’s most celebrated retail spaces, reopened in February 2026 after a careful restoration), Hamleys (188–196 Regent Street, the seven-floor toy shop founded in 1760), the Burberry world flagship (121 Regent Street, the brand’s largest store, complete with its Thomas’s café) and Liberty (just around the corner on Great Marlborough Street).
Premium and contemporary fashion
Burberry, Karl Lagerfeld, Coach, Michael Kors, Hackett, Ted Baker, Calvin Klein, BOSS, Anthropologie, Reiss, Whistles, Hobbs, Penhaligon’s and Lacoste.
Beauty, fragrance and lifestyle
Lush flagship, The Body Shop, Penhaligon’s, Jo Malone London, Diptyque, Aēsop and a run of fragrance and skincare names along the curve.
Toys, books and lifestyle
Hamleys, the LEGO Store (a short walk away on Leicester Square), Hatchards (Britain’s oldest bookshop, nearby on Piccadilly) and the Royal Academy of Arts shop a few minutes’ stroll south.
Food, drink and leisure
Sit-down options on or just off Regent Street include the Wolseley (on Piccadilly nearby), Brasserie Zédel, the dining rooms at the five-star Hotel Café Royal, Burberry’s Thomas’s café and a spread of Italian, Indian and Asian restaurants. For something quicker there is Pret, Costa and Caffè Nero along the curve.
The Regent Street Online directory at regentstreetonline.com is the canonical source for the Regent Street shops list and current line-up.
Getting to Regent Street
By Tube
Regent Street is bookended by Oxford Circus (Bakerloo, Central, Victoria) at its north end and Piccadilly Circus (Bakerloo, Piccadilly) at its south end — both about a 2-minute walk to the main shopping stretch.
By bus
Routes 3, 6, 12, 13, 88, 94, 139, 159 and 453 all run along or close to Regent Street. The major bus stops are clustered around Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Circus.
Where to Eat at Regent Street
Notable restaurants on or near Regent Street include the Wolseley, Brasserie Zédel, the dining rooms at Hotel Café Royal, Hawksmoor (on Air Street) and Veeraswamy on Regent Street’s south end — Britain’s oldest Indian restaurant, holder of a Michelin star.
Christmas & Boxing Day Shopping Hours 2026
Most Regent Street stores extend their hours through December, then trade on a reduced festive timetable around the bank holidays. The Crown Estate had not published the 2026 clock times when this page was updated, so the table below gives the verified dates with the typical festive pattern — confirm the exact hours with each retailer nearer the time.
| Date | Day | Typical hours (confirm nearer the time) |
|---|---|---|
| Thu 24 Dec | Christmas Eve | Reduced — many close early (around 5–6pm) |
| Fri 25 Dec | Christmas Day | Closed |
| Sat 26 Dec | Boxing Day | Sale day — typically later open, around 10am–7pm |
| Sun 27 Dec | Sunday | 12pm–6pm (Sunday trading limit) |
| Mon 28 Dec | Bank holiday | Typical daytime hours |
| Tue 29 – Wed 30 Dec | Weekdays | Typical daytime hours |
| Thu 31 Dec | New Year’s Eve | Often reduced — many close early |
| Fri 1 Jan 2027 | New Year’s Day | Reduced — confirm with the retailer |
Regent Street: Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Regent Street Christmas lights switch on?
The Regent Street Christmas lights switch on is held each November — typically the second or third week of the month, with a public Regent Street Christmas lights switch on event near the Apple Store. The lights then run every evening from dusk to midnight through to early January.
How long do the Regent Street Christmas lights stay up?
The Regent Street Christmas lights typically run from mid-November through to early January — about seven weeks of illuminated evenings. The exact dates are confirmed each autumn by The Crown Estate.
What time does Regent Street open?
Most Regent Street shops open at 10am Monday to Friday, 9am on Saturday and noon on Sunday. The flagships keep to that broad pattern, with Hamleys holding extended hours through the school holidays.
What time does Regent Street close?
Most stores close at 8pm Monday to Saturday and 6pm on Sunday, with the larger flagships such as Apple often trading later. During the December festive period most shops extend their evening hours through to Christmas Eve.
Does Regent Street do late night shopping?
Regent Street’s general close is 8pm Monday to Saturday, with the bigger flagships often trading later and the restaurants and bars running to 10pm or 11pm. The real late-night occasion is the December festive period, when most shops extend their hours through to Christmas Eve.
Is Regent Street open on Sundays?
Yes — most Regent Street shops open from noon to 6pm on Sunday. The six-hour day reflects the Sunday Trading Act limit on shops larger than 280 square metres, which covers the major flagships. Many will let you browse from around 11.30am.
Which shops are on Regent Street?
Flagship stores along the street include Apple, Hamleys, Burberry, Karl Lagerfeld, Coach, Michael Kors, Hackett, Ted Baker, Calvin Klein, BOSS, Anthropologie, Reiss, Whistles, Lush, The Body Shop, Penhaligon’s, Jo Malone London and many others. The Regent Street Online directory is the canonical source for the full line-up.
More Late Night Shopping Guides
Looking for late night shopping in other UK cities? These guides cover the rest of the country:
- Late-night Shopping in Norwich
- Late Night Shopping on Oxford Street
- Late Night Shopping at Canary Wharf
- Late Night Shopping at Westfield Stratford City
- Late Night Shopping at Westfield London
- Late Night Shopping in Kingston upon Thames
- Late Night Shopping in Croydon
- Late Night Shopping in Birmingham
- Late Night Shopping in Manchester
- Late Night Shopping in Leeds
- Late Night Shopping in Glasgow
- Late Night Shopping in Edinburgh
- Late Night Shopping in Liverpool
- Late Night Shopping in Bristol
- Late Night Shopping in Sheffield
- Late Night Shopping in Nottingham
- Late Night Shopping in Cardiff
- Late Night Shopping in Newcastle
- Late Night Shopping in Leicester
- Late Night Shopping in Southampton
- Late Night Shopping in Brighton
- Late Night Shopping in Exeter
- Late Night Shopping in Oxford
- Late Night Shopping in Cambridge
- Late Night Shopping in York
- Late Night Shopping in Bath
- Late Night Shopping in Plymouth
- Late Night Shopping in Derby
- Late Night Shopping in Coventry
- Late Night Shopping in Milton Keynes
- Late Night Shopping in Reading
- Late Night Shopping in Wolverhampton
- Late Night Shopping in Stoke-on-Trent
- Late Night Shopping in Aberdeen
- Late Night Shopping in Dundee
- Late Night Shopping in Chester
- Late Night Shopping in Ipswich
- Late Night Shopping in Lincoln
- Late Night Shopping in Peterborough
- Late Night Shopping in Luton
- Late Night Shopping in Preston
- Late Night Shopping in Colchester
- Late Night Shopping in Worcester
- Late Night Shopping in Swansea
- Late Night Shopping in Bournemouth
- Late Night Shopping in Sunderland
- Late Night Shopping in Middlesbrough
- Late Night Shopping in Blackpool
- Late Night Shopping in Northampton
- Late Night Shopping at Bicester Village
- Late Night Shopping at Cheshire Oaks
- Late Night Shopping at Gunwharf Quays
- Late Night Shopping at the Trafford Centre
- Late Night Shopping at the MetroCentre
- Late Night Shopping at Bluewater
- Late Night Shopping at Lakeside Thurrock
- Late Night Shopping at Brent Cross
- Late Night Shopping at Meadowhall
- Late Night Shopping in Covent Garden
- Late Night Shopping at Battersea Power Station
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