Christmas in Arundel

About Christmas in Arundel

By the ULTIMATE Brighton Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Arundel turns into a Christmas card each December. Since 2002 the town has hung real spruce trees with warm white lights on its restaurants, pubs, shops and houses, a giant tree stands in the Town Square, and the season opens with an evening of Victorian Christmas, a procession and the lights switch-on, all beneath the castle and the cathedral.

Arundel sits on a hill above the River Arun, crowned by its castle and the spire of its cathedral. At Christmas the whole town takes part: a festival committee of residents, businesses and community groups puts together the programme, and almost every building wears its own lit tree.

Arundel at Christmas

Arundel at Christmas grew out of Arundel by Candlelight, a one-day event that became too big for a single day. Today it brings together festive events across the town through December, with decorated shop windows, music and entertainment. The programme is published on the Visit Arundel events calendar.

Check opening times and trains on the official sites before you travel.

The Victorian Christmas evening

The season opens on an early December evening with Arundel’s Victorian Christmas in the Town Square: music, festive food and drink, and Victorian performers, then a procession, the Community Awards, the lights switch-on and carols around the tree. Look out for the Victorian angels in the shop windows. It is an open-air evening, so check the town’s channels on the day if the weather turns: in 2025 high winds forced a postponement.

Shopping and food

The town’s independent boutiques, antique shops, galleries and food shops make for unhurried Christmas shopping, and the Christmas edition of the Arundel Farmers Market in December adds seasonal produce and entertainment. Tearooms, pubs and restaurants serve seasonal menus.

Winter walks

The WWT Wetland Centre is busy with overwintering birds, and the riverside path along the Arun towards the Black Rabbit makes a fine walk on a frosty morning.

Our advice: come at dusk, when the trees on the buildings light up; Arundel is about an hour from Brighton by train.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Christmas in Arundel before you go.