Llandudno does Christmas as a proper seaside town should: a parade down the middle of Mostyn Street, a pantomime that runs through to January, and a Boxing Day crowd in fancy dress charging into a cold sea. What changes from year to year is the detail, and in 2026 that detail matters more than usual, because one long-running event has been cancelled while the rest of the calendar has firmed up. This is the dated version: what is on, on which day, what has gone, and how the town works in December.
The season has one big day, one long-running show and one very cold tradition. Saturday 5 December is the town’s busiest single day: the Christmas Parade, the switching-on of the lights and the 5K Santa Dash all land on it. The pantomime, Sleeping Beauty, runs at Venue Cymru from 12 December through to 2 January, and on Boxing Day the Lions Club runs its sea dip at the old lifeboat slipway. Around those sit a scatter of markets in late November, a December of free street entertainment, and the quieter business of a seaside town whose trams and cable cars have stopped for the winter. Everything below carries a date you can plan around, and each of the moveable ones says where to check.
Llandudno Town Council organises the parade, set this year for Saturday 5 December, the first Saturday of the month, which is where it has usually sat. It normally leaves Llandudno Railway Station and runs along Mostyn Street and Lloyd Street, and the note to keep is that this is a day to arrive for, not a day to drive into. Father Christmas on a sleigh, floats, marching bands, stilt walkers and pantomime cast members all take part, and the entertainment gathers outside the Town Hall before the lights go on. The council is still signing up participants, so the finer timing had not been published when this was written; ring 01492 879130 or email [email protected], or watch llandudno.gov.uk nearer the date. Get there early and park away from the centre, or come by train or bus, because this is the one day the town centre fills up.
The same Saturday carries a second event, organised independently by Bespoke Fitness & Events, so the two are a coincidence rather than a joined-up day. The Llandudno 5K Santa Dash runs along the North Shore seafront, starting and finishing at Llandudno Pier, and you can walk, jog or run it, with all ages and pets welcome. Registration is at the pier, typically from about 9.30am, with the start at 10.45am. Entry is £17 for an adult and £11.50 for a child, which includes a Santa suit and a finisher’s medal, though the listing page shows a wider price range at the top, so check the organiser’s page at timeoutdoors.com before you enter. If you want the parade in the afternoon, the dash in the morning is the obvious double bill.
On Saturday 26 December the Lions Club of Llandudno holds its annual sea dip, a Boxing Day tradition that has run for more than 25 years. It happens at the old lifeboat slipway on North Shore Beach, near St George’s Hotel, with dippers — usually in fancy dress — going into the sea around 11.30am, a time that can move with the weather and the tide. Registration is typically from 10am on the day and it is free to take part, with prizes for fancy dress and for the first one in. Hot soup and a raffle generally follow at St George’s Hotel, and the day raises money for charity. One honest caveat: the club’s own page was not fully readable when this was written, so check the Lions Club of Llandudno website or Facebook nearer the date for confirmation, safety rules and any change of plan.
The town’s pantomime is Sleeping Beauty at Venue Cymru, running from 12 December to 2 January and produced by Imagine Theatre. Coronation Street’s Jack P Shepherd and the Llandudno favourite John Evans head the cast, with Britain’s Got Talent’s Han and Fran, Simon Nehan and Celyn Cartwright as the princess. It is suited to ages three and up and runs about 125 minutes including the interval. Two access performances are worth booking around: a BSL-interpreted and audio-described show on Monday 28 December at 5pm, and a relaxed performance on Wednesday 30 December at 1pm. Tickets are on sale now through the Venue Cymru website or the box office on 01492 872000, and this one sells well — book early rather than on the day.
Venue Cymru also has CATS, the musical, from 1 to 5 December, with tickets from £15, matinees on the Wednesday and Thursday and Saturday seats from £30. Theatr Colwyn is expected to host The Snow Queen from 19 December to 2 January, but check theatrcolwyn.co.uk before relying on it. Late November brings two one-night sing-alongs at Venue Cymru: The Big Christmas Sing-a-Long with Aled Jones and Alexander Armstrong on Tuesday 24 November at 7.30pm, and Step Into Christmas on Wednesday 25 November at 7.30pm. Both of those come from earlier listings, so confirm them on venuecymru.co.uk before you buy. The festive land train that has run through the town in recent Decembers is a different thing entirely from the closed tramway, and no 2026 dates had been announced when this was written — check llandudnolandtrains.co.uk nearer the time rather than planning around it.
The markets cluster in late November rather than on the parade weekend. The Creepy Christmas North Wales Macabre Market fills Venue Cymru on Saturday 21 November from 11am to 4pm, free to enter, with alternative and gothic traders and a “Father Gothmas”. The same day, Providero runs its Christmas artisan market at 112 Mostyn Street from 10am — check providero.co.uk. On Sunday 22 November the Christmas Craft and Gift Fayre runs at Venue Cymru from 10am to 4pm, and Holy Trinity Church holds an outdoor food, craft and gift fayre in Trinity Square on 20 and 21 November. St David’s Hospice rounds the month off with its Llandudno Christmas Fair at Venue Cymru on Saturday 28 November from 11am. The last three come from event listings, so check each organiser’s page before setting out.
One thing to strike off the calendar outright: the Llandudno Christmas Extravaganza, sometimes called the Christmas Fayre, will not run in 2026. It had been planned for 19 to 22 November and was cancelled in September, with organisers citing concerns over stallholder numbers and costs. Some round-up pages still list it, and a visitor who plans a November trip around it would arrive to nothing, so the plain version is worth stating: it is not happening this year.
The Town Team’s “Merry Mostyn Street” programme carries free festive music, entertainment and family events through December, and the Christmas lights go up along Mostyn Street and the promenade. The programme’s own page at llandudno.com is the place to find what is on each week, since the free events shift from one December to the next rather than holding to a fixed list.
December closes the mechanical side of Llandudno and leaves the walking side open. The Great Orme Tramway, the cable car and the Great Orme Mines all shut for the winter, so do not plan a December visit around any of them; the tramway’s season normally ends in early November and the cable car is already down. What stays open is Llandudno Pier, the promenade, most cafés and pubs, and Venue Cymru. The Great Orme Country Park and Marine Drive simply get quieter, which makes them better for winter walks without the summer crowds, and the two shores are as walkable in December as in July, just colder.
Winter parking rates run from October through April, which takes the sting out of a December drive, and the parking guide sets out where the car parks actually are. Hotel rates sit lower in winter than summer, so a pre-Christmas stay costs less than the same room in August. On the 5 December parade day the sensible plan is the same as for any busy day in town: leave the car away from the centre and walk, or come in on the train to one of the two stations, as the without-a-car guide explains. The council had not published the parade’s start time when this was written, so check nearer the date rather than assuming a clock time.
Christmas Day itself is a quiet one, and that is the point. The Orme and Marine Drive are open country, the two shores are empty, and a walk along the promenade or up the headland is the town at its most peaceful. Boxing Day adds the sea dip to that, and after the crowds have gone the same walk takes in the slipway where they went in. For the visitor who wants the town’s big day rather than the family one, the 5 December parade is the thing to book a weekend around; for everyone else, December is Llandudno turned down a notch, and the lights are on whether you came for them or not.