Haworth Torchlight Parade on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December 2026 sends lanterns, flaming torches and a brass band up the cobbled length of Main Street from 4.45pm.
Pic credit – itsoninbradford
Most people come to Haworth for the Brontës. The Parsonage, the moors, the church at the top of the hill. It is a village that rewards a quiet day in any season, and it needs no excuse.
On the first weekend of December it gets one. As the light fades, a procession starts at the bottom of Main Street and climbs the hill toward the church, past shops built with large display windows for a working Victorian village.
The street is steep, the stone is rough, and the torches make it look much older than the lanterns in people’s hands.
Region: Haworth, Bradford, West Yorkshire (Brontë Country)
Best for: Families, Brontë fans, anyone who likes a Christmas event with fire in it
Getting there: Main Street, Haworth, BD22 8DR. The procession starts at the bottom of the street
Time needed: An afternoon and evening, from 12 noon at Santa’s Grotto to the 4.45pm procession
Haworth Torchlight Parade 2026: When and Where
VisitBradford lists the parade for Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December 2026, starting at 4.45pm on Main Street, Haworth. You can go on either day, or both.
It is part of Christmas in Haworth, a programme of village events that the committee runs with the local hospice, Sue Ryder Manorlands, according to VisitBradford’s 2025 guide. The 2026 programme on the Christmas in Haworth website names Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice as the charity partner again.
December comes in early here, and by quarter to five the sky over the moor is nearly dark. The procession starts as the light fades, which is the point.
Where to Stay: The Old White Lion Hotel is at the top of Main Street, opposite the church and the Brontë Parsonage Museum, so the climb up Main Street ends beside it.
Worth Knowing: The Christmas in Haworth page says weather may change or cancel events, and VisitBradford says changes are posted on the Christmas in Haworth Facebook page.
How the Procession Works
The parade begins at the bottom of Main Street and moves up the cobbled street, with glowing lanterns, flaming torches and a brass band, according to VisitBradford. “Visitors are welcome to watch or take part in the procession.”
The Christmas in Haworth site describes it as a night procession up the cobbled streets with flaming torches, fairy wands and carols. So there is something for children to carry as well as for adults, and the sound is brassy and singing rather than recorded.
Where you stand matters. At the bottom of the street you see the procession set off. Halfway up, you see it climb, and the street’s steepness shows. At the top, near the church, you see it arrive.
One write-up of the 2024 parade by The Yorkshireman advised that the event may not suit dogs, given the crowds and open flames. Leave the dog at home.
Where to Stay: Weavers of Haworth is at 15 West Lane in the village and has six guest rooms, with double rooms from £90 a night, according to its own website.
Worth Knowing: The Christmas in Haworth site links to a tickets page for the charity car park and Santa’s Grotto.
Santa’s Grotto, Craft Fairs and Late Opening
The parade is the evening event. The day around it is for browsing.
On both parade days, Santa’s Grotto runs from 12 noon to 3pm at Haworth Central Park Bowling Club, with homemade cakes and tea, according to the Christmas in Haworth site. The Haworth Craft Fairs run at the Old School Rooms on 5 and 6 December from 10am to 4pm, so you can shop before the procession.
The week before starts early. Late-night shopping runs until 8pm on Thursday 3 December, and the Brontë Parsonage Museum opens late from 5pm that evening, candlelit and decorated for the season, according to VisitBradford.
If you want the full Haworth picture first, our guide to Haworth and the village that inspired Wuthering Heights covers the Parsonage and the moor.
Plan the afternoon around the clock. Craft fair first, grotto at noon, a late lunch, and a place on the street by half past four.
Where to Stay: The Old White Lion Hotel lists 14 en suite rooms on its website and describes itself as a family-run coaching inn about 300 years old.
Worth Knowing: The Parsonage Museum’s late opening on 3 December is two days before the parade, which makes it an easy pairing for a long weekend.
The Street the Torches Climb
Main Street is the star. Visit Bradford’s village guide says it leads steeply down from the church square, and that many of its buildings were built as shops with large display windows. The Co-operative Stores date from 1897, and a building called Villette dates from 1853.
The same guide says Haworth was a working village centred on worsted cloth production, known for poor health and high infant mortality in the mid-19th century. The railway opened in 1867, and literary tourism grew after the Brontë Society was founded in 1893.
That is the village the procession passes through. It was never a picture-postcard place. It was a hard-working mill village with a steep street, and the torches show that.
At the top, the same guide notes the Black Bull is one of four inns on the small square by the church steps, and says Branwell Brontë favoured it. For the darker side of the village, our piece on Haworth’s dark history covers what visitors rarely hear.
Stop on the cobbles halfway up and listen. A brass band on a steep street carries differently from one on flat ground.
Where to Stay: Weavers of Haworth is in the village centre, with cottages that its website describes as 19th-century Grade II listed buildings.
Worth Knowing: VisitBradford’s guide says the railway reached Haworth in 1867.
The Parsonage and the Church at the Top
The procession ends near the two buildings that put Haworth on the map. The Brontë family moved into the Parsonage in 1820, when Patrick Brontë became perpetual curate of the church. According to the Calderdale Companion, the house was built in the late 1770s from millstone grit. VisitBradford’s guide says the family lived there until 1861.
The museum came later. The Brontë Society says it was founded in 1893, and that its first museum opened in 1895 above the Yorkshire Penny Bank on Main Street. In 1928 the Church put the Parsonage up for sale for £3,000, and Sir James Roberts, a Haworth-born wool merchant, bought it and gave the deeds to the Society.
The church is St Michael and All Angels. VisitBradford says it is open daily from 10am to 4pm and that the Brontë family is buried in a vault inside it, apart from Anne, who is buried in Scarborough. The village guide says the tower dates to a chapel built in 1655 and that the church was largely rebuilt in 1879.
Look up as the procession arrives. The church tower is older than the church around it.
Where to Stay: The Old White Lion Hotel sits opposite both the church and the Parsonage.
Worth Knowing: The Brontë Parsonage Museum is open Wednesday to Monday, 10am to 5pm, according to its website, so it is closed on Tuesdays.
The Rest of Christmas in Haworth
The parade is the first of three weekends. The Music Weekend on 12 and 13 December runs from 12 noon to 4pm on Main Street, with brass bands, choirs and solo musicians performing around the village.
The Nativity Parade Weekend on 19 and 20 December starts at 2pm at the bottom of Main Street, with live storytelling, music and real donkeys, and ends with a carol service at St Michael and All Angels Church, according to VisitBradford.
The Keighley and Worth Valley Railway adds its own programme. Its Elf Explorer runs from 28 November to 24 December, A Christmas Carol runs on selected dates from 3 to 23 December, and a Carol Service Train runs on 12 December from 6pm to 10.30pm, featuring steam, brass bands, and carols. For other heritage lines, see our guide to Yorkshire’s steam and heritage railway journeys.
If you are planning a wider December trip, our guide to Christmas events in Yorkshire covers five other events worth planning around.
Where to Stay: Weavers of Haworth takes bookings direct, and its website offers a complimentary box of chocolates from a local shop for direct bookings.
Worth Knowing: The Nativity Parade ends with a carol service at the same church where the Brontë vault sits.
Practical Tips
- The parade is on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December from 4.45pm, starting at the bottom of Main Street.
- Arrive by 4pm to find a place on the street. Pick a spot halfway up the hill for the best view of the climb.
- Santa’s Grotto runs 12 noon to 3pm both days at Haworth Central Park Bowling Club, and the craft fairs run 10am to 4pm at the Old School Rooms.
- Use the AllTrails app to plan a moorland walk before the parade, and be back in the village by dusk.
- Warm up, and wear shoes with good grip. Main Street is steep, and the stone is rough.
- Leave dogs at home. A 2024 write-up advised against bringing them to the parade because of the crowds and open flames.
Responsible Visiting
Haworth is a living village with homes along the route. Keep clear of doorways, stay behind the stewards and keep children away from the torches. Spend money in the village shops, cafes and pubs, because that is what keeps the street alive.
Reader Q&A
When is the Haworth Torchlight Parade in 2026?
Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December 2026, starting at 4.45pm on Main Street.
Where does the procession start?
At the bottom of Main Street, and it moves up the cobbled street toward the church.
Can I join in?
Yes. VisitBradford says visitors are welcome to watch or take part in the procession.
Is Santa’s Grotto on the same weekend?
Yes. It runs from 12 noon to 3 pm on 5 and 6 December at Haworth Central Park Bowling Club.
Who benefits from Christmas in Haworth?
The charity partner is Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice.
What else happens in December?
A Music Weekend on 12 and 13 December, and a Nativity Parade with real donkeys on 19 and 20 December.
Where to Stay
Old White Lion Hotel, Haworth. A family-run coaching inn at the top of Main Street, opposite the church and the Parsonage, with 14 en-suite rooms.
Weavers of Haworth, Haworth. Guest rooms and cottages at 15 West Lane in the village centre, with double rooms from £90 a night.
When the last torch goes out, the street goes dark and steep again, and the church tower stands at the top of the hill.
