Brixham at Christmas: The Lights Switch On and What Stays Open

Short answer: Brixham's harbour with the coloured houses lit above it is the best Christmas sight in Torbay. The fishing fleet works through the winter so the fish stays excellent. The breakwater walk is free, flat and dramatic in a December swell.

2026 dates: switch-on and event dates are added here as organisers confirm them. Check locally before travelling — small-town events are announced late and move.

The best-looking harbour in Torbay in December

Brixham's coloured houses stacked up the hillside above the harbour are the town's signature view, and lights make it better rather than merely different. Add the moored boats, the Golden Hind replica and the water reflecting all of it, and this is the December sight in Torbay.

It costs nothing to walk down and look at, which is true of most of the best of Brixham.

The fleet does not stop

This is the practical advantage of a working port over a resort. The trawlers land through the winter, the fish market keeps operating, and the seafood in the restaurants is as good in January as in July. Rockfish on the fish quay is still serving what came in that morning.

What stays open

• The Prince William on the harbour — dog friendly, good value specials, views over the fleet.
• The Old Market House on the quay — plenty of indoor space and exceptional gluten-free.
• The Breakwater Bistro — open nine to nine with the best breakfast view in Brixham.
• Smugglers up Church Hill — steaks and an open kitchen, a good place to be on a cold day.
• Brixham Cafe on the quay — cheap, but closed Sundays and opening can be seasonal.

The winter walk

The breakwater. Half a mile of flat, level walkway out to a lighthouse, built in the 1840s specifically to take the weather, with benches along it and seals close in. In a December swell it is one of the better free things to do in Devon, and it is easy going for anyone with mobility difficulties.

Berry Head is the other one — free, with Napoleonic fort ruins, Britain's shortest lighthouse and the Guardhouse Café on site, which reviewers rate as highly as the reserve itself.

Boxing Day

Book the pub in November. The harbour pubs fill for Boxing Day lunch and there are not many of them. Walk the breakwater first — it is flat, it takes half an hour, and it will be busy with locals doing exactly the same thing.

Practical

Parking around the harbour is tight year-round but far easier in December. St Mary's Bay's free car park is still free, though the hundred-plus steps down are slippery in winter — treat the clifftop as the destination. Public toilets charge 30p.