Lighting up the nation: UK city councils' Christmas lights budgets 2024

As the nights draw in and the festive season approaches, councils across the country are preparing to light up their cities with their annual Christmas displays. But have you ever wondered just how much these light shows cost? 

Here at GardeningExpress.co.uk we have researched council spending on Christmas lights and decorations and have uncovered some surprising insights into how different cities across the nation budget their celebrations.

 

From the busy streets of Glasgow to the historic lanes of St Albans, we've analysed the data across the UK. Our research reveals which cities are the biggest spenders, who's cutting back, and where you might find the most dazzling displays in 2024.

Whether you're a super festive fan planning your Christmas light-seeing tour or a local resident curious about how your city compares, our findings shed light on the financial impact of this annual tradition for city councils around the country.

Glasgow named biggest festive spender

Glasgow tops our list as the UK's biggest spender on Christmas lights and decorations on average – although it won’t be spending the most in 2024. Nevertheless, the city's commitment to creating a magical winter atmosphere is reflected in its consistently impressive budget.

• 2024 predicted spend: £47,258
• Population: 617,794
• Average spend per 1,000 people: £461.25
• Overall average annual spend: £284,955

Glasgow's spending has remained consistently high over the years, demonstrating the city's dedication to maintaining its festive reputation. This substantial investment suggests that visitors to Glasgow can expect a truly spectacular Christmas lights display, year after year.

 

Manchester comes in close second

Hot on Glasgow's tail is Manchester, another city that isn’t shy of hosting impressive Christmas light displays. In fact, this year Manchester is miles above any other city’s spending budgets, as the city council is planning to invest a quarter of a million pounds into its Christmas lights and decorations.

• 2024 predicted spend: £250,313
• Population: 586,100
• Average spend per 1,000 people: £418.67
• Overall average annual spend: £245,383

Manchester’s dedication has also been consistent throughout the years, making it well known for creating a magical ambiance for their residents and visitors to the city over the festive period. Over the last 10 years, the city has allocated a healthy  budget for their Christmas lights and decorations, therefore making it a reliable location for families wanting to see impressive lights and festive decor.

 

Leeds ranks in third place overall

Leeds is an interesting city to look at for Christmas light spending due to big increases and decreases throughout the years. 

 

• 2024 predicted spend: £129,000
• Population: 812,000
• Average spend per 1,000 people: £263.00
• Overall average annual spend: £213,559

Leeds experienced a big cut in their spending after the pandemic in 2020, with the budget dropping dramatically from £241,049 to £61,467 - a decline of almost 75%! However, they are planning to increase their budget again for 2024, perhaps suggesting a renewed focus on festive decorations.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is reflected in a lot of cities’ spending choices, with some cities reducing their budgets in 2020 and 2021 before increasing them in later years as finances recovered. Despite these challenges, many cities maintained or boosted their Christmas decoration budgets, recognising the importance of festive celebrations for both locals and tourism.

 

St Albans is the lowest spender

On the other end of the scale, the data shows St Albans as the lowest city spender. 

 

• 2024 predicted spend: £18,000
• Population: 148,200
• Average spend per 1,000 people: £100.76
• Overall average annual spend: £14,932

 

St Albans City Council allocates a modest but consistent budget for festive lights, suggesting that while Christmas displays may not be a top priority, the approach works well for the city.

 

Highest and lowest spenders - overall average yearly spend:

Highest spenders overall:

1. Glasgow: £284,955
2. Manchester: £245,383
3. Leeds: £213,559
4. Dundee: £162,483
5. Wakefield: £160,233
6. Edinburgh: £157,286
7. Leicester: £135,845
8. Cardiff: £123,048
9. Newcastle upon Tyne: £117,553
10. Coventry: £113,417

 

Lowest spenders overall:

1. St Albans: £14,932
2. Winchester: £18,623
3. Barnsley: £21,793
4. Salford: £26,063
5. Middlesbrough: £26,194
6. Gloucester: £27,500
7. Nottingham: £30,450
8. Newport: £37,452
9. Plymouth: £37,500
10. Worcester: £44,094

 

This data reveals that population size doesn’t always correlate with spending, as some smaller cities allocate more per person than larger ones. While cities like Plymouth and Winchester maintain stable Christmas decoration budgets, others, like Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Leeds, have seen fluctuations over the years.

 

Highest and lowest spenders - per 1,000 people:

Highest spenders per 1,000 people:

 

1. Dundee: £1,102
2. Carlisle: £511
3. Aberdeen: £448
4. Glasgow: £461
5. Wakefield: £453
6. Worcester: £424
7. Manchester: £418
8. Newcastle upon Tyne: £391
9. Southampton: £382
10. Derby: £372

Lowest spenders per 1,000 people:

 

1. St Albans £78
2. Lincoln £86
3. Barnsley: £89
4. Nottingham £94
5. Salford: £96
6. Plymouth £141
7. Winchester: £146
8. Doncaster: £158
9. Stoke-on-Trent: £170
10. Sheffield: £173

An interesting takeaway from this perspective is that it can change our view of the ‘biggest’ spenders. A city that appears to spend less overall may actually be among the most generous when considering its spending per capita.

 

Scotland’s big spenders

Another key insight is that within the top four cities for ‘biggest spender per 1,000’ three are in Scotland, reflecting the importance of Christmas light displays for tourism over the festive period. Dundee leads the pack, spending over twice as much as Aberdeen which is in third place. 

 

2024’s biggest predicted spenders

Based on the data we have, the top five cities for predicted Christmas lights and decorations spend in 2024 are:

1.   Manchester: £250,313
2.   Wakefield: £140,730
3.   Sheffield: £138,000
4.   Leeds: £129,000
5.   Barnsley: £119,000

These cities are likely to host some of the most impressive Christmas light displays in 2024, thanks to their significant investments. So if you’re planning to travel for festive sights, they could be worth noting – especially Manchester, which leads the pack by spending a quarter of a million on its displays!

 

Gardening Express’ tips for decorating your own Christmas tree at home:

• Pick a theme

It’s always best to have a theme in mind when decorating your tree. Pick colours that are consistent with the rest of the decorations in your home. Some common colour combinations include red and green, and silver and blue.

 

• Start with the lights first

The best way to begin designing your Christmas tree is to start by attaching the lights first. It’s a lot harder to add these after baubles and tinsel have been placed!

 

• Balance

Ensure everything is evenly spread out and well-balanced. Start from the top of the tree and work your way down to the bottom. This should make it easier to check back on the design as you go.

 

Methodology 

FOI requests were sent to city councils around the UK to collect the following information:

 

1. The total cost spent on Christmas decorations (such as lights, baubles, Christmas trees etc) in the year 2020.
2. The total cost spent on Christmas decorations (such as lights, baubles, Christmas trees etc) in the year 2021.
3. The total cost spent on Christmas decorations (such as lights, baubles, Christmas trees etc) in the year 2022.
4. The total cost spent on Christmas decorations (such as lights, baubles, Christmas trees etc) in the year 2023.
5. The predicted cost or budget allocated for Christmas decorations (such as lights, baubles, Christmas trees etc) for the year 2024.

 

We also used existing data for the years 2015-2019 which was taken from a similar campaign that again used FOI data requests. 

 

With all relevant responses, information was organised and analysed to work out the average cost per city and average spend per 1,000 people. In some instances where the full data requested was not received, we worked out the average for the data we had available. 

 

Population figures were found mostly through the Office of National Statistics website but if not available, the next most relevant and up to date source was used, for example .gov websites.

 

Link to full data can be found here.