# Sunset in London, 2026–27: when it gets dark and how many weekday journeys home start after sunset

Sunset and twilight times for every fortnight, the day the clocks go back (25 October), and a London sky you can drag through the year at the time you leave work.

## Sunrise, sunset and civil dusk, 1st and 15th of each month

| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Civil dusk | Daylight | Clock |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 October Thu | 07:01 | 18:38 | 19:12 | 11 h 37 min | BST |
| 15 October Thu | 07:24 | 18:07 | 18:41 | 10 h 43 min | BST |
| 1 November Sun | 06:54 | 16:33 | 17:09 | 9 h 40 min | GMT |
| 15 November Sun | 07:18 | 16:11 | 16:48 | 8 h 53 min | GMT |
| 1 December Tue | 07:44 | 15:55 | 16:34 | 8 h 11 min | GMT |
| 15 December Tue | 08:00 | 15:52 | 16:32 | 7 h 52 min | GMT |
| 1 January Fri | 08:06 | 16:02 | 16:42 | 7 h 56 min | GMT |
| 15 January Fri | 08:00 | 16:20 | 16:59 | 8 h 21 min | GMT |
| 1 February Mon | 07:39 | 16:50 | 17:26 | 9 h 10 min | GMT |
| 15 February Mon | 07:15 | 17:15 | 17:50 | 10 h 00 min | GMT |
| 1 March Mon | 06:46 | 17:40 | 18:14 | 10 h 54 min | GMT |
| 15 March Mon | 06:15 | 18:05 | 18:38 | 11 h 49 min | GMT |
| 1 April Thu | 06:37 | 19:33 | 20:07 | 12 h 57 min | BST |
| 15 April Thu | 06:06 | 19:57 | 20:32 | 13 h 51 min | BST |
| 1 May Sat | 05:33 | 20:23 | 21:02 | 14 h 50 min | BST |
| 15 May Sat | 05:09 | 20:46 | 21:27 | 15 h 36 min | BST |
| 1 June Tue | 04:49 | 21:08 | 21:54 | 16 h 19 min | BST |
| 15 June Tue | 04:43 | 21:19 | 22:07 | 16 h 37 min | BST |
| 1 July Thu | 04:47 | 21:21 | 22:08 | 16 h 34 min | BST |
| 15 July Thu | 05:01 | 21:12 | 21:56 | 16 h 11 min | BST |
| 1 August Sun | 05:24 | 20:49 | 21:29 | 15 h 25 min | BST |
| 15 August Sun | 05:46 | 20:24 | 21:01 | 14 h 38 min | BST |
| 1 September Wed | 06:13 | 19:48 | 20:22 | 13 h 35 min | BST |
| 15 September Wed | 06:35 | 19:16 | 19:49 | 12 h 41 min | BST |

## Questions

### What time is sunset in London in December?

Sunset in London is at 15:51 at its earliest, around 12 December, and 15:53 on the shortest day, 21 December 2026. It is back to 15:59 by 29 December. Civil twilight, which ends when the Sun is 6 degrees below the horizon, finishes about 40 minutes after sunset, at 16:34 on the shortest day.

### Is it dark at 5pm in London?

From 25 October 2026 to 6 February 2027, sunset in London is before 17:00, on 105 days. At 17:00 on 7 February 2027 the Sun is still up. The sun sets before 16:00 only between 25 November 2026 and 30 December 2026.

### When do the clocks go back in 2026?

The clocks go back on 25 October 2026. At 02:00 BST they return to 01:00 GMT, so sunset in London moves from 17:49 the day before to 16:47 that evening.

### When do the clocks go forward in 2027?

The clocks go forward on 28 March 2027. At 01:00 GMT they move to 02:00 BST, so sunset in London moves from 18:25 the day before to 19:27, and sunrise from 05:48 to 06:46.

### When do the evenings start getting lighter in London?

Sunset is earliest around 12 December (15:51) and has crept later every day since. It passes 17:00 again on 7 February 2027 and 18:00 on 13 March 2027. The clocks go forward on 28 March 2027, which brings sunset to 19:27.

### When is the shortest day in London in 2026?

The shortest day is 21 December 2026: 7 h 50 min of daylight, with sunrise at 08:04 and sunset at 15:53.

### What is the difference between sunset and civil dusk?

Sunset is when the top edge of the Sun meets the horizon. Civil dusk comes later, when the Sun is 6 degrees below the horizon. In London that is about 40 minutes after sunset in December and about 47 minutes after sunset in June.

https://mariuscomper.uk/london-sunset-times/