Written by Linda Garrould · Last updated 29 May 2026 · now with video and music links
For most of the last decade the John Lewis Christmas advert has landed in the first half of November, and almost always on a Thursday. Across the ten years from 2016 to 2025 the earliest release was 4 November and the latest 15 November, clustering tightly around the 9th to the 14th. So if you are watching out for the 2026 advert, pencil in the second week of November — our best estimate is Thursday 12 November 2026, with anything from the 4th to the 15th in play.
Below you will find the full release-date history, every advert in order since the tradition began in 2007, the song and artist behind each one, and what to expect this year. Bookmark this page — we update it the moment the new advert drops.
When is the John Lewis Christmas advert released each year?
John Lewis has released a dedicated Christmas advert every year since 2007. The first seven (2007–2013) went out in early-to-mid December and exact dates were not always recorded, but since 2014 the launch has shifted earlier and become a fixed point in the calendar — one of the unofficial signals that the countdown to Christmas has begun.
Two clear patterns have held over the past ten years:
- Early November. Since 2021 the advert has never appeared later than the 14th, and the two earliest years (2021 and 2025) both landed on 4 November.
- Usually a Thursday. 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 all premiered on a Thursday. Most reliably, it tends to be the second Thursday of November.
John Lewis Christmas advert release dates: every year
Every John Lewis Christmas advert in order, with its UK release date and the song that made it famous. Dates from 2014 onwards are exact; the earliest years are the launch month only.
| Year | Advert | UK release | Song — performed by (original artist) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Where Love Lives | Tue 4 Nov 2025 | “Where Love Lives” — Labrinth (Alison Limerick) |
| 2024 | The Gifting Hour | Thu 14 Nov 2024 | “Sonnet” — Richard Ashcroft (The Verve) |
| 2023 | Snapper: The Perfect Tree | Thu 9 Nov 2023 | “Festa” — Andrea Bocelli |
| 2022 | The Beginner | Thu 10 Nov 2022 | “All the Small Things” — Mike Geier / Postmodern Jukebox (Blink-182) |
| 2021 | Unexpected Guest | Thu 4 Nov 2021 | “Together in Electric Dreams” — Lola Young (Giorgio Moroder & Philip Oakey) |
| 2020 | Give A Little Love | Fri 13 Nov 2020 | “A Little Love” — Celeste |
| 2019 | Excitable Edgar | Thu 14 Nov 2019 | “Can’t Fight This Feeling” — Bastille (REO Speedwagon) |
| 2018 | The Boy & the Piano | Thu 15 Nov 2018 | “Your Song” — Sir Elton John |
| 2017 | Moz the Monster | Fri 10 Nov 2017 | “Golden Slumbers” — Elbow (The Beatles) |
| 2016 | Buster the Boxer | Thu 10 Nov 2016 | “One Day I’ll Fly Away” — Vaults (Randy Crawford) |
| 2015 | Man on the Moon | Fri 6 Nov 2015 | “Half the World Away” — Aurora (Oasis) |
| 2014 | Monty the Penguin | Fri 7 Nov 2014 | “Real Love” — Tom Odell (The Beatles) |
| 2013 | The Bear & the Hare | Nov 2013 | “Somewhere Only We Know” — Lily Allen (Keane) |
| 2012 | The Journey (snowman) | Nov 2012 | “The Power of Love” — Gabrielle Aplin (Frankie Goes to Hollywood) |
| 2011 | The Long Wait | Nov 2011 | “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want” — Slow Moving Millie (The Smiths) |
| 2010 | A Tribute to Givers | Nov 2010 | “Your Song” — Ellie Goulding (Elton John) |
| 2009 | Sweet Child (Feeling) | Dec 2009 | “Sweet Child o’ Mine” — Taken by Trees (Guns N’ Roses) |
| 2008 | Clues / Shadows | Dec 2008 | “From Me to You” — Matt Spinner (Beatles cover; first cover in the series) |
| 2007 | Shadows (the first) | Dec 2007 | — |
Watch and listen: every John Lewis Christmas advert
Every advert from 2007 to 2025, newest first — all watchable right here. Each entry also links to the full video on YouTube and, where there is a famous soundtrack, links to stream the song on Spotify and Apple Music.
2025 — Where Love Lives
A father and daughter dance through the years in their home, the rooms changing around them as she grows up.
? Watch on YouTube
? Where Love Lives — Labrinth: Spotify · Apple Music
2024 — The Gifting Hour
A woman searches a John Lewis shop for the perfect present and is carried back through memories of her sister.
? Watch on YouTube
? Sonnet — Richard Ashcroft: Spotify · Apple Music
2023 — Snapper: The Perfect Tree
A boy grows a Venus-flytrap-like Christmas tree from a seed and the family learns to love it as it is.
? Watch on YouTube
? Festa — Andrea Bocelli: Spotify · Apple Music
2022 — The Beginner
A man keeps falling as he learns to skateboard — all to welcome a foster child into his home. Made with Action for Children and Who Cares? Scotland.
? Watch on YouTube
? All the Small Things — Mike Geier / Postmodern Jukebox: Spotify · Apple Music
2021 — Unexpected Guest
A boy called Nathan helps a young space traveller, Skye, discover Christmas on Earth for the first time.
? Watch on YouTube
? Together in Electric Dreams — Lola Young: Spotify · Apple Music
2020 — Give A Little Love
A chain of small kindnesses passes from person to person, told across eight different animation and film styles.
? Watch on YouTube
? A Little Love — Celeste: Spotify · Apple Music
2019 — Excitable Edgar
Edgar the young dragon is so excited about Christmas that he keeps accidentally setting things alight.
? Watch on YouTube
? Can’t Fight This Feeling — Bastille: Spotify · Apple Music
2018 — The Boy & the Piano
Sir Elton John’s life is told in reverse, back to the Christmas he was given his first piano.
? Watch on YouTube
? Your Song — Sir Elton John: Spotify · Apple Music
2017 — Moz the Monster
A boy befriends a friendly monster under his bed who keeps him up at night but teaches him about friendship.
? Watch on YouTube
? Golden Slumbers — Elbow: Spotify · Apple Music
2016 — Buster the Boxer
Woodland animals bounce on a trampoline meant for a little girl — and Buster the boxer dog can’t resist a go.
? Watch on YouTube
? One Day I’ll Fly Away — Vaults: Spotify · Apple Music
2015 — Man on the Moon
A girl spots a lonely old man living on the moon and finds a way to send him a Christmas gift. Made with Age UK.
? Watch on YouTube
? Half the World Away — Aurora: Spotify · Apple Music
2014 — Monty the Penguin
A boy and his toy penguin Monty are best friends — and the boy realises what Monty really wants for Christmas.
? Watch on YouTube
? Real Love — Tom Odell: Spotify · Apple Music
2013 — The Bear & the Hare
A hare gives a bear who always hibernates an alarm clock, so he can wake up and experience Christmas for the first time.
? Watch on YouTube
? Somewhere Only We Know — Lily Allen: Spotify · Apple Music
2012 — The Journey
A snowman braves a long journey through storms and cities to bring back a gift for his snow-woman.
? Watch on YouTube
? The Power of Love — Gabrielle Aplin: Spotify · Apple Music
2011 — The Long Wait
A boy counts down impatiently to Christmas Day — not for his own presents, but to give one to his parents.
? Watch on YouTube
? Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want — Slow Moving Millie: Spotify · Apple Music
2010 — A Tribute to Givers
A montage of people giving gifts, set to Ellie Goulding’s cover of Elton John’s ‘Your Song’.
? Watch on YouTube
? Your Song — Ellie Goulding: Spotify · Apple Music
2009 — Sweet Child (The Feeling)
Children open grown-up presents, set to a gentle cover of the Guns N’ Roses classic.
? Watch on YouTube
? Sweet Child o’ Mine — Taken by Trees: Spotify · Apple Music
2008 — Clues
An early entry built around finding the perfect, thoughtful gift — the sign-off was “If you know the person, you’ll find the present.” Its soundtrack was a milestone: a cover of The Beatles’ “From Me to You” recorded by Matt Spinner, an employee in John Lewis’s own IT department. It was the first time the brand used a cover version — the tradition that has defined every advert since — and the track raised money for Wallace & Gromit’s Children’s Foundation.
? Watch on YouTube
? From Me to You — Matt Spinner (a John Lewis IT-department employee), a cover of The Beatles. The staff recording isn’t on streaming, so here’s the original: Spotify · Apple Music
2007 — Shadows
The very first John Lewis Christmas advert: everyday objects cast shadows that reveal the gifts they will become.
What to expect from the John Lewis Christmas advert 2026
At the time of writing, John Lewis had not announced its 2026 advert. Based on the past decade, here is what the pattern points to:
- Likely date: the second week of November, most probably Thursday 12 November 2026 (the window 4–15 November covers every release since 2014).
- Likely format: a two-minute emotional film, released first thing in the morning across John Lewis’s website and social channels, with a TV premiere in a high-profile evening slot the same day.
- Likely soundtrack: a slowed-down cover of a well-known pop song by a current British artist — the formula behind most of the adverts in the table above.
We will update this page with the title, song and full details as soon as the 2026 advert is live.
The songs: a launchpad for the charts
Part of the appeal is the music. John Lewis built a reputation for taking an upbeat song and reworking it as a tender, stripped-back ballad, and the chosen track often climbs the UK singles chart on the back of the advert. Gabrielle Aplin’s “The Power of Love” (2012) and Lily Allen’s “Somewhere Only We Know” (2013) both reached number one, while Ellie Goulding’s “Your Song” (2010) peaked at number two. In 2018 Sir Elton John became the first artist to both perform the song and star in the advert, with “Your Song” — the same track Goulding had covered eight years earlier.
By the numbers
The adverts are watched far beyond their TV slots. “The Man on the Moon” (2015) drew around 30 million online views and “Monty the Penguin” (2014) about 27.6 million, making them two of the most-watched of the run. “The Bear & the Hare” (2013) reached roughly 17 million views online. More recent years have seen smaller online tallies as viewing has fragmented across platforms, but the advert remains one of the most talked-about marketing moments of the British year.
Make a weekend moment of it
If you would like to turn advert day into a small family occasion, here are a few easy ideas: gather everyone for the morning online premiere with hot chocolate, dig out last year’s favourite to compare, or use it as the cue to start your festive planning. The advert’s arrival is the perfect prompt to get organised — work through our Christmas to-do lists, check the supermarket Christmas delivery slots, and see exactly how many days until Christmas with our live countdown.
Frequently asked questions
When is the John Lewis Christmas advert 2026 coming out?
John Lewis has not confirmed a date yet. Based on the last ten years, expect it in the first half of November — most likely the second Thursday, around 12 November 2026. The release window since 2014 has been 4–15 November.
What was the first John Lewis Christmas advert?
The first dedicated John Lewis Christmas advert, “Shadows”, aired in December 2007. The campaign has run every year since, becoming an annual fixture of the British festive season.
What day of the week is the advert usually released?
Most often a Thursday. The 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 adverts all premiered on a Thursday, typically in the second week of November.
Which John Lewis advert songs reached number one?
Two have topped the UK singles chart: Gabrielle Aplin’s “The Power of Love” (2012) and Lily Allen’s “Somewhere Only We Know” (2013).
What was the most recent John Lewis Christmas advert?
“Where Love Lives”, released on 4 November 2025, set to Labrinth’s version of Alison Limerick’s “Where Love Lives”.
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