Perhaps the greatest thing about summer in London is the way it transforms our evenings. Thanks to longer days and more sunshine, we can spend our post-dinner hours relaxing outside without it getting dark too soon. Or we might just push dinner back to 9 or 10 to enjoy the sunshine as much as possible. However, that’s all about to change. In just under 2 weeks, nights in London will officially begin to last longer than days – with fewer hours of daylight than nighttime. Even though just a few weeks ago, the sun was setting as late as 8pm!
Today, on September 14, we Londoners can enjoy 12 hours and 43 minutes of daylight[1]. In the coming days, though, the amount of sunshine will decrease by almost 4 minutes a day.
That means that by September 26, the nighttime hours will outnumber the daytime hours. The sun will rise at 6:52am, and then set at 6:49pm, netting us 11 hours and 56 minutes of sunshine. And the days will keep getting shorter and shorter after that.
It’s not great news for those among us who enjoy a sunny, warm evening in a beer garden. That particular season is truly coming to an end. But it is brilliant for those of us who love to cosy up with big jackets and blankets, Guinness in hand, next to a pub garden heater.
Longer nights in London
With the nights getting longer, the sun will be setting earlier and earlier throughout the year. That is, until December 23, when the days will slowly (ever so slowly) begin to get longer again.
It’s not all bad news in the upcoming months, though, as on October 25 the clocks will switch back from British Summer Time (BST) to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). This will net us an extra hour of sleep! (But it will also take away an hour of sunshine from the day…)
Here are a few dates and sunset times to keep an eye out for in London:
- September 21 – last 7pm sunset of 2026
- September 26 – nights officially longer than days
- October 18 – last 6pm sunset of 2026
- October 25 – Clocks go back
- November 24 – last 4pm sunset of 2026
- December 7-17 – earliest sunsets of 2026 (3:51pm)
- December 23 – days begin to get longer
- December 28-31 – lastest sunrises of 2026 (8:06am)
