Christmas Events In London
In the United Kingdom, Christmas is a time for families and friends to gather together, celebrate, and exchange presents.Almost everyone in England has a Christmas tree (or two!). Decorating the tree is a group effort. Prince Albert, who was married to Queen Victoria, is said to have spread the idea of decorating Christmas trees in the UK.
According to children, on Christmas Eve, Santa Claus leaves gifts in stockings and pillowcases hung by the fireplaces or beside the kids’ bedrooms. Children send letters to Santa detailing their wishes, these letters are occasionally thrown in the fireplace. In this case, Santa examines the notes in the chimney smoke.
In the UK, Christmas Day lunch is the main meal. Roast turkey, roast veggies, and “all the trimmings,” including carrots, peas, stuffing, and potatoes, are served with cranberry and bread sauce. Before turkey, Christmas dinner was traditionally roast beef or goose. Christmas treats include mince pies and chocolates. The Christmas Cake is another well-known British dessert. It’s a delicious fruit cake wrapped in marzipan and frosting and typically decorated with holly. Each place setting at the dinner table has a Christmas cracker, flowers, and candles.
The Royal Christmas Message is aired on TV, radio, and online in the United Kingdom at 3 p.m. on Christmas Day. King George V established the custom of a Royal Christmas Message in 1932. In 1952, Queen Elizabeth II delivered her first Christmas message. The Christmas Message was aired on television for the first time in 1957. These days, the address is now pre-recorded and delivered a few days before Christmas.
Christmas is almost here, and if you want to get into the holiday spirit (and who wouldn’t?!), there are plenty of activities around London to help you. At this time of year, London is full of holiday activities like seeing Christmas lights, ice skating, going to the movies, and shopping at charming Christmas markets. So, make the most of your holiday season by checking off some of London’s must-see and do activities.
Plays, shows and more
Christmas plays and carol services are popular in many countries, including the UK. The Service of Nine Lessons and Carols is televised annually on Christmas Eve from King’s College, Cambridge.
Another fantastic London event is the Christmas Carols at St. Paul’s Cathedral. Every year, the renowned London landmark holds a series of primarily free and unticketed carol performances and a number of paid charity events benefiting organisations such as Blood Cancer UK and the MS Society.
At a price range of £45 to £95, you can see the fabulous Nutcracker at the English National Ballet. With superb dancing, gorgeous scenery, and Tchaikovsky’s famous soundtrack performed live by the English National Ballet, bringing The Nutcracker to life.
If you are looking for something edgier, we recommend the Clique at London’s Leicester Square. Spiegeltent Productions made La Clique, which is a clever mix of cabaret, modern burlesque, circus, and modern vaudeville. It’s seductive, humorous, and dangerous, and it’s carried the flame for over 15 years. Tickets start at £21.
Light extravaganza
For Christmas, it’s traditional to decorate the halls with holly, ivy, and mistletoe. Christmas lights illuminate most villages, towns, and cities.
London’s Oxford Street has the most famous Christmas lights in the UK. Thousands attend the November “switch on.” This year, 5,000 brilliant stars are ready to brighten the street every night throughout the Christmas season, which will be more sustainable than ever in 2022. This year, the Christmas lights on Oxford Street will flash for a little less time each day to reduce energy use in the middle of the UK’s cost of living crisis.
Christmas at Kew, one of the best light trails, has become a crucial occasion in London’s festive calendar when the 300-acre botanic garden’s strange and wondrous greenery is lighted up with glittering lights and illuminations. You can witness this wonder with tickets starting at £21.50 (£14 for children).
The lit path, Lightopia London, runs from November 17. to January 2., features breathtaking, multi-sensory interactive lights and lantern installations. This creates a winter wonderland overflowing with colour, making it a fantastic addition for the whole family this holiday season. Tickets start from £19.50 for adults and £13 for children
Covent Garden is worth seeing at any time of year, but it truly shines around Christmas, when it turns into the Covent Garden Christmas Village. The covered market and plaza are decorated with big ornaments, sparkling lights, and mistletoe chandeliers. Music is playing, stall proprietors are selling seasonal products, and there is plenty of festive food and drink! This just adds to the traditional market stalls and stores that are open all year. Aside from hundreds of lights, big decorations, and wreaths, there’s a lot going on in Covent Garden this holiday season that you won’t want to miss.
Ice skating
With Christmas fast approaching, why not treat yourself to a trip to one of London’s many ice rinks? Whether you’re a skilled figure skater or trying your hand at ice skating for the first time, the holiday season usually offers a wide range of ice skating rinks in some spectacular locations for the whole family to enjoy.
Nothing says winter like ice skating, and what better setting for your stumbles and slides than Somerset House’s ice rink? If you want to splurge, you may have chocolate fondue or cheese at the event, which is held in collaboration with the not-so-cheap Fortnum & Mason. The ice skating rink is open during the day and evening, with special music events on certain nights known as “Skate Lates.” Adult skate tickets cost between £10 and £22. The charges for children range from £7.50 to £11.
The joy of pirouetting over a London ice rink is unparalleled, but one thing has always distinguished Canary Warf’s Canada Square Park Ice Rink from the rest: its durability. Whereas many rinks turn to water in early January, this one will keep the ice skating pleasure going until February 25. Adult tickets are £19.95, while children (4–12 years old) pay £14.95 to skate.
Creative workshops
There are a lot of Christmas-themed workshops in London that will let you use arts and crafts and other forms of self-expression to explore every part of your creativity.
The wreath represents perpetual life because of its circular form and evergreen substance. It is also a sign of faith since Christians in Europe used to set a candle on the wreath during Advent to symbolise the light that Jesus brought into the world. For £150, you can learn how to make your own festive wreath at Festive Wreath Making with Petersham Nurseries in Covent Garden. In this class, you’ll be taken step by step through the wreath-making process, creating your very own stunning wreath from the start. You will learn the essential skills for creating magnificent Christmas wreaths.
The Christmas Decoration Craft Experience with Obby is another great workshop where you can explore your creative talents and produce something to make your Christmas even more special. For £40.88, you can get into the holiday mood by participating in a creative class to construct your own Christmas decorations. You’ll learn to work with wool, felt, or wood to make anything from a needle-felted robin to a wooden pyrography ornament. Handmade ornaments can provide a personal touch to your tree—or you give them as a present to loved ones!
Unusual Christmas Events
Christmas is a festival that is observed all around the world. Even though it started as a Christian holiday, people from all over the world have joined in and added their traditions. Whether you think of Christmas as a religious holiday, a commercial holiday, a celebration, or nothing at all, these unusual Christmas events might be interesting to you.
The Peter Pan Cup, one of London’s oddest and oldest Christmas traditions, has been held on Christmas mornings since 1864. Unless you’re a regular, not to mention brave, member of the Serpentine Swimming Club, this is strictly a spectator event. The Peter Pan Cup is an annual 110-yard swim contest held on Christmas Day. It takes place at Hyde Park’s Serpentine Lido and Serpentine Lake. The race starts at 9 a.m., so you can go down and cheer on the courageous souls before you start unwrapping your gifts.
How about Secret Storytelling: Ghosts For Christmas? If you’re feeling fearless and want to have a different kind of Christmas, Vanessa and George will transport you to a beautiful and secluded graveyard for 1980s tunes and wintery London ghost stories. In a hidden cemetery, there are ghost stories and live ’80s music. Bring a flask, fairy lights, or a candle in a jar to cast a light into the darkness, and dress warmly. This unusual experience will cost you between £3 and £8.
Party your way through London’s biggest Christmas sights, lights, and markets, all while singing and dancing to your favourite holiday songs with Silent Disco Christmas Walking Tour. Tickets from £9.99 – £19.99,
In Conclusion
December is a magical month in London. The city is open about its enthusiasm for the holiday season. Brilliant light displays adorn lively streets. Storefronts are transformed into over-the-top displays of joy. Skating rinks are springing up all over London. And everyone is taking it all in. Why not take the best that the Christmas Events in London have to offer, and prepare yourself to enter the New Year in high spirits.
