Let London have one of the most festive settings for Christmas. The British city unfolds with grand light displays, towering Christmas trees, pudding races, ballet performances, and lively Christmas markets selling local crafts and treats (including many hot wines). Be sure to plan your trip in advance to make the most of Christmas with the Queen.
See the West End Christmas lights
London lights up at Christmas. The department stores on Oxford Street and Regent Street in London’s West End are definitely worth a visit, where window shopping under the lights won’t cost you a penny. The screen turns on every night in early November.
The lights of Oxford Street will be turned on on November 6, 2018 and Regent Street will present its exhibits on November 15, 2018. The Brunswick Center, near Russell Square, also presents its own Christmas show on November 7, 2018, with music live West End artists and gospel choirs. , in addition to stilts and other entertainment.
Go ice skating
Every winter, outdoor ice skating rinks appear all over London. Most of the slopes operate from mid-November to mid-January and many remain open late into the night. Several rinks host special events during the holiday season, and you can rent skates at many of them.
The annual Winter Wonderland pop-up in Hyde Park has the UK’s largest outdoor skating rink (next to the Victorian bandstand). The carnival atmosphere includes fairground rides, traditional German beer halls, a circus, food stalls, grottos, and more than 200 Bavarian-style wooden chalets selling gifts and trinkets.
You’ll also find ice skating rinks outside some famous historic sites, including Somerset House, the Tower of London, and Hampton Court Palace.
Visit the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree
Norway gives London a huge Christmas tree for Trafalgar Square every year as a thank you for the country’s help during World War II. The tree generally reaches more than 20 meters in height and averages between 50 and 60 years.
The lights are turned on on the night of the first Thursday in December. The tree generally remains in place until the Twelfth Night of Christmas, January 6, when it is dismantled and taken away to be cut down and composted.
Meet santa claus
You can meet Santa at London’s department stores, including Harrods, Selfridges, and John Lewis. Sit on Santa’s lap and tell him what you want him to bring you for Christmas. Of course, he prefers meeting young children, but Santa welcomes all of them from early November to Christmas Eve.
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Shop at Christmas markets and fairs
Shopping becomes a national sport throughout December, and Christmas markets and fairs pop up throughout the city during the Christmas season. Some crowd favorites include:
- Spirit of Christmas Fair: October 29 to November 4, 2018
- Country Living Magazine Christmas Fair – November 7-11, 2018
- Southbank Center Wintertime Market by the London Eye – November 9, 2018 – January 6, 2019. This annual celebration of art features festive theater performances, family activities and riverfront market stalls decorated like wooden winter chalets.
- Christmas in Leicester Square: November 9, 2018 to January 6, 2019. Features a Santa Claus Grotto and a traditional Spiegeltent with cabaret and comedy shows. Market stalls sell handmade toys, sweets, and festive decorations.
Watch the English National Ballet
Theaters and performances
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The English National Ballet’s holiday season has featured The Nutcracker since 1950. Set in a world of icy Edwardian elegance designed by Peter Farmer, this captivating production takes audiences on an enchanting journey with Clara, her Nutcracker doll and the magician Drosselmeyer. From December 13-30, 2018, dancers from the English National Ballet will bring Tchaikovsky’s timelessly popular score to life.
Get tickets to Pantomime
A long English tradition of pantomime theater has men dress as ugly fat women and women play the main ‘boy’. With huge audience participation and shouts of “He’s after you!” When the protagonists can’t see the antagonists, it promises to be a fun time for the whole family. To celebrate its 20th anniversary, the Hackney Empire will feature Aladdin for holiday performances from November 24, 2018 to January 6, 2019.
Join the great Christmas pudding race
On a Saturday morning in December, around 150 race participants wear costumes and run around Covent Garden as they try to balance a Christmas pudding on a plate. Obstacles like flour-filled balloons make it even more fun to watch. Turning 38, it’s a charity event to raise money for Cancer Research UK. It will take place on Saturday, December 8, 2018.
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Explore the Geffrye Museum’s Christmas past
Each year, the 12 period rooms of the Geffrye Museum are decorated in authentic festive style, offering a magical glimpse of auld lang syne Christmas. From mid-November to early January, the Christmas Past exhibit explores the origins and meanings of some of the most common Christmas customs, from kissing under the mistletoe to decorating the tree to organizing cocktails.
Sing Christmas carols
Christmas carols from around the country come to Trafalgar Square for two weeks in mid-December. More than 40 groups of Christmas carols sing for an hour under the Christmas tree to raise money for charities. Performances take place between 4 pm and 8 pm Monday through Friday, and from 2 pm to 6 pm on weekends. There are no performances on December 15th. Expect to hear classic Christmas songs like Deck the Halls and Ding Dong Merrily on High.
