The festive 50: the best things to do in London this Christmas

Feast on mince pies

It’s never too soon to start the quest for London’s best mince pie. For buttery, vanilla-spiked pastry, head to Melrose & Morgan, or join the queue for Bread Ahead’s sublimely spiced pies (you can also learn to make your own at its special seasonal workshops).

Marvel at a dancing Snowman

Sadler’s Wells’ staging of The Snowman has – quite rightly – become an annual fixture. The waltzing snowmen and cast of woodland creatures are magical for kids, while the flying sequence thrills even grown-ups, remembering Christmases past.
Until 4 January 2025

Skate!

Come the winter, ice-skating spots pop up across the city. Few are more iconic than the rink at Somerset House, though you’ll need to book ahead. Too late? Hotfoot it to Glide at Battersea Power Station, with its trio of interconnecting rinks and scenic riverside setting.
Skate at Somerset House until 12 January 2025
Glide at Battersea Power Station until 5 January 2025

See roses bloom in Mayfair

Every winter, the Ever After Garden comes to Mayfair, filling Grosvenor Square with more than 30,000 illuminated white roses. It’s a place to remember lost loved ones and dedicate a rose to their memory, with proceeds going to The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. 
Until 18 December 2024

Have a wizard time at Hogwarts

Potter acolytes will love Hogwarts in the Snow, which adds a seasonal twist to the Harry Potter sets. Wander the holly-wreathed Great Hall, peek in Diagon Alley’s snowy shopfronts and look out for the flying witches that top the Christmas trees.
Until 19 January 2025

Be dazzled at Kew

After dark, see Kew Gardens transformed by its winter light trail, with a series of epic installations. Think giant, glowing blooms, a fire garden and a Christmas cathedral of light – coming soon to an Instagram account near you and even more magical in real life.
Until 5 January 2025

Cosy up by the fire in Hampstead

  While away a winter’s afternoon by a pub’s crackling wood fire. The Holly Bush is a welcoming retreat after stomps on Hampstead Heath, as is the historic Spaniard’s Inn, famed for its cosy nooks, resident spooks and excellent Scotch eggs. 

See the light

You can’t miss the Christmas lights twinkling across town. Beyond the cascading stars of Oxford Street and Regent Street’s swooping spirits, check out Mayfair’s sparkling blue bows, or Marylebone Village’s glittering display, magicked up from recycled bottles.
Various dates

Belt out some classic Mariah 

Self-conscious when it comes to karaoke? No need to be at Massaoke, a euphoric group-singalong accompanied by a live band. Its pyrotechnic-fuelled Christmas Live events promise hit after hit, from the likes of The Pogues, Wham! and (of course) Mariah.    
6, 7 & 20 December

Soak up the festive spirit

If you pine for the kitsch of childhood Christmases you’ll love Miracle at Henrietta, a pop-up bar with a penchant for tacky decorations. It’s a riot of light-up snowmen, tinsel and leaping reindeer, best admired over a cheeky Snowball Old Fashioned. 
Until 23 December 2024 

Write to Santa

Get ahead of the Christmas rush and pen your letter to Santa. Luckily, the Royal Mail has his address (Santa’s Grotto, Reindeerland, XM4 5HQ), and he’ll be sending replies to letters posted by 9 December. Note that a stamp is essential, as are your name and address.
Until 9 December 2024

Seek out some spectacular windows

Every year, the big department stores vie to create the most extravagant window displays. Don’t miss Fortnum’s magical menagerie, Selfridges’ tinsel monsters, the Wicked-themed fantasy at Liberty or Fenwick’s mechanical masterpieces, riffing on the ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’.
Throughout December 2024

Become a curling champion

Discover a new winter sport at Club Curling, popping up at Coal Drops Yard. Invented by snowbound Scots, it’s like lawn bowls played on ice, with up to six players per lane. Under-12s go free, while adults can have a post-game tipple in the neon-lit bar.
Until 2 March 2025

Join the festivities at the Museum of the Home

Winter’s full of colour and light at this East End museum. Its rooms recreating different eras have been specially dressed for the season, from a tasteful Victorian Christmas to a tinsel-draped ’70s party scene. Insider tip: the shop’s great for gifts and stocking-fillers.  
Until 12 January 2025

See a tree or two

Trafalgar Square’s soaring spruce has its own Twitter account, while Covent Garden’s 60ft tree sparkles with thousands of lights. For a high-fashion moment, nowhere matches Claridge’s tree. This year’s designer is Sir Paul Smith, so expect something eccentric.

Explore Dennis Severs’ House by candlelight

Commune with the ghosts of Christmas past at this Spitalfields townhouse – more a time machine than a museum, with stage-worthy set-ups in each room. Its Christmas installations are eerily atmospheric: climb the creaking stairs for a candlelit Silent Night tour.
Until 12 January 2025

Sip a sublime hot chocolate

For a masterclass in how hot chocolate should be done, make your way to Ruby Violet’s King’s Cross ice-cream parlour. Order up a long and frothy, then go nuts with the toppings, which run from almond brittle to whipped cream and crushed meringues.

Go local for your Christmas shopping

Time to get some presents bagged. For a North London neighbourhood vibe, try Stoke Newington Church Street, dotted with cafés and boutiques. Down south, Brixton Village has everything from homeware to hand-embroidered jackets, plus standout spots for lunch.

Eat Christmas in a bun at Blacklock

Throughout December, you can feast on Blacklock’s festive burger. Think a yielding brioche bun piled with glazed streaky bacon, Tunworth cheese, winter coleslaw and two pork patties. The finishing touch? A slathering of spiced apple and cranberry chutney. 

Stock up at Borough Market  

Brave the Borough Market crowds to stock up on feasting essentials. Think Stichelton from Neal’s Yard, hand-carved jamón at Brindisa and a proper Christmas pudding laced with French brandy at McLaren’s. And a doughnut to go at Bread Ahead? It would be rude not to.

Meet an old-fashioned Father Christmas

For a traditional meet and greet with Santa, head for the London Museum Docklands. You’ll find his grotto in the Sailortown galleries, which recreate the soot-stained alleyways of Victorian London, complete with festive decorations and the sound of distant carol singers.
Until 23 December 2024

Festoon your front door  

Nothing says Christmas like a wreath on your door, so create your own with Petersham Nurseries or Hackney’s rebel florist Grace & Thorn. Alternatively, get back to nature with a workshop in Hyde Park, using foliage from the Royal Parks.
Various dates in December

Browse a Christmas market

Stroll through the sprawling market at Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland, or keep it small-scale at Kingston’s Christmas market, with its bratwurst stands, old-fashioned carousel and wooden chalets selling woolly hats, artisan cheese and other seasonal essentials.
Both until 5 January 2025

Hone your handwriting at Chiswick House 

Fed up of scrawling on Christmas cards and gift tags? Up your game with a Christmas calligraphy workshop at Chiswick House, led by a professional. 
6 & 7 December 2024

Catch a cult Christmas movie in concert 

The greatest festive film? Home Alone has to be a contender, as eight-year-old Kevin – left alone at Christmas – foils a pair of dastardly thieves. The trip wires! The tarantula on the face! All even better in the Royal Albert Hall, with a live orchestral score.
7 December 2024

Fall under Liberty’s spell

The grande dame of department stores does Christmas in style, from its decadent window displays to the glittering, fourth-floor Christmas Shop. Gifts from here (beautifully wrapped on request) are always the best, from hand-embossed leather diaries to emerald-set rings.  

Take a seat in Santa’s sleigh

Covent Garden does Christmas in style, with its glittering tree, oversized bells and copious mulled wine. In the West Piazza, Santa’s sleigh is the ultimate festive photo op: take your seat in his present-stacked carriage, handpainted in red and gold.

See a new take on The Nutcracker

Even if you know the story inside out, you’ve never seen a Nutcracker like this before. Carlos Acosta’s bold new adaptation at Queen Elizabeth Hall infuses it with Latin warmth and spice, transplanting the action to Cuba, with an artfully reimagined score.
10-15 December 2024

Bring on the gelato

Ice cream’s not just for summer. Seasonal specials at Udderlicious include mince pie gelato, while Caliendo’s Gelato has a rolling repertoire of festive flavours, freshly made each day. Try the panettone or candy-cane gelato, or a scoop of fragrant bergamot and ginger sorbet.

Have a ball at the Royal Opera House

There are no surprises in this staging of Cinderella, but plenty of fairy dust and enchantment – not least as Cinders makes her on-pointe entrance to the ball. If you can’t score seats at the Royal Opera House, catch one of the screenings at cinemas across London.
Until 16 January 2025. Screenings 10–17 December 2024

Explore an old-school toyshop  

However old you are, there’s something magical about Benjamin Pollock’s Covent Garden toy emporium, which traces its origins back to 1880. It’s famed for its exquisite, Victorian-inspired paper theatres, from gilded recreations of The Nutcracker to a sweet-sprinkled set for Hansel and Gretel.

Binge on festive flicks at the Prince Charles  

Why watch one Christmas movie when you could catch five back-to-back? The Prince Charles is running three festive all-night film marathons. There’s a Muppet-themed soirée, a feelgood Pyjama Party, or – for the brave – a mystery line-up of horror movies.
14 & 21 December 2024

Watch pantomime horses compete

The city’s silliest seasonal tradition? Possibly the London Pantomime Horse Race, which sees competitors in panto horse costumes (plus a few rogue camels and cows) galloping around Greenwich. All proceeds go to Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital.
15 December 2024

Visit Santa’s grotto

Even in the depths of winter, Chelsea Physic Garden is enchanting: a walled, centuries-old secret garden by the Thames. On the weekends leading up to Christmas, Santa will be holding court, with storytelling sessions in a greenhouse-themed grotto and a sack of gifts for wide-eyed kids.
Weekends, until 22 December 2024

Take afternoon tea at the Savoy

Amid the flurry of Christmas preparations, The Savoy remains a beacon of calm and good cheer. Head to The Gallery for afternoon tea with a seasonal twist: think crémeux-filled Christmas baubles, tiny turkey sarnies, and snowman macaroons for the children.
Throughout December

Add a Caribbean twist

Representation matters, even when it comes to the mince pie-loving man in red. At Noir Kringle, a jovial Black Santa presides over the cheeriest of grottos, where kids take part in hands-on workshops before meeting the big man himself.
18–22 December

Take in a Christmas classic  

The Old Vic’s triumphant take on A Christmas Carol is back, complete with carol singers handing out mince pies. Its lantern-lit, in-the-round staging adds to the atmosphere, while John Simm will be donning his top hat to play the penny-pinching Scrooge.
Until 4 January 2025

See Hansel and Gretel at The Globe

Wrap up warm and head into the woods at The Globe, which is staging Poet Laureate Simon Armitage’s take on Hansel and Gretel. Aimed at five-and-overs, it promises music, magic and songs – and a salutary lesson on why houses made of sweets should be approached with caution.
Until 5 January 2025

Steam into Christmas

For one day only, a very special service will be setting off from Victoria – the Santa Steam Express. Climb aboard a gleaming vintage steam train for mince pies and hot drinks, before Santa and his elves do the rounds with gifts for all the kids on board.
21 December 2024

Embrace panto season

You’re never too old for a pantomime: think singalongs, slapstick comedy and no end of innuendo. Book the all-star Robin Hood at the London Palladium or Dick Whittington at the Hackney Empire, where Clive Rowe – panto’s greatest dame – steals every scene he’s in.
Robin Hood until 12 January 2025
Dick Whittington until 5 January 2025

Sing a carol at St Paul’s

Hear the traditional lessons and carols in the soaring surrounds of St Paul’s, below its gilded mosaics and magnificent dome. Its services are free to attend, though you’ll need to enter a ticket ballot for the carols closest to Christmas. Paid events, meanwhile, include Handel’s Messiah.

Stroll Columbia Road

East London’s famous flower market will be up and running every Sunday until Christmas, from 8am in the morning until around 2pm. Buy a last-minute bunch of mistletoe or bouquet of white amaryllis, plus presents from the quirky independent shops clustered around the market.

Cheer on the Serpentine swimmers

A fixture on Christmas morning since 1864, the Peter Pan Cup sees a band of stoic swimmers take to the Serpentine’s waters for a 100-yard race. Arrive by 9am to cheer them on (only members of the Serpentine Swimming Club are allowed to take the plunge).

Go for a stroll

A wintry walk is good for the soul – and Richmond Park’s meadows and ancient woodland make for an epic backdrop. Bring a flask of tea and stash of leftover mince pies and look out for its resident deer or join the guided walk at 10am.

Warm up in a spa

Escape the cold and bask in the warmth of Aire Ancient Baths, hidden below a historic townhouse a few streets back from the Strand. Its handsomely vaulted, candlelit baths are the perfect winter hideout, from the steamy Vaporium to the saltwater Flotarium.

Sip a pint at The Churchill Arms

One Christmas tree isn’t enough for this 18th-century Kensington pub. Instead, the whole place is covered with a forest of spruces – up to 100 on a good year – festooned with fairy lights. Head inside for a pint of London Pride.

Wander Winter Wonderland

Banish Twixtmas blues with a visit to Hyde Park, where Winter Wonderland’s fairy-light-strung rides are still in full seasonal swing until early January. Loop-the-loop on a rollercoaster, speed down the ice slide, or book ahead to watch Cirque Berserk’s death-defying stunts.
Until 5 January 2025

Hit the West End  

It’s the perfect season to head for theatreland, whether you’re braving Stranger Things: The First Shadow at the Phoenix or catching a musical (try the RSC’s take on Matilda, at the Cambridge Theatre). Afterwards, stroll into Soho for a late supper.

Go local for New Year’s Eve

No ticket for the fireworks on the Thames? Then head beyond Zone 1 for epic skyline views. The vistas from Primrose Hill are hard to beat, while its pubs are packed with locals: join the throng at The Engineer or The Queen’s for a pre-midnight pint or two.

Kick-start the New Year at the Proms

There’s no more inspiring way to start the year than at The Barbican’s New Year’s Day Proms, with the London Concert Orchestra. The programme runs from Elgar to Verdi, wrapping up just after 5pm – perfect if you’re in need of an early night.