The best Christmas carol services and concerts in London for 2024

Get yourself feeling ridiculously festive with an evening of carols inside Sir Christopher Wren’s architectural masterpiece, aka The Big Lad aka St Paul’s Cathedral. The legendary London landmark hosts a series of mostly free and unticketed carol concerts each year, alongside a couple of ticketed charity gigs raising money for the likes of The Princes Trust. Visit over December for a huge range of concerts, including family-friendly services, Handel's Messiah, and traditional carols. The big events to look out for are A Celebration of Christmas (Dec 14) and the Christmas Carol Service (Dec 23 and 24). They’re free and always hugely popular, so get down there early and be prepared to queue. Start practising your high notes now. Times for each event vary: full information can be found here. 

Classical music impresario Raymond Gubbay presents his annual handpicked selection of music for the festive season. Highlights include the Christmas carol singalong (Dec 17), Love Actually with live orchestra (Dec 21), Beethoven's Ninth (Dec 28), the music of Zimmer vs Willimas (Dec 31), and the New Year's Day Proms. All set to take place in the Barbican's lovely hall, these musical picks are a classy, Christmassy way to spend an evening. 

Kensington’s grand Italianate music hall is quite possibly the most iconic place in London to enjoy a Christmassy concert. But its not just traditional carols that are on offer at the infamous venue this year, with everything from Christmas classic Home Alone accompanied by a live orchestra (Dec 7) to a big band affair with yer ma’s favourite 80s crooner (‘Rick Astley’s Swinging Christmas’ on Dec 17).

Other highlights include a festive celebration of Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin with Jules Buckley and acclaimed singer Sheléa (Dec 10), Sandi Toksvig’s queer Christmas concert with the Gay Men’s Chorus and the BBC Concert Orchestra (the excellently named ‘Sandi Claus is Coming to Town’ on Dec 18) and Letters Live, a festive celebration of literary correspondence in aid of the RNLI featuring a secret line-up of guest performers (Dec 12).

And the festive season also sees the return of several popular concerts from previous years, including jazzed-up festivities with maverick pianist Jamie Cullum (‘The Pianoman at Christmas’ on Dec 6), the fifth edition of ‘Soul Christmas’ with DJ and presenter Trevor Nelson plus special guests (Dec 16), an operatic evening with Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins (Dec 11) and the ever-present ‘Guy Barker’s Big Band Christmas’ (Dec 19) which returns for its ninth consecutive year.

In short, there’s something for absolutely everyone here.

The huge Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square heralds the arrival of the festive season each year when it is lit by the Mayor of Oslo, the Mayor of Westminster and the British ambassador to Norway. Carols will be sung beneath the Christmas tree for four hours every day from Dec 9 until Dec 24, with more than 50 carol groups taking part. Performances take place from 4pm-8pm on weekdays and 2pm-6pm on weekends.

Nowhere does the picture postcard, stereotypically cosy British Christmas better than Chelsea. The impressive part of west London will be draping Ranelagh Gardens with lights to create a dazzling winter walk. As well as plenty of pretty decorations, there’ll also be a grotto and a pavilion for gifts and sweet treats and a Chirtmas market to explore. Head along to the opening night to hear a carol service from The Chelsea Pensioners Choir which will be serenading the first guests. Further pop-up choir performances will take place throughout the duration of the event. 

The beautiful Union Chapel looks even more magnificent when it's filled with hundreds of glowing candles at this annual carol service. Sing along with the Union Chapel Singers to traditional carols and hear readings, spoken word and live music with the chapel lit only by candlelight. Head to the bar mulled wine and mince pies – and get there early for guaranteed entry. 

You’ve probably walked past St Martin-in-the-Fields while hurrying through Trafalgar Square, but now’s your chance to slow down, stop in and soak up its atmosphere. This December, it will play host to a series of evening concerts featuring carol singing and festive readings. Organisers say to expect to hear the choir singing classics like ‘O Holy Night’ and ‘Carol Of The Bells’, while the audience will be encouraged to join in the likes of ‘In The Bleak Midwinter’ and ‘Once In Royal David’s City’. Pre-book a mince pie and mulled wine (or hot choc and popcorn for the kids) to make your evening out extra Christmassy.

Christmas might be the merriest time of year, but it can also be one of the most stressful. Dashing around Oxford Circus, trying to get suitable presents for everyone while fighting the crowds of others doing the same? Nightmare. At nearby All Souls Langham Place, though, you’ll find carol services ready to soothe your shopping stress and remind you of the real magic of Christmas. A stunning choir will be performing some of the season’s best-loved songs under twinkling lights and mirrorball (not something every church boasts), while the services will wrap up with complimentary mince pies and hot Christmas punch. The cherry on top? Entry is completely free. No wonder the church advises arriving 30 minutes early to make sure you can get in.

Can you really say you’ve ‘done’ Christmas in London if you’ve not experienced the full majesty and power of ‘Oh Come All Ye Faithful’ belted out by over 5,000 carollers at the Royal Albert Hall? Not in our view, you can’t. There are few venues quite as festive as the RAH, which evokes memories of Decembers past in chilly church halls, listening to organs play and choirs sing, no matter what time of year you visit. Stopping by ahead of Christmas is a guaranteed way to get yourself in a festive mood.

Remember Gareth Malone, the man who single-handedly resurrected the idea of amateur choirs and made them cool again? See him in action with his own choir in tow as they sing Christmas carols in the plush surroundings of The Ned. Book standing or seated tickets (sit-down tickets let you order food and nibbles), and listen to your favourite festive tunes in marble-encrusted Nickle Bar while sinking a classic cocktail or two. 

Central London’s beautiful St Martin’s in the Field church is right next to Trafalgar Square which means every Christmas it’s in the shadow of one of London’s most impressive Christmas trees, so you can bet its programme of festive carols and services is a special one. Throughout December the church holds a wealth of events led by the famous and well-loved St Martin's Voices. Make a beeline for the Christmas Eve Crib Service, which involves carols, drama and a real-life donkey, or head to one of the special ticketed concerts which range from performances from groups like the Gay Men’s Chorus to candle-lit celebrations. 

Festive karaoke is a bit of a tradition for us lot in the Time Out office. If you’re also a fan of necking half a bottle of prosecco and belting out some Michael Bublé, you’ll love this festive edition of the phenomenon that is Massaoke, or ‘mass karaoke’. Popping up at a host of London venues this December, it’s offering you plenty of chances to warble along to Mariah, Wham, Slade and all your other favourite festive bangers soundtracked by a live band, and with lyrics on the screen in case you somehow don’t have every word of ‘Fairytale of New York’ etched into your brain. Christmas jumpers and festive fancy dress are of course encouraged.

You’ve seen it on the telly for all those fancy royal weddings. Now you can take a pew in the historic Westminster Abbey and sing your heart out to celebrate Christmas. The church is hosting a slate of services in the lead-up to and on Christmas Day, plus one special early January Eucharist, where you can soak up the regal atmosphere and get well and truly in the mood for the festivities to come. Each concert is free, but some require booking in advance to make sure you have a seat.

Smith Square Hall’s run of carol services is a little more varied than most, with bands, choirs and orchestras guiding the audience through beloved Christmas tunes. There’s also a musical retelling of Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’ (Dec 17, 18) featuring nine Victorian carols if you want to spice up your festive singing a little more.