London events in December

Each year, Hyde Park gets transformed from pretty park to a dazzling, snow-covered, Alpine-themed, 350-acre festive funscape. One of the largest Christmas events in the UK, Winter Wonderland returns for its seventeenth year in 2024, and is expected to welcome around 2.5 million visitors over six magical weeks. You’ll find fairground rides, a child-friendly Santa Land (including Santa’s Grotto, where presents may be waiting) and traditional Christmas markets where you’ll be able to buy gifts for all your loved ones.

Other highlights include circuses and, of course, the biggest outdoor ice rink in the UK. It surrounds the Victorian bandstand and is lit up by more than 100,000 lights – if that doesn’t get you feeling festival, nothing will, especially as your ears will be full of Christmas tunes as you glide around the ice. There’s also the Real Ice Slide and ice scultpting workshops, so get ready to get frosty. Warm yourself up later with frothing steins at the German-style Bavarian Village.

Of all the Broadway musicals of the twenty-first century to have not come over to London, Dave Malloy’s ‘Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812’ feels like the great one that got away. A folk opera adaptation of essentially the main romantic plot of Tolstoy’s ‘War and Peace’ (so more peace than war), a visionary production from Rachel Chavkin – whose ‘Hadestown’ is currently sitting pretty in the West End – worked its way up from the tiny Ars Nova theatre all the way to Broadway, via a walloping big tent off-Broadway. There were rumours of Chavkin’s production coming over here for years, but clearly it’s not happened – but what a show for incoming Donmar director Timothy Sheader to have in his first season at the Donmar. Directed by Sheader himself, we don’t know what to expect from the casting or even staging, but Malloy’s musical to remain a wistful, wry indie folk delight. 

Somerset House’s iconic ice rink has become a Christmas tradition for Londoners and visitors heading to the capital for some festive cheer. There’s good reason – gliding (or, at least, attempting to) around the rink, gazing upon the Georgian architecture and 40ft Christmas tree feels like you’ve skated onto a movie set, ready to be watched by families settling in for their post-turkey food coma.

There’s more to this rink than just skating, though. This year, pop-up gourmet dining spot The Chalet and rosé brand Whispering Angel’s skate lounge will return to keep you fuelled up. Skate Lates are also back, with DJ takeovers from Rinse FM, Daytimers’ Rohan Rakhit, Dankie Sounds, and Jay Jay Revlon. Shelter Boutique are bringing a pop-up shop of pre-loved clothing, homewares and gifts for you to shop til you drop at, while there’ll also be special chilled-out sessions for those who want to skate but need things to be a little quieter, and coaching for skaters of all ages at the skate school and kids’ skate club.

Find more places to go ice skating in London

Even if you think Christmas is a load of consumerist claptrap, you can’t deny that London looks a whole lot better when it’s hung with strings of glistening lights. And London is never in short supply of some thoroughly excellent festive light displays. From the classic angels that beam over Regent’s Street to the snazzy, themed displays over Carnaby Street, a trip to one of these gleaming streets will flutter the heart of even the most Scrooge-like of souls. 

Almedia associate director Rebecca Frecknall made her name with a revival of Tennessee Williams obscurity ‘Summer and Smoke’ and scored a walloping hit two Christmases back with her production of ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’. Now she moves on to her third major Williams revival with a fresh take on 1955 classic ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’, which follows a wealthy but disintegrating Southern cotton family who have gathered on the occasion of bullying patriarch Big Daddy’s birthday. He, however, is the only one there unaware of his terminal cancer diagnosis. Frecknall directs Lennie James as Big Daddy, Kingsley Ben-Adir as his sensitive alcoholic son Brick, and Daisy Edgar-Jones as Brick’s troubled wife Maggie. Guy Burgess, Clare Burt, Seb Carrington, Derek Hagen, Ukweli Roach and Ria Zmitrowicz make up the rest of the cast. 

Tickets go on sale Seprtember 27.

Bring the whole family to Christmas in Chelsea, London’s newest festive tradition, and enjoy 15% off child, adult, and family tickets! Experience the Royal Hospital Chelsea transformed into a magical winter wonderland. Wander through stunning light trails, browse the festive market, enjoy pop-up choirs throughout the evening and join in seasonal workshops – perfect for holiday photos, family fun, or a romantic stroll. Christmas in Chelsea has something for everyone, blending tradition, heritage, and holiday magic!

Get adult tickets for £14, child tickets for £8.90 and a family ticket for £37.40, only through Time Out Offers.

Christmas at Kew has become a key date in London’s festive calendar, with a humongous light trail taking over the 300-acre botanic garden. See the space lit up with larger-than-life illuminations, with both the venue’s glass houses and the trees that cover its grounds drenched in different hues. The whole thing is stunning, but don’t miss the lake, where you’ll catch reflections of the vibrant bulbs dancing on the water, taking the magical feeling to another level.  Keep yourself toasty along the way with warming winter snacks and make sure you pop by the grotto to say hi to Father Christmas himself.

While super-producer Cameron Mackistosh still has breath in his body we’ll never be too far from the next revival of Lionel Bart’s all-singing Dickens adaptation Oliver!. Fifteen years after the last, Rupert Goold-directed London revival (which closed in 2011), it’s back in new guise in a Matthew Bourne directed production that premiered at Chichester Festival Theatre back in the summer to reviews that praised it as comfortingly nostalgic rather than doing anything particularly bold. But that’s what we want from ‘Oliver!’ really, isn’t it? All your favourite songs – Food Glorious Food, Consider Yourself, I’d Do Anything – are present and correct, with a cast that includes Simon Lipkin as Fagin, Shanay Holmes as Nancy, Aaron Sidwell as Bill Sikes, Billy Jenkins as the Artful Dodger and Philip Franks as Mr Brownlow.

Did you think London already had enough picture-perfect ice-skating pop-ups over the festive season? Well you were wrong, because this spot might well be the coolest (in more ways than one.) Glide returns to the rejuvenated Battersea Power Station from Nov 8, bringing magnificent views and all the fun of the fair (literally, there’s a fairground right beside it) to the landmark. The 30ft Christmas tree that sits twinkling right in the middle of the rink only adds to the stunning scenes here, making this the perfect date night or Xmas party location.

Opening times: Mon-Fri 11am-9pm; Sun 10am-10pm

Price: From £16; child from £10.50

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. 

Dreaming of a kitsch Christmas? New York’s famous Miracle on Ninth Street bar is popping up in London for its seventh year, ‘50s Christmas decorations, nostalgic accessories and creative new spins on beloved cocktail favourites in tow. This year’s menu is still a work in progress, but past years have seen the bar slinging the likes of a Snowball Old Fashioned or a Christmapoliton, which includes cranberry sauce and absinthe mist – a take on Christmas trimmings that’s not for the faint-hearted. If you’re failing to find the Christmas spirit, this is one great place to come find it.

Many of us love a good old-fashioned Christmas complete with trips to festive markets, ice skating, carol services and all the trimmings. But it’s not everyone’s glass of eggnog. Thankfully, London is abuzz with unusual Christmas events come winter. Whether you fancy switching up your usual gift-shopping with a trip to the Satanic Flea Market’s Antichristmas Fayre, making the Yuletide gayer than ever at a camp as Christmas drag show, swatching some alt Christmas movies with only the most tenuous of links to the festive period or even spending December 25 pounding the pavements to complete an ultramarathon, have yourself a quirky little Christmas with our round-up of the ultimate unusual festive events in London. It is truly the most (weird and) wonderful time of the year.

The Julian Clary show – aka the Palladium panto – rolls back into town for another Christmas, with the smutty comedy legend and firmly established star of the whole thing taking on the role of the eponymous moralist bandit, opposite national treasure Jane MacDonald as Maid Marion. Elsewhere, regulars Paul Zerdin, Nigel Havers, Charlie Stemp and Rob Madge return, plus there’s some new blood in the shape of West End stars Marisha Wallace and Tosh Wanogho-Maud. The show tends to feel a lot more like a series of turns than a coherent story, but that kind of befits the Palladium, and Clary’s astonishingly near-to-the-knuckle humour really is something to behold.

Curling has been growing in popularity in recent years, nudged on by its compelling showings at various Winter Olympics, and you can try your hand at it in King’s Cross this winter. This pop-up outdoor arena boasts six synthetic curling lanes, on which you can curl your heart out for 45 minutes before rewarding yourself with a tasty cocktail at the Curling Club bar. Last year’s 90s theme is being replaced by bright neons, with Walthamstow’s God’s Own Junkyard recreating their warehouse in the bar. Booking opens on October 11.

An evening of proper Christmas carols is an absolute must if you’re interested in getting entirely wrapped up in unalloyed festive cheer. Check out our comprehensive round-up of the jolliest and most moving services in the capital. Indoors and outdoors, cathedrals, churches and secular spaces, we’ll be adding to it constantly, as more events are announced. 

Sigourney Weaver was eight the last time Shakespeare was performed at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, when the late Peter Brook directed John Gielgud in ‘The Tempest’ in 1957. A lot has happened to both Weaver and the theatre since then, but at the age of 75 the star of the ‘Alien’, ‘Ghostbusters’ and ‘Avatar’ films will make her UK stage debut in the first Shakespeare play to be staged at the venerable theatre for over half a century. It’s ‘The Tempest’ (again), with Weaver taking on the role of exiled magician Prospero in Jamie Lloyd’s revival, the first of two starry Shakespeares he’s directing there (the other, ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ starring Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell, will follow next year). She’ll be joined by a cast of Jude Akuwudike (Alonso), Jason Barnett (Stephano), Selina Cadell (Gonzalo), Mathew Horne (Trinculo), Mara Huf (Miranda), Forbes Masson (Caliban), Mason Alexander Park (Ariel), James Phoon (Ferdinand), Oliver Ryan (Sebastian) and Tim Steed (Antonio). Lloyd’s last couple of shows have made heavy use of live video and found spaces throughout the theatre, of which there would seem to be many at Drury Lane, though there appears to not be any camera operators billed. Design will be from Soutra Gilmour, who designs pretty much everything Lloyd does.

Markets, eh? They’re pretty nice to wander around at nearly every time of year. But, at Christmas? Well, that’s when London’s markets really come into their own. Every year the capital fills with the kind of markets that host fairy-light-lined stalls, festive street-food sellers and community tombolas, with a playlist of Christmas songs on loop in the background. In fact, whether you’re looking for tasty treats, traditional decorations and cutting-edge arts and crafts or are just shopping for a last-minute present, the capital’s selection of Yuletide stalls are here to help. 

What’s more Christmassy than visiting Santa’s grotto? Going for a pint or two with the man in red in his favourite boozer, of course. Humbug, an immersive Christmas dive bar, allows you to do just that – and join Mr Claus in rounds of games, sing-a-longs, live performances, storytelling and more. It’s all threaded together with a mission to cheer a weary Santa up and help him rekindle his Christmas spirit. Humbug’s 2024 return will include a shrine to the queen of Christmas Mariah Carey, a beer can bowling alley, a grotto and cabaret from the venue’s regular cast. Saving the festive season never sounded so fun.

A sensation on Broadway, this cheerily ludicrous cabaret-style musical asks the – not entirely serious – question ‘but what if we saw the events of James Cameron’s smash hit 1997 film Titanic from the perspective of Celine Dion?’. Titanique by Marla Mindelle, Constantine Rousouli and Tye Blue basically grafts together Celine Dion’s greatest hits – including, of course, ‘My Heart Will Go On’ – some other random songs – ‘Who Let the Dogs Out?’ would appear to feature – to offer up a partly improvised retelling of the events of the blockbuster film, which Dion claims to have witnessed firsthand. It is, of course, nuclear-grade camp and has gone down a storm in New York; whether London has quite the same tolerance remains to be seen, but it should make for a fun Christmas season, at the very least.

New Year’s Eve in London means you’re faced with some choices. Sometimes there’s so much choice, in fact, that you end up spending the night indoors with a few loved ones and plenty of booze. We’ve all been there, but London boasts loads of great New Year’s Eve events that should coax even the most reluctant NYE fan out of the house this year. 

The Julian Clary show – aka the Palladium panto – rolls back into town for another Christmas, with the smutty comedy legend and firmly established star of the whole thing taking on the role of the eponymous moralist bandit, opposite national treasure Jane MacDonald as Maid Marion. Elsewhere, regulars Paul Zerdin, Nigel Havers, Charlie Stemp and Rob Madge return, plus there’s some new blood in the shape of West End stars Marisha Wallace and Tosh Wanogho-Maud. The show tends to feel a lot more like a series of turns than a coherent story, but that kind of befits the Palladium, and Clary’s astonishingly near-to-the-knuckle humour really is something to behold.

This Christmas will be the twenty-fifth Hackney Empire panto since the iconic East London venue turned back into a theatre after a stint as a bingo hall, and well over half of those productions (17 to be precise) have involved Clive Rowe, who is back for 2025 as director and as London’s most iconic dame. There’s no other casting announced yet, though Hackney rarely casts celebrities and tends to have a posse of regulars (comedian Kat B inevitably features). There’s no word on how the timeless tale of Dick and his cat will be interpreted, though the Hackney panto tends to have a good-natured local focus and a real sense of grounding in east London.

The sport of curling – the one you watch on telly during the Olympics and find curiously engaging – is coming to London. The Curling Club will be taking up residence in both the Southbank Centre and The Shack in Twickenham, bringing ‘epic apres nightlife’ along with it. Both venues will be given a proper apres-ski makeover with wintry cocktails, Alpine-inspired street food and entertainment on hand, alongside an opportunity to try your hand at the ‘short form’ version of the game under the expert tutelage of Team GB Skip and four-time Olympian Eva Muirhead OBE.  

Dame Maureen Lipman and comedy magician Pete Firman are the big draws in this year’s Richmond panto, a glossy affair that this year turns to the story of Beauty and the Beast – which some would argue isn’t technically a pantomime plot – for this year’s seasonal family show.