Things to do on Christmas Eve in London

This Prince Charles Cinema has spoken and this Christmas it’s said, ’Tis the season for a bucketload of films’. The legendary cinema has Christmas films showing throughout December and the festive flicks extend to the night before Christmas. On December 24 you can settle down to watch a whole roster of seasonal classics including ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’, ‘The Muppet Christmas Carol’ (sing-along screening), ‘Die Hard’, ‘Love Actually’ and ‘The Night Before Christmas’. 

Slide into Christmas by spinning around on one of London’s best ice rinks, all of which are open on Christmas Eve. Winter Wonderland’s is the biggest; Canary Wharf’s is open for the longest period and Somerset House’s is the most fabulous. Take your pick, lace up your skates and get swishing.

Want a winter walk with a difference? If you live near central London, why not take in some of the city’s Christmas lights, which make the capital dazzlingly beautiful each year? 

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. Every Christmas Eve the legendary London landmark hosts a Christmas Carol Service where the nativity is told through words and music. Or, stay up late and head to the Midnight Mass with music from the Cathedral Choir. They’re free and always hugely popular, so get down there early and be prepared to queue. 

Pub mulled wine can be a bit hit and miss. So we’ve sought out the best cosy London pubs pouring mulled wine that’s a cut above the rest. Find yourself a nook and wrap your mitts around one of these steaming, spicy bevvies.  

Can you get any more Christmassy than wandering around the home of the man who wrote ‘A Christmas Carol’ on Christmas Eve – the very night when all the ghostly shit went down in the story? We don’t think so. See the museum’s original Victorian furniture and fittings kitted out festive greenery and tour the house as carols play in the background. You’ll also get a free mince pie and mulled wine, get to watch ‘The Muppet Christmas Carol’, arguably the all-time greatest adaption of the classic. 

Whether it’s a cutesy puppet show for toddlers, a traditional family trip to see a pantomime, or a dazzling night at the circus, our guide to Christmas theatre in London has got you covered. Check out our comprehensive panto guide for the best places to sample this most entirely British of festive traditions. But if fabulous dames and shouts of ‘He’s BEHIND you!’ aren’t your particular bag of brussels sprouts, then don’t worry: there’s something out there for all tastes. 

If you’re not sick of hearing Micheal Buble on repeat yet, hit up Hyde Park’s huge tribute to festive fun, arguably one of the best ways in London to gear yourself up for the big day. The annual favourite is back for its sixteenth year in 2023 and has its usual offering of cheerily lit fairground rides, a child-friendly Santa Land and quaint Christmas markets.

Live out all your dark Dickensian dreams on a winter outing that sleighs the competition. Explore Bushy Park on a traditional carriage ride drawn by a pair of majestic Shire horses from the last working herd in London. Snuggle up in a blanket and clip-clop your way around the park looking straight out of ‘Great Expectations’.