Guides December 2026 Updated 20 Sep 2026
Things to do in London in December
Everything at once, and then a very quiet week. Markets, lights and rinks from the first week, carol services, and pantomime everywhere.
December is the busiest month and then, abruptly, the emptiest. The two halves want completely different plans.
What is on
The markets, the lights and the rinks are all running by the first week. Carol services fill the churches, and the free ones at St Paul’s and Southwark need queueing for rather than booking. Pantomime runs everywhere. New Year’s Eve ends it with ticketed fireworks on the river and free celebration across the rest of the city.
What to book, and when
Everything books. Christmas dinner, pantomime, the rinks, the trails at Kew and Hampton Court, and New Year’s Eve fireworks tickets, which go on sale in the autumn and sell out. If you have not booked by the start of December you are choosing from what is left.
The practical part
The shortest day is around the twenty first. Most venues shut on Christmas Day and there is no tube at all that day, which catches visitors out every year. Boxing Day sales start early and the city is busiest on the Saturdays before Christmas.
If the weather turns
London has more indoor answers than almost anywhere, and most of the good ones cost nothing: the free museums are open every day and the collections are free, and we keep a guide to where to go when it rains. If it stays dry, the free views need no ticket. Everything free this month is on our free listings, and if you are out after eleven, what is open late.
Where to go
Carnaby and Soho and Mayfair for the lights. the South Bank for the markets along the river. the City for the carol services and the quietest corners of the City between Christmas and New Year.
What is free
The lights on Oxford Street, Regent Street, Carnaby and Covent Garden are free and are the best free thing London does in December. Most carol services are free, including the big ones at St Paul’s and Southwark, though they need queueing for. The markets are free to walk through.
With children, or visitors
Everything aimed at children books out: the grottos, the trails, the pantomimes. Book by November. The free option, walking the lights on a weekday evening, is genuinely one of the better ones and does not need planning.
If you do one thing
Walk the lights on a weekday evening in the first fortnight, before the Saturday crowds arrive. It costs nothing and it is the version of December London that people remember.
The listings below are what we have actually checked for December, soonest first.
What is on in December
Tue 1 to Thu 31 DecemberTuesday
1 December-
Free
Crossrail Place Roof Garden
A garden under a timber lattice roof on top of the station, planted either side of the meridian with species from the hemisphere they belong to. Free, open early, and covered.
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Sport Free
Dogs on Hampstead Heath
Eight hundred acres, off lead almost everywhere, and the one swimming pond dogs are allowed in is not one of the bathing ponds. Busiest at the Parliament Hill end on a weekend morning.
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Exhibitions Free
Free entry: Westminster Cathedral
Neo Byzantine, still unfinished above the arches, and free to walk into. The campanile lift is ticketed and gives one of the least crowded views in central London.
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Food and drink Free
Leadenhall Market
A Victorian covered market in cream and burgundy, free to walk through and open to the street. Busy with the City at lunch and almost empty at the weekend, which is when to photograph it.
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Free
Parliament Hill viewpoint
A protected view all the way to the City, which is why nothing is allowed to be built in front of it. Ten minutes up from Gospel Oak and worth doing an hour before sunset.
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Sport Free
Dogs in Richmond Park
The largest of the royal parks and the one with the deer, which is why dogs must be on a lead in May and June and in September and October. The gates open and close with the light.
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Sport Free
Dogs in Battersea Park
Flat, walled, and small enough to do a full circuit in half an hour, with the river along one side and a cafe at each end. The one park on this list you can reach on foot from a station.
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Exhibitions Free
Free entry: Southwark Cathedral
Free, next door to the market, and almost always empty by comparison. Shakespeare's brother is buried here and there is a memorial to the man himself along the south aisle.
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Free
St Dunstan in the East
A Wren church bombed in 1941 and left as a ruin with a garden planted inside it. Free, open from eight, and quietest before the City arrives. The tower is still standing.
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Free
St James’s Park, free all day
The oldest of the royal parks and the one with the pelicans, fed near Duck Island in the afternoon. The bridge gives the view down the lake to Horse Guards that ends up on the postcards.
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Free
The Italian Gardens, Kensington Gardens
Four basins and a pump house Albert built for Victoria, at the Lancaster Gate corner of the park. Best in the hour before the fountains go off for the night, when the light comes across the water.
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Free
The Kyoto Garden, Holland Park
A Japanese garden given to the borough in 1991, with koi, a waterfall and peacocks that have no fear of anyone. Free, and quietest before the school run ends.
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Sport Free
Towpath walk: Paddington Basin to Little Venice
Twenty minutes of canal that most people who work here never walk. Comes out at the pool where three waterways meet, with the narrowboats and the puppet theatre barge.
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Exhibitions From £32
Churchill War Rooms
The bunker left as it was on the day it closed in 1945, down to the pins in the map. Book a slot: it sells out, and the queue on the day is outdoors.
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Exhibitions From £30
Westminster Abbey
Ticketed for sightseeing, free if you come to a service, and Evensong is sung most weekday afternoons in term. The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries are up in the triforium, which most visitors miss.
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Free
Carnaby Street and the courts
The street itself takes five minutes; Kingly Court behind it takes an afternoon. Three floors of a courtyard with the roof open in summer and closed in winter.
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Exhibitions From £24
Frameless
Four rooms of projected painting, floor to ceiling, under Marble Arch. Permanent rather than a touring show, so there is no rush, and quietest in the first hour of the day.
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Exhibitions Free
Free entry: Kenwood House
A Robert Adam house at the top of the Heath with a Rembrandt self portrait and a Vermeer in it, and no admission charge. The library is the room people stand in longest.
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Exhibitions Free
Free entry: the Design Museum
The permanent collection upstairs costs nothing and takes about an hour. The building is the old Commonwealth Institute, and the roof is worth standing under before you look at anything.
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Exhibitions Free
Free entry: the Natural History Museum
Free, permanent, and busiest between eleven and three. Go at opening or after four and Hintze Hall is almost yours. Timed tickets are free but worth booking at the weekend.
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Exhibitions Free
Free entry: the Science Museum
The permanent galleries cost nothing. Making the Modern World runs the whole length of the ground floor and is the one to see if you only have an hour.
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Exhibitions Free
Free entry: the V and A
Seven miles of gallery, free, and nobody sees it all. The cast courts and the John Madejski Garden are the two most people remember, and the garden is a good place to stop rather than leave.
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Exhibitions From £25
Kensington Palace and the sunken garden
The state apartments are ticketed, but the sunken garden outside them is free and is the bit most people photograph. Go on a weekday morning and the King's Staircase is almost empty.
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Free
Leake Street Arches, the legal graffiti tunnel
A road tunnel under the station where painting the walls is allowed, so it looks different every week. Bring a torch for the far end and expect the smell of aerosol.
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Exhibitions From £11
Leighton House, the Arab Hall
A Victorian painter built himself a house with a domed hall of Damascus tiles in it, and it is still there. Small, so an hour does it, and rarely busy.
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Exhibitions Free
Outernet London
Four storeys of screen wrapped around a public hall by Tottenham Court Road station, free to walk into. What is on changes constantly; five minutes is usually enough.
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Free
Sky Garden
Three floors of planted terrace at the top of the Walkie Talkie, free but booked in advance and the slots go about three weeks out. Sunset slots go first. Photo identification on the door.
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Free
Street art on Brick Lane
The walls change every few weeks, so the walk is different from the one anybody photographed last year. Start at the Truman Brewery and work north up the side streets.
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Free
The floating pocket park, Merchant Square
A garden built on a pontoon in the basin, open to anyone. Small, and that is rather the point: it is a place to sit on the water in the middle of a building site of a neighbourhood.
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Sport From £34
Turkish baths at Porchester Spa
A 1929 Turkish and Russian bath house run by the council, so it costs a fraction of the spa hotels. Check which days are mixed and which are single sex before you go, because it changes through the week.
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Exhibitions From £45
The Crystal Maze LIVE Experience
The television set rebuilt under Shaftesbury Avenue, played in teams of up to eight with a maze master shouting at you. Ninety minutes, and you do need to book.
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Food and drink From £14
Crazy golf at Swingers, West End
Two nine hole courses under a glass roof with street food traders around the edge. Over 18s in the evening, and booking is effectively required at the weekend.
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Talks From £12
Planetarium show at the Royal Observatory
The only planetarium in London, in a cone of bronze angled at the pole star, with a live astronomer rather than a recording. Shows run through the day and last about half an hour.
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Food and drink From £6
The Spaniards Inn
A 1585 coaching inn at the top of the Heath with a walled garden, a dog wash at the door and a long history of letting them in. Low beams, so mind your head rather than the dog.
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Food and drink From £6
Netil360 rooftop, Hackney
A roof above a car park in London Fields with the whole City skyline lined up in front of it. Small, so it fills on a warm evening; the view is the reason rather than the drinks list.
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Food and drink From £12
Darts at Flight Club, Shoreditch
Darts with the scoring done for you and a camera on the board, booked by the oche rather than the person. Cheaper before six and on a weekday, and it does run late.
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Clubs From £6
Rooftop at the Bussey Building
Peckham's roof bar, up several flights above the old cricket bat factory, looking back at the city from the south. Runs late at the weekend and the yard below keeps going after it shuts.
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Food and drink From £6
The George Inn, the last galleried coaching inn
The only galleried coaching inn left in London, owned by the National Trust and still working as a pub. The yard fills early on a warm evening.
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Free
Evening at the Brompton Oratory
An enormous Italianate interior a minute from the museums, free to walk into, and almost always quiet. Sung services are listed on the door.
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Sport From £12
Public skating at Queens Ice and Bowl
A full size rink under Queensway, open sessions most of the day and into the evening. Skate hire is included in the session price. Book ahead at weekends, because it fills with birthday parties.
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Free
Evening walk: Kensington Gardens to the Round Pond
The pond sits on the axis of the palace, so the view back at it in low light is the one the garden was laid out to give you. Twenty minutes from the High Street.
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Free
Waterloo Bridge at dusk
The only crossing with both the City and Westminster in one turn of the head. Built largely by women during the war, which is why it is sometimes called the Ladies Bridge.
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Free
Stargazing on Hampstead Heath
As dark as central London gets, which is not very, but Parliament Hill has the horizon and the local society runs public evenings on the hill through the winter. Take a torch and a coat.
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Food and drink Advance fares vary
A day in Brighton
An hour from Victoria or London Bridge and the most reliable seaside day out from London. The Lanes when it rains, the pier when it does not, and the last train back is late.
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Food and drink Advance fares vary, kids £1 each with an adult
A day in Whitstable
Around an hour and a quarter from St Pancras on the highspeed, and under ten minutes from the station to the beach. Oysters on the harbour and the huts along the shingle.
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Free
A walk through Hampstead village
Lanes that were a hill village before London reached them, and still read like one above the high street. Flask Walk and Holly Mount are the two to take if you only take two.
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Food and drink From £35
Bottomless brunch in Soho
More bottomless brunch per square yard than anywhere in London, and the offers change often enough that the street is the reliable part rather than any one room. Book: Saturdays go.
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Food and drink From £28
Bottomless brunch in Brixton
The market halls do it best and cheapest, and you can walk between three sittings in five minutes if the first is full. Two hours is the usual limit.
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Free
Hippodrome Casino
A Victorian theatre off Leicester Square turned casino, free to walk into at any hour, with a working cabaret room upstairs.
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Food and drink From £10
Ping pong at Bounce, Old Street
Tables by the hour in a basement that used to be a ping pong hall, which is a rare thing to be able to say. Loud after nine and quiet before seven.
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Cabaret Free upstairs, basement shows ticketed
The Glory
An East End pub with a performance basement, and one of the rooms new drag and cabaret acts in London actually come up through.
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Cabaret Free entry, minimum spend on some nights
Cellar Door
A former gentlemen's public convenience at Aldwych, now a forty seat bar with cabaret on every night. Free to walk into.
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Film From £14
A screening at the BFI IMAX
The biggest screen in the country, in a glass drum in the middle of a roundabout. Worth it for something shot on film stock, less so for anything upscaled.
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Late night Late
Sophisticats
A licensed strip club on Brewer Street, open Monday to Saturday from ten until three and closed on Sunday. Over 18s, photo ID on the door.
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Clubs Guest list or a table booking
Cirque le Soir
A circus themed nightclub on Ganton Street that puts the performers on the floor rather than a stage. Guest list or tables, not a walk up.
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Cabaret Table booking or membership
The Box Soho
A late night theatre club on Walker's Court running a variety show that is deliberately hard to describe. Over 21s, tables and membership only.
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Exhibitions Advance fares vary, kids £1 each with an adult
A day in Margate
An hour and a half from St Pancras. Turner Contemporary is free, the sand is the best within reach of London, and the old town is a short walk from the station.
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Food and drink From £30
Bottomless brunch in Shoreditch
Cheaper than Soho and longer sittings, mostly around Redchurch Street and the Boundary. Sundays run into the evening here in a way they do not further west.
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Food and drink From £11
Bowling at All Star Lanes, Brick Lane
Four lanes in a basement done out as an American diner, which sounds worse than it is. Booked by the lane for up to eight, and the kitchen runs as late as the bowling.
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Exhibitions Advance fares vary
A day in Oxford
An hour from Paddington or Marylebone. The Ashmolean and the Pitt Rivers are both free, and most colleges let visitors in for a few pounds in the afternoon.
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Free
Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace
Free, and busier than anything else on this list. It does not run every day and it is called off in bad weather, so check the Household Division calendar the morning you go.
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Food and drink From £7
Lower Marsh Market
A weekday street market that has been there since the 1850s, now mostly hot food at lunch. Quieter and cheaper than Borough, and five minutes from the same trains.
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Food and drink From £8
Lunchtime in Leadenhall Market
The traders under the roof are mostly food at midday, and the pubs put their tables out under the ironwork. Weekdays only: most of it shuts by early evening and all of it at the weekend.
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Exhibitions Advance fares vary
A day in Cambridge
Fifty minutes from King's Cross, which makes it the closest of the university towns. The Fitzwilliam is free and punting is the thing everyone does and nobody regrets.
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Theatre From £25
Evening performance at the Victoria Palace Theatre
A Matcham house from 1911, restored to the gilt and then some. Day seats and returns go at the box office in the morning, which is the cheapest way in.
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Food and drink Advance fares vary, kids £1 each with an adult
A day in Broadstairs
An hour and twenty-one minutes from St Pancras. Seven beaches and bays for a town this size, three of them Blue Flag, with Viking Bay in the middle.
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Exhibitions Advance fares vary, kids £1 each with an adult
A day in Canterbury
Fifty-one minutes to Canterbury West on the highspeed from St Pancras. A UNESCO cathedral, cobbled streets and the Stour running through the middle of it.
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Food and drink Advance fares vary, kids £1 each with an adult
A day in Deal
Under an hour and a half from St Pancras. A seafront nobody has built on, a high street that keeps winning awards, and a castle at the end of it.
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Exhibitions Advance fares vary, kids £1 each with an adult
A day in Dover
An hour and a quarter to Dover Priory on the highspeed. The white cliffs, a castle with wartime tunnels under it, and France on the horizon on a clear day.
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Food and drink Advance fares vary, kids £1 each with an adult
A day in Folkestone
Just under an hour from St Pancras on the highspeed, which makes it the quickest way from London to the sea. The Creative Quarter is the cobbled half.
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Exhibitions Advance fares vary, kids £1 each with an adult
A day in Hastings
Under two hours from Charing Cross, the longest here and the only one not on the highspeed. The Old Town alleyways, the castle ruins above them and the pier.
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Food and drink Advance fares vary, kids £1 each with an adult
A day in Tunbridge Wells
Around fifty minutes from London Bridge, the shortest trip on this page. A spa town for four hundred years, with the Pantiles at the middle of it.
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Food and drink From £8
Borough Market, full market days
The full market runs Wednesday to Saturday, and Wednesday is the one where you can actually reach a stall. Monday and Tuesday are limited, which catches people out.
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Exhibitions Free
The Fitzrovia Chapel, open to visitors
All that survives of the Middlesex Hospital: a gold mosaic chapel standing on its own in a new square. Free, and open on set days in the middle of the week rather than daily, so check before crossing town.
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Free
The Rolling Bridge at Merchant Square
Thomas Heatherwick's footbridge curls up into an octagon instead of lifting. It runs to a published timetable posted at the square, and the whole thing takes about three minutes.
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Theatre From £25
Evening performance at the Apollo Victoria
An art deco cinema turned musical house, and one of the few West End auditoriums where the building is worth arriving early for. Straight across from the station.
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Comedy £5
Belly Laugh
Until 9 Dec
Comedy in the studio at Underbelly Boulevard, on Walker's Court in Soho. It is a run rather than one night, so there is more than one chance at it. Start time is on the venue's page.
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Exhibitions From £25 Sold out
The Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum
Seventy metres of embroidery, in England for the first time in nearly a thousand years, in Room 30 until July. Every ticket to 31 December has gone. January to March goes on sale on 21 October.
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Theatre From £30
Evening performance at the Menier Chocolate Factory
A small house in a Victorian factory that sends more work to the West End than its size suggests. The dinner and show ticket is decent value and the room seats under two hundred.
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Exhibitions Advance fares vary
A weekend in the Cotswolds
Moreton-in-Marsh is ninety minutes direct from Paddington and you can walk out of the station into the countryside, which is not true of most of them. Book beds well ahead in summer.
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Exhibitions Advance fares vary
A weekend in Bath
An hour and a half from Paddington. The whole city is a world heritage site, the baths are open until ten in summer, and everything is within twenty minutes on foot.
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Theatre £250 per term
Alexandra Palace: Palace Performing Arts
Until 5 Dec
Palace Performing Arts at Alexandra Palace. The date is published; the time and the price are on the ticket page.
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Food and drink Advance fares vary
A weekend on the Norfolk coast
Two hours to Norwich then a bus, or drive. Holkham is the beach everyone means and it is big enough to absorb a bank holiday. Seals at Blakeney, seen from a boat rather than the shore.
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Theatre
Hay Fever at Wyndham’s Theatre
Until 12 Dec
Christine Baranski makes her West End debut opposite Richard E. Grant in Coward's comedy of bad manners. Opens Tuesday.
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Sport From £4.50
Swimming in the Hampstead mixed pond
Open all year, lifeguarded, and colder than you are expecting from about October. The men's and ladies' ponds keep their own hours and their own rules.
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Exhibitions
Korea at the British Museum
The British Museum's big autumn show, on the Korean peninsula through ceramics, Buddhist sculpture and painting, opens Thursday.
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Theatre From £68 Selling fast
Harold Pinter Theatre: The Cherry Orchard
Until 9 Jan 2027
Kristin Scott Thomas is Lyubov Ranevskaya, losing the house and the orchard, in a run to 9 January.
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Exhibitions
The 90s: Art and Fashion at Tate Britain
Edward Enninful's 90s: Juergen Teller and Corinne Day beside Westwood, McQueen and Hirst. Opening weekend.
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Exhibitions £23 to £25
Tim Walker’s Fairyland at the National Portrait Gallery
Five years of Tim Walker portraits of queer trailblazers, open from 1.30pm Friday, and late until nine.
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Talks £5
ESP Live From Soho
Until 2 Dec
A podcast recorded live in the main theatre at Underbelly Boulevard, on Walker's Court in Soho. It is a run rather than one night, so there is more than one chance at it. Start time is on the venue's page.
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Theatre From £25
The Lives of Others at the Adelphi: Keira Knightley in Robert Icke’s play
Until 9 Jan 2027
Robert Icke's first stage version of the Oscar winning film, with Keira Knightley, Stephen Dillane and Luke Thompson.
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Theatre From £25
Jesus Christ Superstar in London: Sam Ryder at Drury Lane
Until 9 Jan 2027
Sam Ryder's West End debut as Jesus, Matt Bomer as Herod to 31 October. First night Friday, 7.30pm, from £25, no fees.
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Comedy £20 to £45
The Other Palace, Main House: Garry Starr: Classic Penguins
Until 3 Jan 2027
Garry Starr: Classic Penguins in the Main House at The Other Palace. The theatre publishes the run and the room; the price is on the booking page.
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Theatre £28 to £35, previews £10, under 30s and students £10
Hampstead Downstairs: Dogstar, by Daisy Hall
Until 5 Dec
Dogstar, by Daisy Hall at the Hampstead Downstairs. The run is published; the times and prices are on the booking page.
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Food and drink Free to walk through
Southbank Centre Winter Market
Until 4 Jan 2027
Wooden chalets along the river by the Festival Hall, mostly hot food and mulled wine, and free to walk through. The Southbank Centre has not published its 2026 dates, so ours are expected rather than confirmed.
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Seasonal Free
Oxford Street Christmas lights
Until 6 Jan 2027
The oldest and longest of the displays, nearly a mile from Marble Arch to Tottenham Court Road. Early November, date not yet published.
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Seasonal Free
Carnaby Street Christmas lights
Until 6 Jan 2027
A different theme every year and never a snowflake, which is why it earns a detour. Switch-on Wednesday 4 November. Free.
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Seasonal Free
Regent Street Christmas lights
Until 6 Jan 2027
The angels, best walked north from Piccadilly Circus with the curve ahead of you. Switch-on Thursday 5 November. Free.
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Gigs From £18
Candlelit concert at Southwark Cathedral
Until 23 Dec
A Gothic nave lit by candles and nothing else, a minute from London Bridge station. The programme runs from early November; check which evenings before crossing the river.
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Markets Free
Leicester Square Christmas Market
Until 4 Jan 2027
Stalls around the square with a spiegeltent in the middle, free to wander, and it runs later into January than most. 2026 dates not yet announced.
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Food and drink Free
Christmas by the River, London Bridge City
Until 24 Dec
Chalets along the Thames path between Hay's Galleria and Tower Bridge. Free, and the walk is the point: the bridge lit on one side, the City on the other. 2026 dates not yet announced.
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Seasonal Adults from £13, children from £11, plus a £1.50 fee
Skate at Somerset House
Until 10 Jan 2027
The courtyard rink with the tree and the arcades lit around you. 11 November to 10 January, confirmed by Somerset House. Tickets are not on sale yet and no price is published.
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Seasonal Free
Covent Garden at Christmas
Until 6 Jan 2027
The tree, the mistletoe and more than 300,000 lights, lit from 12 November. Free, busy from four, best on a weekday morning.
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Theatre £15 to £45, concessions from £10
Kiln Theatre: Nine Night
Until 19 Dec
Nine Night at the Kiln Theatre. The theatre publishes the run and puts the times and prices on the booking page.
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Comedy £10 to £38
The Other Palace, Studio: A Homo Alone 2: Yikes, We Did It Again
Until 3 Jan 2027
A Homo Alone 2: Yikes, We Did It Again in the Studio at The Other Palace. The theatre publishes the run and the room; the price is on the booking page.
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Seasonal From £25.50
Christmas at Kew
Until 3 Jan 2027
A mile of lit trail through the gardens after dark, ending at the Palm House. Ticketed separately from general Kew admission, and last entry depends on which gate you booked.
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Cabaret £23.50 to £65
Sophie’s Surprise Christmas Party
Until 10 Jan 2027
Cabaret and variety in the main theatre at Underbelly Boulevard, on Walker's Court in Soho. It is a run rather than one night, so there is more than one chance at it. Start time is on the venue's page.
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Theatre £15 plus a £2 booking fee Sold out
Lyric Hammersmith, Main House: Cinderella
Until 3 Jan 2027
Cinderella at Lyric Hammersmith, Main House. The venue publishes the date and puts the performance time and the price on the booking page.
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Theatre £22.50 to £74.50, standing tickets 10p
Royal Court Theatre: The Afronauts
Until 19 Dec
The Afronauts at the Royal Court Theatre. The run is published; the performance times and the prices are on the booking page.
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Theatre £15 to £29
Arcola Theatre, Studio 2: The Ugly One, by Marius von Mayenburg
Until 19 Dec
The Ugly One, by Marius von Mayenburg at the Arcola Theatre, Studio 2. The run is published; the performance times and the prices are on the booking page.
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Theatre £15 plus a £2 booking fee
Lyric Hammersmith, Little Lyric: Raymond Briggs’ Father Christmas
Until 31 Dec
Raymond Briggs' Father Christmas at Lyric Hammersmith, Little Lyric. The venue publishes the date and puts the performance time and the price on the booking page.
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Pick Seasonal From £1 off-peak
Hyde Park Winter Wonderland
Until 3 Jan 2027
Closed on Christmas Day only. Book a date and an arrival hour before you go. Entry is free if you spend twenty-five pounds in a single online booking.
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Comedy £20 to £45
The Other Palace, Main House: Feeling Afraid As If Something Terrible is Going to Happen
Until 10 Jan 2027
Feeling Afraid As If Something Terrible is Going to Happen in the Main House at The Other Palace. The theatre publishes the run and the room; the price is on the booking page.
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Seasonal Ticketed separately
Winter Wonderland: Aeronaut Starflyer
Until 3 Jan 2027
Eighty metres up on the largest transportable starflyer in the world, over the park and the city lights.
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Food and drink No extra charge, park entry booked separately
Winter Wonderland: Apres-Ski Party Resort
Until 3 Jan 2027
London's own apres-ski bar, with live entertainment and nothing to pay beyond park entry.
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Food and drink Ticketed separately, a cocktail included
Winter Wonderland: Bar Ice
Until 3 Jan 2027
Everything in it is carved from ice and it is held at minus ten. A cocktail is included in the ticket. Over twelves only after 7pm.
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Food and drink No extra charge, park entry booked separately
Winter Wonderland: Explorer’s Rest
Until 3 Jan 2027
Acoustic sets from new artists and live DJs, with nothing to pay beyond park entry. The quieter of the two music bars.
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Food and drink No extra charge, park entry booked separately
Winter Wonderland: Fire Pit Bar and Stage
Until 3 Jan 2027
Open air bar with live bands and DJs, fire pits, and marshmallows to toast. No extra charge once you are through the gate.
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Seasonal Ticketed separately
Winter Wonderland: Gandeys K-Pop Dragon Circus
Until 3 Jan 2027
New for 2026 and the show the packages are built around. Selected times rather than continuous, and the weekend performances go first.
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Seasonal Ticketed separately, two Ice Kingdom tickets included
Winter Wonderland: Ice Sculpting Workshops
Until 3 Jan 2027
Carve your own sculpture in the studio, and the ticket includes two entries to the Magical Ice Kingdom. Over twelves.
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Markets No extra charge, park entry booked separately
Winter Wonderland: Luminarie Market
Until 3 Jan 2027
Hand crafted gifts under the Luminarie light arches, with festive food and drink along the way. No charge beyond park entry.
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Exhibitions Ticketed separately
Winter Wonderland: Magical Ice Kingdom: Neverland
Until 3 Jan 2027
Five hundred tonnes of ice and snow carved into Peter Pan. Well done and genuinely cold, but you are inside for about twenty minutes.
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Seasonal Ticketed separately
Winter Wonderland: Munich Looping
Until 3 Jan 2027
The largest transportable rollercoaster in the world, five loops, and it made its name at Oktoberfest. Over eights.
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Food and drink No extra charge, park entry booked separately
Winter Wonderland: The Bavarian Village
Until 3 Jan 2027
Chalets, bars, restaurants and live entertainment, with meal packages bookable in advance. Free to walk into, and it fills first.
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Markets No extra charge, park entry booked separately
Winter Wonderland: The Christmas Market at Winter Wonderland
Until 3 Jan 2027
Traditional wooden chalets selling gifts, decorations and food. Free to walk through once you have a park entry ticket.
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Seasonal No extra charge, park entry booked separately
Winter Wonderland: The Elves’ Workshop
Until 3 Jan 2027
Puzzles, giant cogs and hands on toy making for small children. Free beyond park entry.
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Seasonal Ticketed separately
Winter Wonderland: The Giant Wheel
Until 3 Jan 2027
Seventy metres, and the largest transportable observation wheel in the world. Fast track is worth it on a December weekend.
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Seasonal Ticketed separately
Winter Wonderland: The Ice Rink at Winter Wonderland
Until 3 Jan 2027
The largest open air rink in the country, built around Hyde Park's Victorian bandstand. Sessions are timed and the evening ones go first.
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Food and drink No extra charge, park entry booked separately
Winter Wonderland: Thor’s Tipi Bar
Until 3 Jan 2027
A heated tipi bar with a log fire, and nothing to pay to go in beyond park entry.
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Seasonal No extra charge, park entry booked separately
Winter Wonderland: Winter Wonderland Parade
Until 3 Jan 2027
Santa's elves see the sleigh off, on selected days only. Free, and worth checking the day before you go.
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Seasonal No extra charge, park entry booked separately
Winter Wonderland: Santa’s Grotto
Until 3 Jan 2027
Free to visit once you are in the park, and it closes at six rather than ten, which catches people out.
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Seasonal Ticketed separately
Winter Wonderland: Dr Archibald VR: Horror Edition
Until 3 Jan 2027
The same VR ride turns horror at five o'clock: zombies, man eating plants and spiders. Over tens, and it only runs after dark.
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Theatre £15 to £25
Bush Theatre: Attention, created by Jules Head and Georgia Bruce
Until 23 Dec
Attention, created by Jules Head and Georgia Bruce at the Bush Theatre. The theatre publishes the run and puts the times and prices on the booking page.
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Seasonal
Hampton Court Palace ice rink
Until 3 Jan 2027
In front of the west front of the palace, floodlit, with its own ticket separate from palace admission. 2026 dates not yet announced.
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Seasonal From £15
Pantomime at Hackney Empire
Until 3 Jan 2027
The best regarded panto in London and a fraction of the west end price, in a Matcham theatre that was nearly lost twice. Book early: locals get in first and it deserves them.
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Theatre £18.36 to £100.18
Alexandra Palace: Sherlock Holmes and the 12 Days of Christmas
Until 17 Jan 2027
Sherlock Holmes and the 12 Days of Christmas at Alexandra Palace. The date is published; the time and the price are on the ticket page.
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Theatre £10 to £45
Bush Theatre: Global Majority, by Chris Fung
Until 16 Jan 2027
Global Majority, by Chris Fung at the Bush Theatre. The theatre publishes the run and puts the times and prices on the booking page.
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Theatre £35 to £65, previews from £25, under 30s and students £10
Main Stage: Jumpers, by Tom Stoppard
Until 23 Jan 2027
Jumpers, by Tom Stoppard at the Main Stage. The run is published; the times and prices are on the booking page.
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Markets Free
Greenwich Market in December
Until 31 Dec
The covered one, open every day 10am to 5.30pm and shut only on Christmas Day. Craft and antiques from actual traders, and the naval college two minutes away.
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Exhibitions Free
Candlelit evening at Sir John Soane’s Museum
The whole house lit by candle, which is the most atmospheric hour in London and costs nothing. Free but ticketed, and the tickets go within hours of release.
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Gigs £21
Electric Ballroom: Bleech 9:3
Bleech 9:3 headline for Metropolis Music, with special guests.
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Comedy £10
JK Comedy Club Piccadilly Circus: Tuesday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Fifty seats at BOX Piccadilly, about as central as a comedy room gets. Doors fifteen minutes before, over 18s, ID on the door.
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Gigs From £20
Carols by candlelight at St Martin-in-the-Fields
Until 24 Dec
Carols by candlelight in the church on the corner of Trafalgar Square, sung most evenings through December. The crypt cafe underneath stays open before and after.
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Comedy £10
JK Comedy Club Soho: Tuesday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Sixty seats above the Spice of Life, two minutes from Leicester Square. Doors fifteen minutes before, over 18s, ID on the door.
Wednesday
2 December-
Comedy £11.25
Museum of Comedy: Not Just a Game Show
An 80s TV game show parody from the makers of Sh!t-faced Shakespeare, with the audience as the contestants. Age 16+.
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Gigs £17.24 plus booking fee
The 100 Club: Gwenifer Raymond
Gwenifer Raymond plays her finger-picked Welsh Primitive guitar, drawn from Mississippi blues and John Fahey.
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Comedy £10
JK Comedy Club Covent Garden: Wednesday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Two hundred seats at Arboretum, and doors open a full hour before, so there is time to eat first. Over 18s, ID on the door.
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Gigs £12
Ronnie Scott’s: Late Late Show with Mark Kavuma’s Banger Factory
Mark Kavuma's Banger Factory in the main room, doors 23:15 and on until three. Tickets from the club's own page.
Thursday
3 December-
Seasonal From £25.50
Christmas at Kew: adults only evening
New for 2026: the light trail with no children on it, on Wednesday 3 December. Same route and same last entry times by gate, and only two of these evenings all season.
-
Seasonal Free
The Trafalgar Square Christmas tree
Until 6 Jan 2027
Given by Norway every year since 1947 in thanks for the war, lit with vertical strings of plain white bulbs in the Norwegian way. Carols are sung under it most evenings in December.
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Gigs From £18.54
EartH Hackney: 50 Years of The Last Waltz
50 Years of The Last Waltz at EartH Hackney, 18:00 to 22:00.
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Theatre £13.50 to £15.50, concessions from £10.50
Alexandra Palace: Cinderella On Ice
Until 6 Dec
Cinderella On Ice at Alexandra Palace. The date is published; the time and the price are on the ticket page.
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Comedy £12
JK Comedy Club Leicester Square: Thursday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Fifty one seats in the Grosvenor Casino, a minute from Piccadilly Circus. Doors fifteen minutes before, over 18s, ID on the door.
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Comedy £16.25
Museum of Comedy: Not Just a Game Show
An 80s TV game show parody from the makers of Sh!t-faced Shakespeare, with the audience as the contestants. Age 16+.
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Comedy £13.25 to £30.25
The Comedy Store: Christmas Best in Stand Up
The Christmas run of the club's flagship bill, five stand ups over about two hours with an interval. Doors an hour before. Over 18s only and ID if you look under 25.
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Theatre £15 to £30
Royal Court Theatre: Monument
Until 23 Jan 2027
Monument at the Royal Court Theatre. The run is published; the performance times and the prices are on the booking page.
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Comedy £6 advance, £8 on the door
Downstairs at the King’s Head: Comedy Try Out Night
Up to 16 acts trying new material, Jim Hooker and Sam Rees-Baylis among them, with Michelle Shaughnessy compering.
Friday
4 December-
Theatre Free
Sadler’s Wells Theatre: Culture Club
Culture Club at the Sadler's Wells Theatre. The run is published; the times and prices are on the booking page.
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Gigs £20
Electric Ballroom: Leap
Leap headline an AEG Presents show, with Glazed Curtains in support.
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Comedy £16.25
Museum of Comedy: Not Just a Game Show
An 80s TV game show parody from the makers of Sh!t-faced Shakespeare, with the audience as the contestants. Age 16+.
-
Gigs £35 in advance plus booking fee
The 100 Club: Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks play the first of two nights at the 100 Club, presented by the club itself.
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Comedy £13.25 to £36.25
The Comedy Store: Christmas Best in Stand Up
The Christmas run of the club's flagship bill, five stand ups over about two hours with an interval. Doors an hour before. Over 18s only and ID if you look under 25.
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Comedy £15
JK Comedy Club Covent Garden: Friday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Two hundred seats at Arboretum, and doors open a full hour before, so there is time to eat first. Over 18s, ID on the door.
-
Gigs £15
Ronnie Scott’s Upstairs: Late Late Show with Viva Cuba
Viva Cuba in the upstairs room, doors 22:45 and on until three. Tickets from the club's own page.
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Gigs £12
Ronnie Scott’s: Late Late Show with Future Movers
Future Movers in the main room, doors 23:15 and on until three. Tickets from the club's own page.
Saturday
5 December-
Comedy £15
JK Comedy Club Soho: Saturday afternoon comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Sixty seats above the Spice of Life, two minutes from Leicester Square. Doors fifteen minutes before, over 18s, ID on the door.
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Cabaret From £33
All I Want For Christmas Is Cabaret, 5pm
An evening in the basement under the Phoenix Theatre, 5pm. The room is low ceilinged and seats a few dozen, so nothing is far from the stage.
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Gigs £32.50
Electric Ballroom: The Blackout
The Blackout mark 15 years of Hope, their highest-charting UK album, on an anniversary tour.
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Comedy £29.25 to £36.25
The Comedy Store: Christmas Best in Stand Up, 6.30pm
The Christmas run of the club's flagship bill, five stand ups over about two hours with an interval. Doors an hour before. Over 18s only and ID if you look under 25.
-
Comedy £16.25
Museum of Comedy: Not Just a Game Show
An 80s TV game show parody from the makers of Sh!t-faced Shakespeare, with the audience as the contestants. Age 16+.
-
Cabaret From £33
All I Want For Christmas Is Cabaret, 7.30pm
An evening in the basement under the Phoenix Theatre, 7.30pm. The room is low ceilinged and seats a few dozen, so nothing is far from the stage.
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Gigs £35 in advance plus booking fee
The 100 Club: Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks play the second of two nights at the 100 Club, before the 6T's all-nighter takes over the room at 11pm.
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Comedy £15
JK Comedy Club Covent Garden: Saturday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Two hundred seats at Arboretum, and doors open a full hour before, so there is time to eat first. Over 18s, ID on the door.
-
Comedy £16 advance, £19 on the door
Downstairs at the King’s Head: Comedy Cabaret
Ro Dodgson, Robin Ince, Mark Moloney and Darran Griffiths, compere to be announced.
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Comedy £15
JK Comedy Club Piccadilly Circus: Saturday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Fifty seats at BOX Piccadilly, about as central as a comedy room gets. Doors fifteen minutes before, over 18s, ID on the door.
-
Comedy £17.75
Museum of Comedy: Holly Stars: A Scandal in Bohemia
A solo Sherlock Holmes from the writer of Death Drop, told by the neighbour who does the actual detecting. On stage 20:30. Age 18+.
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Comedy £13.25 to £36.25
The Comedy Store: Christmas Best in Stand Up, 9.30pm
The Christmas run of the club's flagship bill, five stand ups over about two hours with an interval. Doors an hour before. Over 18s only and ID if you look under 25.
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Gigs £15
Ronnie Scott’s Upstairs: Late Late Show with The Nest Sessions
The Nest Sessions in the upstairs room, doors 22:45 and on until three. Tickets from the club's own page.
-
Clubs £15 on the door
The 100 Club: 6T’s Northern Soul All-Nighter
Rare and northern soul, acetates and exclusives all night from the 6T's Rhythm and Soul Society.
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Gigs £12
Ronnie Scott’s: Late Late Show with Future Movers
Future Movers in the main room, doors 23:15 and on until three. Tickets from the club's own page.
Sunday
6 December-
Gigs £27 in advance plus booking fee Sold out
The 100 Club: Jim Bob
Jim Bob plays an afternoon matinee show for Mute Elephant Music.
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Clubs From £19
Electric Ballroom: Bongo’s Bingo (Christmas Special Daytime)
A daytime Christmas edition of Bongo's Bingo: bingo with a festive twist, singalongs, dance-offs, rave rounds and cash prizes.
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Theatre £14.50 plus booking fee
Hen & Chickens Theatre: The Collective 2: Writer’s Showcase, 3pm
The first of two showcases of new plays from the Caromoon Collective's second group of twelve playwrights.
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Gigs Free
Downstairs at the King’s Head: Crouch End Jazz
A free jazz jam, founded in 1985 and a weekly fixture at the King's Head for more than 40 years.
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Theatre £14.50 plus booking fee
Hen & Chickens Theatre: The Collective 2: Writer’s Showcase, 6.30pm
The second of two showcases of new plays from the Caromoon Collective's second group of twelve playwrights.
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Cabaret From £33
All I Want For Christmas Is Cabaret
An evening in the basement under the Phoenix Theatre, 7.30pm. The room is low ceilinged and seats a few dozen, so nothing is far from the stage.
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Gigs £25 in advance plus booking fee
The 100 Club: Belouis Some
Belouis Some, behind the 1980s hits Some People and Imagination, back on stage after three decades away.
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Comedy £12
JK Comedy Club Covent Garden: Sunday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Two hundred seats at Arboretum, and doors open a full hour before, so there is time to eat first. Over 18s, ID on the door.
-
Comedy £12
JK Comedy Club Piccadilly Circus: Sunday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Fifty seats at BOX Piccadilly, about as central as a comedy room gets. Doors fifteen minutes before, over 18s, ID on the door.
Monday
7 December-
Comedy £5
Museum of Comedy: The Monday Club
The Museum bar's weekly night of new material from circuit comics, £5 ahead or on the door from 6pm. Age 14+.
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Comedy £13 plus booking fee
Hen & Chickens Theatre: Shake it Up: The Improvised Shakespeare Show
ShakeItUp Theatre improvise a brand new Shakespeare play in the Bard's own language, built from audience suggestions.
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Clubs £18 to £24 in advance
The 100 Club: Stompin’ at the 100 Club
A swing night billed as a 40th anniversary party, with the Malcolm Earle-Smith Swingin' All Stars.
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Comedy £7
JK Comedy Club Covent Garden: Monday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Two hundred seats at Arboretum, and doors open a full hour before, so there is time to eat first. Over 18s, ID on the door.
-
Gigs £15
Ronnie Scott’s Upstairs: Late Late Show with Soul Sessions with SAHRA
Soul Sessions with SAHRA in the upstairs room, doors 22:45 and on until three. Tickets from the club's own page.
Tuesday
8 December-
Comedy £15 plus booking fee
Hen & Chickens Theatre: The Wild Geese Unplucked
David Kitchen, a fan since 1983, on why the 1978 Richard Burton and Roger Moore film The Wild Geese is so underrated.
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Gigs £15 in advance plus booking fee
The 100 Club: Tuesday Blues: Backbone Blues Band
Backbone Blues Band take their turn in the club's blues series.
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Comedy £10
JK Comedy Club Soho: Tuesday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Sixty seats above the Spice of Life, two minutes from Leicester Square. Doors fifteen minutes before, over 18s, ID on the door.
Wednesday
9 December-
Seasonal From £25.50
Christmas at Kew: adults only evening
New for 2026: the light trail with no children on it, on Wednesday 9 December. Same route and same last entry times by gate, and only two of these evenings all season.
-
Comedy £13.75
Museum of Comedy: Not Just a Game Show
An 80s TV game show parody from the makers of Sh!t-faced Shakespeare, with the audience as the contestants. Age 16+.
-
Comedy £10
JK Comedy Club Covent Garden: Wednesday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Two hundred seats at Arboretum, and doors open a full hour before, so there is time to eat first. Over 18s, ID on the door.
-
Gigs £12
Ronnie Scott’s: Late Late Show with Rachael Cohen
Rachael Cohen in the main room, doors 23:15 and on until three. Tickets from the club's own page.
Thursday
10 December-
Gigs £20
Electric Ballroom: Aaron Rowe
Aaron Rowe headlines for SJM Concerts and Live Nation, with Scarlett Loran in support.
-
Comedy £12
JK Comedy Club Leicester Square: Thursday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Fifty one seats in the Grosvenor Casino, a minute from Piccadilly Circus. Doors fifteen minutes before, over 18s, ID on the door.
-
Comedy £16.25
Museum of Comedy: Not Just a Game Show
An 80s TV game show parody from the makers of Sh!t-faced Shakespeare, with the audience as the contestants. Age 16+.
-
Gigs £26 plus booking fee
The 100 Club: Bar Italia
Bar Italia play a date in the club's End of Year Series.
-
Comedy £13.25 to £30.25
The Comedy Store: Christmas Best in Stand Up
The Christmas run of the club's flagship bill, five stand ups over about two hours with an interval. Doors an hour before. Over 18s only and ID if you look under 25.
-
Comedy £6 advance, £8 on the door
Downstairs at the King’s Head: Comedy Try Out Night
Up to 16 acts trying new material, Becky Jade and Marco Chiu among them, with Nick Elleray compering.
-
Gigs £12
Ronnie Scott’s: Late Late Show with Jackson Mathod
Jackson Mathod in the main room, doors 23:15 and on until three. Tickets from the club's own page.
Friday
11 December-
Sport
Alexandra Palace: Paddy Power World Darts Championship
Until 3 Jan 2027
Paddy Power World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace. The date is published; the time and the price are on the ticket page.
-
Gigs £30
Electric Ballroom: Skinny Lister vs. Pet Needs + Mad Dog Mcrea
Skinny Lister vs. Pet Needs, a shared DHP Presents bill, with Mad Dog Mcrea also playing.
-
Comedy £16.25
Museum of Comedy: Not Just a Game Show
An 80s TV game show parody from the makers of Sh!t-faced Shakespeare, with the audience as the contestants. Age 16+.
-
Comedy £13.25 to £36.25
The Comedy Store: Christmas Best in Stand Up
The Christmas run of the club's flagship bill, five stand ups over about two hours with an interval. Doors an hour before. Over 18s only and ID if you look under 25.
-
Theatre £28 to £35, previews £10, under 30s and students £10 Sold out
Hampstead Downstairs: Mother Russia, by Lauren Yee
Until 30 Jan 2027
Mother Russia, by Lauren Yee at the Hampstead Downstairs. The run is published; the times and prices are on the booking page.
-
Comedy £15
JK Comedy Club Covent Garden: Friday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Two hundred seats at Arboretum, and doors open a full hour before, so there is time to eat first. Over 18s, ID on the door.
-
Gigs £15
Ronnie Scott’s Upstairs: Late Late Show with Viva Cuba
Viva Cuba in the upstairs room, doors 22:45 and on until three. Tickets from the club's own page.
-
Gigs £12
Ronnie Scott’s: Late Late Electronic with Chiminyo
Late Late Electronic with Chiminyo in the main room, doors 23:15 and on until three. Tickets from the club's own page.
Saturday
12 December-
Seasonal From £25
Pantomime at the London Palladium
Until 11 Jan 2027
The biggest panto in the country in a house built for variety, which is what panto actually is. Matinees are the ones with children in; evenings are louder and funnier.
-
Comedy £15
JK Comedy Club Soho: Saturday afternoon comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Sixty seats above the Spice of Life, two minutes from Leicester Square. Doors fifteen minutes before, over 18s, ID on the door.
-
Cabaret From £33
All I Want For Christmas Is Cabaret, 5pm
An evening in the basement under the Phoenix Theatre, 5pm. The room is low ceilinged and seats a few dozen, so nothing is far from the stage.
-
Gigs £20
Electric Ballroom: The Sheepdogs
Four-time JUNO winners The Sheepdogs from Saskatoon: dual guitars, harmonies and a new single, Nobody But You.
-
Comedy £29.25 to £36.25
The Comedy Store: Christmas Best in Stand Up, 6.30pm
The Christmas run of the club's flagship bill, five stand ups over about two hours with an interval. Doors an hour before. Over 18s only and ID if you look under 25.
-
Comedy £16.25
Museum of Comedy: Not Just a Game Show
An 80s TV game show parody from the makers of Sh!t-faced Shakespeare, with the audience as the contestants. Age 16+.
-
Cabaret From £33
All I Want For Christmas Is Cabaret, 7.30pm
An evening in the basement under the Phoenix Theatre, 7.30pm. The room is low ceilinged and seats a few dozen, so nothing is far from the stage.
-
Gigs £22 in advance plus booking fee
The 100 Club: The Fabulous Lounge Swingers
The Fabulous Lounge Swingers' Christmas knees-up, now in its 17th year, with swing, mash-ups and covers.
-
Comedy £15
JK Comedy Club Covent Garden: Saturday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Two hundred seats at Arboretum, and doors open a full hour before, so there is time to eat first. Over 18s, ID on the door.
-
Comedy £16 advance, £19 on the door
Downstairs at the King’s Head: Comedy Cabaret
Jenny Collier, Michael Capozzola and Nick Elleray, with Windsor compering the Saturday bill.
-
Comedy £15
JK Comedy Club Piccadilly Circus: Saturday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Fifty seats at BOX Piccadilly, about as central as a comedy room gets. Doors fifteen minutes before, over 18s, ID on the door.
-
Comedy £10.25
Museum of Comedy: This Was Supposed To Be A Hobby
Bekki Bants launches her book with a comedy night, Tom Short headlining and Patrick McGonagle among the acts. Age 18+.
-
Comedy £13.25 to £36.25
The Comedy Store: Christmas Best in Stand Up, 9.30pm
The Christmas run of the club's flagship bill, five stand ups over about two hours with an interval. Doors an hour before. Over 18s only and ID if you look under 25.
Sunday
13 December-
Gigs Free
Downstairs at the King’s Head: Crouch End Jazz
A free jazz jam, founded in 1985 and a weekly fixture at the King's Head for more than 40 years.
-
Comedy £15 plus booking fee
Hen & Chickens Theatre: The Wild Geese Unplucked
David Kitchen, a fan since 1983, on why the 1978 Richard Burton and Roger Moore film The Wild Geese is so underrated.
-
Cabaret From £33
All I Want For Christmas Is Cabaret
An evening in the basement under the Phoenix Theatre, 7.30pm. The room is low ceilinged and seats a few dozen, so nothing is far from the stage.
-
Comedy £12
JK Comedy Club Covent Garden: Sunday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Two hundred seats at Arboretum, and doors open a full hour before, so there is time to eat first. Over 18s, ID on the door.
-
Comedy £12
JK Comedy Club Piccadilly Circus: Sunday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Fifty seats at BOX Piccadilly, about as central as a comedy room gets. Doors fifteen minutes before, over 18s, ID on the door.
Monday
14 December-
Comedy £5
Museum of Comedy: The Monday Club
The Museum bar's weekly night of new material from circuit comics, £5 ahead or on the door from 6pm. Age 14+.
-
Theatre £10 plus booking fee
Hen & Chickens Theatre: I Have a Dream
Nathan Cassidy's play puts a comedian, an ex-singer, a receptionist and a failed entertainer in one hotel room.
-
Comedy £11.25 to £16.25
Old Rope at the Comedy Store: new material night
The new material night, on the second Monday of the month, hosted by Tiff Stevenson. Comics try things that have never been said out loud, holding a piece of rope. Over 18s.
-
Comedy £7
JK Comedy Club Covent Garden: Monday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Two hundred seats at Arboretum, and doors open a full hour before, so there is time to eat first. Over 18s, ID on the door.
Tuesday
15 December-
Gigs £32.50
Electric Ballroom: Sevendust
Atlanta band Sevendust, together since 1994 and on their 15th album, with Overgrown in support.
-
Comedy £15, concessions £11, students £10
Cray Cray Cabaret at the Comedy Store: comedy and music
Headliners, a house band and musical guests, roughly every other month. £15, concessions £11, students £10, which is the club's cheapest ticketed bill after King Gong.
-
Comedy £10
JK Comedy Club Soho: Tuesday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Sixty seats above the Spice of Life, two minutes from Leicester Square. Doors fifteen minutes before, over 18s, ID on the door.
Wednesday
16 December-
Gigs £32.50
Electric Ballroom: Sweet with special guest John Otway
Sweet headline, with John Otway as special guest.
-
Comedy £13.75
Museum of Comedy: Not Just a Game Show
An 80s TV game show parody from the makers of Sh!t-faced Shakespeare, with the audience as the contestants. Age 16+.
-
Comedy £10
JK Comedy Club Covent Garden: Wednesday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Two hundred seats at Arboretum, and doors open a full hour before, so there is time to eat first. Over 18s, ID on the door.
Thursday
17 December-
Comedy £12
JK Comedy Club Leicester Square: Thursday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Fifty one seats in the Grosvenor Casino, a minute from Piccadilly Circus. Doors fifteen minutes before, over 18s, ID on the door.
-
Comedy £16.25
Museum of Comedy: Not Just a Game Show
An 80s TV game show parody from the makers of Sh!t-faced Shakespeare, with the audience as the contestants. Age 16+.
-
Comedy £13.25 to £30.25
The Comedy Store: Christmas Best in Stand Up
The Christmas run of the club's flagship bill, five stand ups over about two hours with an interval. Doors an hour before. Over 18s only and ID if you look under 25.
-
Clubs £15 on the door
The 100 Club: 6T’s Northern Soul Xmas Party
The 6T's Rhythm and Soul Society's annual northern soul Christmas party, shorter than its all-nighters.
-
Comedy £6 advance, £8 on the door
Downstairs at the King’s Head: Comedy Try Out Night
New performers and new material: up to 16 acts on five-minute slots, with the full bill and compere still to be announced.
-
Gigs £0 to £12
Ronnie Scott’s: Late Late Show with Myele Manzanza
Myele Manzanza in the main room, doors 23:15 and on until three. Tickets from the club's own page.
Friday
18 December-
Gigs £42.50
Electric Ballroom: Feeder
Feeder's Polythene Live show, the first of two Camden nights, with guests in support.
-
Comedy £16.25
Museum of Comedy: Not Just a Game Show
An 80s TV game show parody from the makers of Sh!t-faced Shakespeare, with the audience as the contestants. Age 16+.
-
Comedy £13.25 to £36.25
The Comedy Store: Christmas Best in Stand Up
The Christmas run of the club's flagship bill, five stand ups over about two hours with an interval. Doors an hour before. Over 18s only and ID if you look under 25.
-
Comedy £15
JK Comedy Club Covent Garden: Friday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Two hundred seats at Arboretum, and doors open a full hour before, so there is time to eat first. Over 18s, ID on the door.
-
Cabaret £20.50 to £36
Chris Turner: In The Moment
A one off in the main theatre at Underbelly Boulevard, on Walker's Court in Soho. Start time is on the venue's page.
-
Gigs £12
Ronnie Scott’s: Late Late Show with Zaimie
Zaimie in the main room, doors 23:15 and on until three. Tickets from the club's own page.
Saturday
19 December-
Comedy £14.25
Museum of Comedy: James Campbell’s Comedy 4 Kids, 2pm
Stand-up for children from James Campbell, who started it in 2001. The theme in December: the funny life of football. Age 6+.
-
Comedy £15
JK Comedy Club Soho: Saturday afternoon comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Sixty seats above the Spice of Life, two minutes from Leicester Square. Doors fifteen minutes before, over 18s, ID on the door.
-
Comedy £14.25
Museum of Comedy: James Campbell’s Comedy 4 Kids, 4.30pm
Stand-up for children from James Campbell, who started it in 2001. The theme in December: the funny life of football. Age 6+.
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Cabaret From £33
All I Want For Christmas Is Cabaret, 5pm
An evening in the basement under the Phoenix Theatre, 5pm. The room is low ceilinged and seats a few dozen, so nothing is far from the stage.
-
Gigs £42.50
Electric Ballroom: Feeder
The second of Feeder's two Polythene Live nights in Camden, with guests in support.
-
Comedy £29.25 to £36.25
The Comedy Store: Christmas Best in Stand Up, 6.30pm
The Christmas run of the club's flagship bill, five stand ups over about two hours with an interval. Doors an hour before. Over 18s only and ID if you look under 25.
-
Comedy £16.25
Museum of Comedy: Not Just a Game Show
An 80s TV game show parody from the makers of Sh!t-faced Shakespeare, with the audience as the contestants. Age 16+.
-
Cabaret From £33
All I Want For Christmas Is Cabaret, 7.30pm
An evening in the basement under the Phoenix Theatre, 7.30pm. The room is low ceilinged and seats a few dozen, so nothing is far from the stage.
-
Comedy £15
JK Comedy Club Covent Garden: Saturday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Two hundred seats at Arboretum, and doors open a full hour before, so there is time to eat first. Over 18s, ID on the door.
-
Comedy £15
JK Comedy Club Piccadilly Circus: Saturday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Fifty seats at BOX Piccadilly, about as central as a comedy room gets. Doors fifteen minutes before, over 18s, ID on the door.
-
Comedy £13.25 to £36.25
The Comedy Store: Christmas Best in Stand Up, 9.30pm
The Christmas run of the club's flagship bill, five stand ups over about two hours with an interval. Doors an hour before. Over 18s only and ID if you look under 25.
-
Gigs £12
Ronnie Scott’s: Late Late Show with Zaimie
Zaimie in the main room, doors 23:15 and on until three. Tickets from the club's own page.
Sunday
20 December-
Comedy £14.25
Museum of Comedy: James Campbell’s Comedy 4 Kids
Stand-up for children from James Campbell, who started it in 2001. The theme in December: the funny life of football. Age 6+.
-
Gigs Free
Downstairs at the King’s Head: Crouch End Jazz
A free jazz jam, founded in 1985 and a weekly fixture at the King's Head for more than 40 years.
-
Comedy £13.75
Museum of Comedy: Not Just a Game Show
An 80s TV game show parody from the makers of Sh!t-faced Shakespeare, with the audience as the contestants. Age 16+.
-
Cabaret From £33
All I Want For Christmas Is Cabaret
An evening in the basement under the Phoenix Theatre, 7.30pm. The room is low ceilinged and seats a few dozen, so nothing is far from the stage.
-
Comedy £14, concessions £12, plus booking fee
Hen & Chickens Theatre: Ugly Little Love Songs
The first outing of Ugly Little Love Songs, billed as a veritable cornucopia of amorous malaise.
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Comedy £12
JK Comedy Club Covent Garden: Sunday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Two hundred seats at Arboretum, and doors open a full hour before, so there is time to eat first. Over 18s, ID on the door.
-
Comedy £12
JK Comedy Club Piccadilly Circus: Sunday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Fifty seats at BOX Piccadilly, about as central as a comedy room gets. Doors fifteen minutes before, over 18s, ID on the door.
Monday
21 December-
Comedy £5
Museum of Comedy: The Monday Club
The Museum bar's weekly night of new material from circuit comics, £5 ahead or on the door from 6pm. Age 14+.
-
Comedy £9.50 plus booking fee
Hen & Chickens Theatre: Nathan Cassidy: The Unbearable Tragedy of Being Happy
Nathan Cassidy attempts a stand-up show about being happy, which he counts as a disaster for a comedian.
-
Comedy £7
JK Comedy Club Covent Garden: Monday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Two hundred seats at Arboretum, and doors open a full hour before, so there is time to eat first. Over 18s, ID on the door.
Tuesday
22 December-
Comedy £13.75
Museum of Comedy: Not Just a Game Show
An 80s TV game show parody from the makers of Sh!t-faced Shakespeare, with the audience as the contestants. Age 16+.
-
Comedy £10
JK Comedy Club Soho: Tuesday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Sixty seats above the Spice of Life, two minutes from Leicester Square. Doors fifteen minutes before, over 18s, ID on the door.
Wednesday
23 December-
Comedy £13.75
Museum of Comedy: Not Just a Game Show
An 80s TV game show parody from the makers of Sh!t-faced Shakespeare, with the audience as the contestants. Age 16+.
-
Gigs £35 in advance plus booking fee
The 100 Club: The Blockheads
The Blockheads, the band behind Ian Dury's hits, throw a Christmas knees-up.
-
Comedy £10
JK Comedy Club Covent Garden: Wednesday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Two hundred seats at Arboretum, and doors open a full hour before, so there is time to eat first. Over 18s, ID on the door.
-
Gigs £12
Ronnie Scott’s: Late Late Show with Jamie Murray
Jamie Murray in the main room, doors 23:15 and on until three. Tickets from the club's own page.
Thursday
24 December-
Comedy £12
JK Comedy Club Leicester Square: Thursday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Fifty one seats in the Grosvenor Casino, a minute from Piccadilly Circus. Doors fifteen minutes before, over 18s, ID on the door.
Friday
25 December-
Seasonal Free
Christmas Day walk in St James’s Park
There are no trains and no buses on Christmas Day, so the centre belongs to whoever walked. The park is open, the pelicans are in, and Horse Guards is empty enough to photograph.
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Comedy £15
JK Comedy Club Covent Garden: Friday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Two hundred seats at Arboretum, and doors open a full hour before, so there is time to eat first. Over 18s, ID on the door.
Saturday
26 December-
Seasonal Free
Boxing Day on Oxford Street
The sales open early and the crowd is at its worst between eleven and three. Go at nine or leave it to the 27th, when the same prices are still there and the street is walkable.
-
Comedy £15
JK Comedy Club Soho: Saturday afternoon comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Sixty seats above the Spice of Life, two minutes from Leicester Square. Doors fifteen minutes before, over 18s, ID on the door.
-
Comedy £15
JK Comedy Club Covent Garden: Saturday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Two hundred seats at Arboretum, and doors open a full hour before, so there is time to eat first. Over 18s, ID on the door.
-
Comedy £15
JK Comedy Club Piccadilly Circus: Saturday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Fifty seats at BOX Piccadilly, about as central as a comedy room gets. Doors fifteen minutes before, over 18s, ID on the door.
Sunday
27 December-
Comedy £12
JK Comedy Club Covent Garden: Sunday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Two hundred seats at Arboretum, and doors open a full hour before, so there is time to eat first. Over 18s, ID on the door.
-
Comedy £12
JK Comedy Club Piccadilly Circus: Sunday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Fifty seats at BOX Piccadilly, about as central as a comedy room gets. Doors fifteen minutes before, over 18s, ID on the door.
Monday
28 December-
Gigs From £20 plus booking fee
The 100 Club: The Rage + Mojo Blues
The Rage mark what they bill as their 40th plus one anniversary, with Mojo Blues and a guest DJ.
-
Comedy £7
JK Comedy Club Covent Garden: Monday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Two hundred seats at Arboretum, and doors open a full hour before, so there is time to eat first. Over 18s, ID on the door.
-
Comedy From £12
King Gong at the Comedy Store: the brutal open mic
Thirty comics try to last five minutes while the audience decides when they are done. Last Monday of the month, from £12. It is as brutal as it sounds. Over 18s.
Tuesday
29 December-
Comedy £10
JK Comedy Club Piccadilly Circus: Tuesday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Fifty seats at BOX Piccadilly, about as central as a comedy room gets. Doors fifteen minutes before, over 18s, ID on the door.
-
Clubs £18 in advance plus booking fee
The 100 Club: TJ Johnson’s Pre-NYE Bash
TJ Johnson and his band play the annual pre-New Year swing dance, with DJ Baroness Jo Jo between sets.
Wednesday
30 December-
Comedy £10
JK Comedy Club Covent Garden: Wednesday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Two hundred seats at Arboretum, and doors open a full hour before, so there is time to eat first. Over 18s, ID on the door.
Thursday
31 December-
Pick Seasonal £20 to £55
London New Year’s Eve fireworks
Midnight from the London Eye, twelve to fifteen minutes of it. Tickets from £20 go on sale at noon on Friday 23 October.
Questions people ask
What are the best things to do in London in December?
Everything at once until about the 23rd: the lights, the markets, Winter Wonderland, the ice rinks, the pantomimes and the carol services. Then the city empties almost completely for a week.
What are the free things to do in London in December?
The lights on Oxford Street, Regent Street, Carnaby and Covent Garden are the best free thing London does in December. The carol services at St Paul's and Southwark are free but need queueing for rather than booking, and New Year's Eve is free across the city apart from the ticketed fireworks on the river.
What is open on Christmas Day?
Almost nothing, and there is no tube, no train and effectively no bus at all. Hotel restaurants serve and a few pubs open for a few hours. Boxing Day is close to normal and is the biggest shopping day of the year.
When are the Christmas bank holidays?
In 2026 Christmas Day is Friday 25 December and Boxing Day is the Saturday, so the substitute bank holiday is Monday 28 December.
What should I book ahead?
Everything. December restaurant tables go in October, the pantomimes and Christmas theatre go earlier, and Winter Wonderland's timed slots for the busy evenings go weeks ahead.
Is the week after Christmas worth it?
It is one of the best weeks of the year to be in London. The city is empty, the lights are still up, the museums are open and quiet, and everything except New Year's Eve is easy to get into.
Guides for what is coming
All guides-
On now
Activity bars in London: darts, shuffleboard, mini golf and bingo
Competitive socialising, which is the industry's word for a bar with a game in it. What each one...
-
On now
Afternoon tea in London: the prices, the sittings, and the one that runs into the evening
The Ritz serves it at half past seven at night. What the grand rooms charge, and which of...
-
On now
Gigs in London: the rooms, the door times, and which ones publish a price
December is the busiest month and then, abruptly, the emptiest. The two halves want completely different plans.What is...
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On now
Frieze week in London 2026: the fairs, the free sculpture park and the gallery nights
Frieze London and Frieze Masters, 14 to 18 October in Regent's Park. What costs money, what is free,...
-
Sun 14 February to Sat 13 March
Six Nations 2027 at Twickenham: the England home games and getting there
England v France on Sunday 14 February and England v Scotland on Saturday 13 March, both at Allianz...
-
Sat 26 June to Sun 4 July
Pride in London 2027: parade route, times, stages and the night after
Expected Saturday 3 July 2027. Where the parade goes, where to stand, the free stages, the Soho street...
Guides for December
All guides-
Sun 1 November to Thu 24 December
Candlelit concerts in London: what they are and what they cost
The Candlelight series, the free church recitals and the December carol services, with prices and the difference between...
-
Mon 2 November to Sun 10 January
London Christmas lights 2026: the switch-on dates confirmed so far, and the walk that sees them all
Carnaby on 4 November and Covent Garden on 12 November are confirmed by the streets themselves. Oxford Street...
-
Mon 2 November to Mon 4 January
London Christmas markets 2026: dates and the ones worth going to
Southbank, Covent Garden, Leicester Square, London Bridge, Kingston and Greenwich, with opening dates as they confirm and the...
-
Sat 7 November to Mon 11 January
Ice skating in London 2026: every Christmas rink and when they open
Somerset House, Hampton Court, Winter Wonderland and Alexandra Palace, with this winter's dates and prices, the two rinks...
-
Sun 15 November to Thu 31 December
Christmas in London 2026: what to book, what is free, and the days themselves
The shows and concerts to book in October, the free things that need only a coat, and what...
-
Thu 19 November to Sun 3 January
Hyde Park Winter Wonderland 2026: dates, tickets and when to go
Open 19 November to 3 January, every day but Christmas Day. How the free entry works, the one-pound...
-
Thu 24 to Mon 28 December
Bank holiday weekend in London: what to do, what is open, what is closed
Rewritten before every bank holiday. Next: Christmas, Friday 25 to Monday 28 December 2026, then New Year. What...
-
Thu 24 to Mon 28 December
What is open in London on Christmas Day and Boxing Day 2026
Christmas Day is a Friday in 2026. There are no tubes, no buses and no trains at all,...
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Thu 31 December to Fri 1 January
New Year's Eve in London 2026: fireworks tickets, free views and what else is on
The midnight fireworks are ticketed. How and when to get one, where the free views really are, and...
London month by month
Twelve guides, one a monthThings to do in January Things to do in February Things to do in March Things to do in April Things to do in May Things to do in June Things to do in July Things to do in August Things to do in September Things to do in October Things to do in November Things to do in December
What is on right now
All 2189 listingsThis guide is rewritten each year before the dates come round. For what is actually happening this week rather than what happens every year, the listings below are dated, checked against the venue and carry the venue's own link.
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This page keeps its address every year and is rewritten each time the month comes round, with every listing checked before it goes in. How we choose what goes in.