Guides Christmas in London 2026 Sun 15 November to Thu 31 December Updated 4 Oct 2026
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 actually happens on Christmas Day and the week after.
Christmas in London is a season rather than a day. Hyde Park Winter Wonderland opens it on 19 November 2026 and runs to 3 January 2027, Christmas at Kew lights the gardens on winter evenings, and the pantomimes are on sale before November is out. The things worth planning fall into three groups: what has to be booked early, what costs nothing, and what the days around the 25th do to the city.
What to book early
Pantomime at Hackney Empire opens on 21 November at 7pm, from £15, and is the one grown-ups come back to. The London Palladium panto runs from 12 December to 11 January, from £25, with the matinees full of children and the evenings louder. Carols by candlelight at St Martin-in-the-Fields is at 7.30pm on 1 December, from £20, and the candlelit concerts go first of anything on this page. Christmas at Kew is an evening ticket from £25.50, and it keeps two adults only evenings, on 3 December and 9 December.
Free, and better than it sounds
The Trafalgar Square tree, Oslo’s gift to the city, is lit at 5pm on 3 December and costs nothing to stand in front of. The switch-on dates for the shopping streets are on our Christmas lights page, which also has the walk that takes in most of them in an evening. The markets cost nothing to wander, and the rinks are not free but are cheaper than almost any other booked evening in December.
The days themselves
Christmas Day 2026 is Friday 25 December. Boxing Day falls on the Saturday, so the bank holiday moves to Monday 28 December, and gov.uk lists both. There is no Underground, no Overground, no Elizabeth line, no DLR and no National Rail on Christmas Day, and almost no buses: the full answer is here, and what is actually open is on the Christmas Day and Boxing Day page. If you are eating out on the 25th, book in November, because the hotels and the handful of pubs that serve lunch fill long before the day. The 27th is a Sunday, the sales are already running, and the parks are the better half of that choice.
The week after
From Monday 28 December to Thursday 31 December the city is half empty and nearly all of it is open, which makes it the best week of the year for galleries, for the river walks and for the restaurants that cannot be booked in November. New Year’s Day is Friday 1 January 2027, so the holiday runs straight into a weekend. December as a whole has its own page.
Our rule for this page
Dates and prices here come from our own dated listings, each of which carries the venue’s link. Checked on 4 October 2026: the Winter Wonderland season on the operator’s own site, and the 2026 bank holiday dates on gov.uk. Kew’s own page would not open for us that day, so its evenings are as our listing has them. The page is rewritten every October and the listings below are rechecked through the season.
Christmas in London: what is on
Sun 15 November to Thu 31 DecemberSunday
15 November-
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.
Thursday
19 November-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
Saturday
21 November-
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.
Tuesday
1 December-
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.
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.
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.
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.
What is coming up
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
Halloween events in London 2026
Ghost tours, the after-dark trails, the late museum openings and the club nights, with the dates that sell...
-
Fri 5 to Sun 7 March
Mother's Day in London 2027: where to book, and why it is not the same Sunday every year
Sunday 7 March 2027, three weeks before Easter. It is a lunch, not a dinner, and the good...
-
Thu 1 July to Tue 31 August
London festival stage times: All Points East, Wireless and the rest
Gates, curfews, last entry and the walk to the station for London's big park festivals, plus where the...
-
On now
Immersive experiences in London: what they are and which are worth it
Digital art halls, walk-through theatre and the ticketed Instagram rooms, sorted by what you actually get for the...
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.
Next up
Or pick a part of town
Soho Covent Garden Islington Bloomsbury Camden Shoreditch Dalston Battersea Fitzrovia Crouch End
Questions people ask
What day is Christmas 2026?
Friday 25 December. Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, so the bank holiday moves to Monday 28 December.
Is there public transport on Christmas Day?
No. Nothing runs on 25 December. Boxing Day has a reduced service.
What should I book early?
The Christmas shows, the candlelit carol concerts, Christmas at Kew, the ice rinks and any restaurant for the 25th. All of them go in October or November.
What is free?
The Trafalgar Square tree and the carol singing under it, the shop windows, the Southbank market and the museums, which are open and quieter than usual in the week before Christmas.
Every listing on this page is checked against the venue's own page and the page is rewritten each year, usually six to eight weeks before the dates. Times and prices can change on the night; the venue link on each event is the one to trust. How we choose what goes in.