London recommendations please

[Pendulumswinging]

Going to be in London for the weekend before Christmas. Would love to go to the theatre but not sure what to see - ideally something a little bit Christmassy, but preferably not a pantomime.

Will be there with DS2 (17) and DS3 (15). They enjoy lots of things - museums, walking tours, theatre, anything really.

Please can you recommend your favourite festive things to do in London? Thanks.

Ballet at Sadlers Wells
Fortnums etc and other food halls (though not the markets)
Xmas choirs / concerts
Not sure if it’s still on but a few years ago went to a Christmas Carol immersive theatre thing which was v well done

a lot of the restaurants will have pretty decent set menus too

enjoy!

I’m off to London early December and we have booked Kew light trail this year.
Enjoy visiting Fortnum and Mason for Christmas treats and to look at their windows.
Christmas light displays on Carnaby street, bond and New Bond Street.

Oliver, absolutely amazing musical. If you can hold out probably worth entering all the theatre lotteries the week before and seeing if you can get better seats for a good price! Hamilton, Oliver matilda all do them alongside others that i can't remember!

Christmas walking tour or Christmas lights bus tour

Thanks for the suggestions so far - I wondered if it was worth going to see some of the bigger shops window displays, so I guess if we actually go inside too that would make it worthwhile 😂, and look at the lights too. I’ll work out a wee route.

I’ll have a look and see if I can find any carol concerts.

I do love a musical, but fancy something particularly festive - I’ll have a look at Sadler’s Wells and the Kew lights. Thanks.

South Bank is the least crowded Christmas market and even that can get quite busy.
Avoid Winter Wonderland.
Get on the bus route that goes down Regent Street - like 139 - very cheap and get a top deck front seat if you can!
Hot chocolate at Knoops.
IMO the Kew lights are overrated but I'm a bit of a Scrooge when it comes to light shows in gardens.
Somerset House has the best outdoor ice skating and bonus it's near the theatres and Fortnum and Masons too

Great thanks @Boxiboxi21 - that’s the specifics I was hoping for with the lights/bus.

I thought the markets wouldn’t be the thing to do, so it’s good to have a couple of people confirm that.

If you want to book then you'll need to do it soon. We looked at a bus tour /Christmas lights and when we went back to book it had gone up probably due to dates selling out . We got a mid Dec date but that was at least three weeks ago we booked it.

Winter Wonderland is not good , it was years ago but now it's bigger, more ££ and crowded.

If you can get one of the Mischief Theatre Play That Went Wrong types ( they're doing Christmas Carol) We've seen it before , again tickets are ££ but so funny ( the original cast)

Leicester Square is all lit up busy . Theatre and cinema.

Oxford Street is a bit 'meh' but you might enjoy Selfridges, Liberty's, Harrods.

We’ve been to A Christmas Carol at the Old Vic a couple of times, it’s a fantastic Christmas theatre outing. We’ve enjoyed Kew Gardens and the South Bank. We’ve tended to wander to see the lights rather than get the bus, there will be walking routes online. Somerset House is on my list for next time - cancelled due to a storm last time we went. Liberty’s if you’re looking for somewhere to buy a bauble for your Christmas tree. Wander down Carnaby St while you’re there.

A Christmas Carol is usually on at The Old Vic and it’s a great performance.
Bus or walk up Regent St to see the lights. Corm and Mason but it’ll be very crowded from mid December on.
There are no end of Xmas teas, lunches etc. Sketch is great for Instagram/atmosphere or somewhere like The Ned.
The Postal Museum might have something Christmassy on. Greenwich has a nice Xmas market and you can get there on the river boat.

https://www.oldvictheatre.com/stage/a-christmas-carol-2026/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=24084928965&gbraid=0AAAAADiDXlWFpl7kUK1KPOnLwqelrC2zJ&gclid=CjwKCAjw48TUBhBREiwAK0GnQdUmd2iCL6SG2MmgIAia7ErFL4U7_G9UKbKaagSdzjHUeDL7XFZr_BoCOZ8QAvD_BwE

I’ve been to Christmas Carol at the old Vic every year for 5 years. However I bought the tickets for this year in March so you’ll have to check if there are any.
Go up Piccadilly to Fortnums and Waterstones (nice cafe on 5th floor with a great view) and then cross the street to the Burlington Arcade, it’s always pretty to walk through.
catch a free or very cheap concert at St Martin in the fields, cafe in the crypt basement is good value and home cooked fresh food.
Go up the Sky Garden, book now - it’s free, the Mithraeum is also free and round the corner.
the Bank of England museum is really good, also free
ice skating (NOT free) in Somerset House

Dennis Severs house is lovely at Christmas and you can wander round Spitalfields

Carnaby street for the lights (and for them to fleece you in the shops!).

PP was right, don’t go anywhere near Winter Wonderland.

Battersea Power Station has a great ice rink.

The Nutcracker at The Colloseum? The bus light tour PPs have mentioned is fun and Leicester Square now has a small market and ice rink every year.

Agree with all the other that WW is hideous but the small market on the Southbank is sweet and I think Ballet Shoes is usually on every Christmas at The National (not sure why!).

Lots of brilliant suggestions. Thank you all - lots to think about! The Nutcracker might be the way to go for a theatre performance - haven’t seen it for a long time.

I saw the bank robbery that went wrong, just before Christmas one year and I cried through the first half - I found it incredibly funny. The previous year I’d seen the play that went wrong and it was slightly humorous.

we were taken by my dps work contact and they took us to China town for a pre theatre meal

i Went in the summer to see Cabaret and that was excellent but not Xmasy

I like the sky garden and think it’s worth booking ( it’s free) especially if you’re going at Christmas and can get 3:30pm slot. You can get cocktails at the top - which as it’s a free entry is nice to do. Watch the sun set and lights come on over London I preferred this to the London eye

Ive also done the free garden, just round the corner from sky garden, but no need to book and not long queues. Walk past Monument where fire of London started

dont do post office museum, it’s not great imo and a waste of time

do walk down past Sotherbes and go in to look at what’s happening, 10 minutes out of your day if it’s open. Plus it’s where some of the best Christmas lights are.

The Wolseley Piccadilly, I think is lovely for a meal, have had breakfast here twice and really like the building, decor and food, service is also very good in my opinion. Lots to watch and see. Book though as it gets busy if you want to try it.

A Christmas carol is a definite but probably sold out

There's a new event called Christmas in the Garden, that includes a traditional santa's grotto and other activities. The santa visit also includes a self-guided festive trail around Covent Garden as well as a gift, so its like a day out, not just a quick visit to santa. It's called Grotto in the Garden: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/new-santas-grotto-in-covent-garden-and-ms-claus-for-story-time-tickets-1998511651147

Carols at The Albert Hall. A couple of years ago on Christmas Eve we did a Christmas Carol walking tour with Richard Jones. It was absolutely brilliant. He is so knowledgeable if you get a chance it is two hours well spent.

Gingerbread City at the Museum of Architecture is always fabulous. Nice to do if any of your kids are creative/design inclined. Doesn’t take ages but nice to do in amongst lights/shops

Brilliant - thanks for all the suggestions - lots that I hadn’t seen on google searches - I’ll discuss all of these with the kids. Booked the Nutcracker for one evening but something carols based or a walking tour would be fun for the other evening. Thanks again.

Trafalgar Square to see the Norwegian Christmas tree and tell the story. There are usually community choirs doing Christmas carols as well which adds to the atmosphere. Along the Southbank there are Christmas stalls, of course they are a bit overpriced ( always the way), but nice to walk along and have churros or a hot chocolate and it feels very festive and the river looks pretty with lights reflected in the dark. Southbank and Trafalgar Square close to each other, so could be a nice (cheapish) early evening walk.

Chelsea Village light trail https://chelseawintervillage.com/

Ice rink at Somerset House

There are a range of Christmas concerts at the Royal Albert Hall - a spectacular space if the DC haven't been before