Christmas at Kew has become a key date in London’s festive calendar, with plenty of Londoners flocking to the 300-acre World Heritage Site to discover glistening tunnels of light, dancing lakeside reflections and trees drenched in jewel-like colour. As usual, there’ll be plenty more to enjoy besides the larger-than-life illuminations, from warming winter snacks to a grotto where you can say hello to Father C himself. This light trail tends to sell out, so move quickly to secure a place. 

Location: Kew Gardens
Date: 21 November 2022-09 January 2023 (4:20pm-8pm)
Entry Fee: from £21.50 per adult ticket / from £14 per child ticket

Ice skating season is back, and we can’t wait to whizz around one of London’s many excellent slabs of ice.  There are so many rinks to choose from: Winter Wonderland’s rink is the biggest, Canary Wharf’s is open for the longest period and Somerset House’s is the most iconic!  Take your pick, lace up your boots and get swishing.

Everyone’s favourite riverside culture hotspot Southbank Centre is aglow again with festive illuminations. Winter Light is a free, open-air exhibition featuring an electric smorgasbord of lightworks (which is what we’re calling these now) from super-talented artists from around the world. All of them make mind-bending use of light, colour and even boundary-pushing film to deal with issues and topics surrounding nature, technology, urban life and spirituality.

Location: Southbank Centre
Date: 03 November 2022-08 January 2023 (4:20pm-8pm)
Entry Fee: POA 

Get yourself feeling festive with an evening of carols inside Sir Christopher Wren’s architectural masterpiece- St Paul's Cathedral.  The legendary London landmark hosts a series of free and unticketed carol concerts each year, alongside a couple of ticketed charity gigs raising money for the likes of Blood Cancer UK and the MS Society.

The biggest events to look out for is the Christmas Carol Service (Dec 23 and 24). They’re free and always hugely popular, so get down there early and be prepared to queue!

Location: St Paul's Cathedral
Date: 23rd and 24th December 2022
Entry Fee: Free!

The sweetest festive event you’ll find in London, the Museum of Architecture’s Gingerbread City exhibition tasks over 100 leading architects from landscape architects to engineers and designers to use their building knowledge to ditch their conventional building materials for dough bricks and sugar paste mortar. Walk through five tiny biscuit cities and feast your eyes on the delicious creations!

Location: 6-7 Motcomb Street, SW1X 8JU
Date: 03 December 2022-02 January 2023
Entry Fee: From £12.75 per ticket

The Grinch would have a real job stealing all the Christmas from Hyde Park’s huge tribute to festive fun. The annual favourite is back for its fifteenth year with more cheerily lit fairground rides, a child-friendly Santa Land (including Santa’s grotto) and quaint Christmas markets. It’s a real treat for anyone wanting to get into the festive spirit!

Location: Hyde Park
Date: 18 November 2022-02 January 2023
Entry Fee: From £10 per ticket

See in the New Year the right way with a trip on the Thames!  From party boats with live music to dinner cruises and breathtaking views,  check out these top New Year's Eve tours on the Thames and get a glimpse of the world famous fireworks. With tours that are sure to gift you with amazing memories to look back on as we wave goodbye to 2022 and say hello to 2023!  

Location: The River Thames
Date: 31 December 2022
Entry Fee: POA