Carol Concerts In London To Get You Feeling Festive
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1 year ago
The best festive singalongs for 2023
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas – so let’s get singing. From glorious choirs to celebrity speakers, we’ve put together a list of the best carol concerts in London this Christmas that are guaranteed to get you feeling festive.
London’s Best Christmas Carol Concerts 2023
Place2Be’s Carol Concert 2023
Place2Be’s annual charity Christmas carol concert will return this December, featuring all your favourite festive songs alongside readings from talented performers and touching stories from the children and young people Place2Be has supported. Sophie Dahl is back as carol concert ambassador, while Katie Thistleton and YolanDa Brown co-host the evening. Guests can expect performances from the likes of Laura Wright and Joe Stilgoe, plus readings by big names such as Tom Fletcher, Giovanna Fletcher, Keeley Hawes and Jordan Stephens.
Details: Wednesday 6 December 2023 at Holy Trinity Sloane Square (Sloane St, London SW1X 9BZ). Tickets start from £25 with all profits going to Place2Be to support children’s mental health. If you can’t make it, you can still donate to Place2Be and receive a recording of the magical evening. place2be.org.uk
The TP Caring Spaces Carol Concert 2023
TP Caring Spaces’ inaugural Christmas carol concert will take place this festive season, bringing and joyful and heartwarming occasion to the awe-inspiring St Luke’s Church in Chelsea. Created in response to the pandemic, TP Caring Spaces is a charitable venture founded by the team behind leading interior design studio Turner Pocock, and all money raised from the carol concert will go towards creating more vital caring spaces. Learn all about it here.
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Details: 18 December 2023 from 7pm at St Luke’s & Christ Church (Sydney Street, London SW3 6NH). Tickets are £30 for adults and £20 for children aged 12 and under, and can be booked here.
Carols At The Royal Albert Hall
This is the big one. The carol concert at the Royal Albert Hall is a must-attend. Greg Beardsell and Jess Gillam will be presenting, and there’ll be performances from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Choral Society and the National Youth Choir, all conducted by Richard Cooke. With all the classics to be performed in this magnificent setting, it’s sure to be a spectacular night.
(c) Raphael Tomi, Unsplash
When? 16–24 December 2023 at the Royal Albert Hall (Kensington Gore, South Kensington, London SW7 2AP). royalalberthall.com
Christmas Concert At Westminster Abbey
Carol concerts here are particularly special – the Westminster Abbey choir in this historic setting is pretty remarkable. With events throughout December, many of which are free, aim to get there early to avoid the (inevitable) long and snaking queue. We’d recommend to try and get seats in the nave for the best view.
When? Advent services run throughout December (including on Christmas day), though the main Christmas Concert takes place on 20 December from 7pm. Tickets for that are priced between £15–45pp and can be booked at westminster-abbey.org
St Paul’s Cathedral’s Christmas Carol Service
St Paul’s is back with a multitude of Christmas events (as usual), from ticketed celebrations to classic free and unticketed Christmas Carol Services (including on Christmas Eve) running throughout December.
Details: Throughout December at St Paul’s Cathedral (St. Paul’s Churchyard, London EC4M 8AD). stpauls.co.uk
Christmas At All Souls
Head to All Souls Langham Place for an evening of traditional Christmas carols, festive readings, complimentary mince pies and warming Christmas punch. No booking needed – you can just turn up to this one.
When? Various times from 16–24 December 2023 at All Souls (2 All Souls’ Pl, London W1B 3DA). allsouls.org
Christmas At Union Chapel
Union Chapel – Islington’s historic Grade I and II* listed chapel – is a magical place to visit at Christmas, with the beautiful surroundings only exaggerated by the special intimacy and atmosphere of the incredible festive performances held here. The 2023 season includes Ingrid Michaelson, Kim Wilde, The Eclectic Voices Choir and Carols by Candlelight.
© Emile Holba
Details: Throughout December at Union Chapel (19b Compton Terrace, London N1 2UN). See the full line up at unionchapel.org.uk
The Story of Christmas
This star-studded annual charity appeal is back for 2023. Having raised a whopping £820,000 last year, the star names are still TBD for 2023, but Dame Judi Dench was heavily involved with the 2022 production, with celebrity readers including Jennifer Saunders, Ian Hislop, Clare Balding, and more.
Details: Tickets to the event on 13 December are available to corporate sponsors and generous personal donors, but everyone is welcome to watch the recorded event after the fact (specific date TBC). Stay up to date at socappeal.com
Holy Trinity Church
Sloane Square’s Holy Trinity Church usually hosts several Christmas carol concerts throughout December, many in aid of charities, and we expect the same in 2023. Last year, there were performances from celebrity readers and various choirs, including the Battersea Choral Society and Goldsmiths Choral Union.
Details: Holy Trinity Church (Sloane St, London SW1X 9BZ). Details TBC. Stay up to date at sloanechurch.org
Raymond Gubbay Christmas Festival At The Barbican
The Barbican is promising a fun and festive extravaganza this Christmas, kicking off on 16 December with ‘Christmas at the Movies’, followed by the annual highlight, carols from the world-renowned Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, joined by the Crouch End Festival Chorus on 20 December. There’s also a Carol Singalong on 17 December, Carols by Candlelight on 22 December, Love Actually accompanied by a live orchestra on 21 December, and Horrible Histories’ Horrible Christmas on 29 December to round out the season.
Details: 16–31 December 2023. See the full line up at barbican.org
Featured image: David Beagle, Unsplash
