12 Charming Christmas Carol Concerts In London
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2 months ago
What to book now for the 2024 festive season
This year, we’re looking to upgrade our carol singing (along with our charity donations). ‘Luckily,’ says Richard Gowers, director of music at St George’s Hanover Square, ‘quite a lot of London’s services are posh’ and – bonus – ‘London is the best city in the world for choral singing.’ So, where will we be caroling our hearts out this year then? Here are London’s best Christmas carol concerts to book now for the 2024 festive season.
London’s Best Christmas Carol Concerts 2024
Fayre Of St. James’s
Firstly, you’ll find us at St James’s in Piccadilly for the Quintessentially Foundation’s annual Fayre. Tickets start from £150 and rise to £500 if you want to stay for dinner and a live auction at Loulou’s – proceeds of which goes to its flagship child poverty initiative, The Firefly Project. You’ll be crooning alongside the likes of Daisy Edgar-Jones, Ellie Goulding and Emeli Sande.
Details: 5.30–7.30pm on Tuesday 26 November 2024 at St James’s Church (197 Piccadilly, London W1J 9LL). Tickets start from £150 and rise to £500 for premier seating in the church, and can be booked at quintessentiallyfoundationevents.org
Place2Be
The following week, we’ll be hotfooting it to Holy Trinity Church in Chelsea for Place2Be, where tickets start from £30. Guests can expect performances of all your favourite festive songs alongside readings from talented performers (everyone from Keira Knightley to Paloma Faith has taken part in recent years) and touching stories from the children and young people Place2Be has supported, all raising funds for improving children’s mental health through various initiatives.
Details: 6.30–8pm on Thursday 5 December 2024 at Holy Trinity Church (Sloane Street, London SW1X 9BZ). Tickets can be booked at place2be.org.uk
Carols At Cadogan
There are also concerts with exceptional musical pedigree. Cadogan Hall, for example, will feature 100 singers from The Bach Choir as well as London City Brass for an evening of magical Christmas carols conducted by David Hill. A week earlier, the internationally acclaimed Kingdom Choir will perform a one-off Christmas concert here, too.
Details: Carols at Cadogan starts at 7.30pm on 11 December (tickets here), while The Kingdom Choir will perform on 6 December (tickets here), both at Cadogan Hall (5 Sloane Terrace, London SW1X 9DQ). Find more festive carol services at cadoganhall.com
Nine Lessons & Carols
Richard, though, suggests something a little more esoteric: ‘London’s oldest church, St Bartholomew the Great, runs an annual Charles Dickens-themed carol service – reading passages from Dickens, singing carols he’d have known, and often people dress in costume.’
Details: 5pm on 22 December at St Bartholomew the Great (W Smithfield, Barbican, London EC1A 9DS). This is an unticketed, free event, so guests are advised to show up early to secure a seat. Learn more and find more carol services at greatstbarts.com
The Ned’s 2023 Christmas tree
Christmas Carols With Gareth Malone
London’s luxurious hotel and members’ club, The Ned, is hosting a plethora of festive events this year, including Christmas carol concerts by Gareth Malone and his choir. Join them for an evening of festive cheer as they perform Christmas classics live on the Nickel Stage. Enjoy food, drinks, and sing-alongs for a truly magical night.
Details: From 7pm on Sundays 1, 8, 15 and 22 December at The Ned (27 Poultry, London EC2R 8AJ). Tickets start from £60pp and can be booked at thened.com
Orpheus Sinfonia
Over to Richard’s church for the annual candlelit celebration of Christmas taking guests from darkness to light with Christmas favourites new and old. The one-hour concert by Orpheus Sinfonia is followed by drinks with the musicians.
Details: Wednesday 18 December 2024 at St George’s Hanover Square (2A Mill Street, London W1S 1FX). Tickets start from £5 and can be booked here. Find more festive events at St George’s as they are announced at stgeorgeshanoversquare.org
Raymond Gubbay’s Christmas Festival
Raymond Gubbay’s Christmas Festival will return to the Barbican for Christmas 2024. This festive bonanza sees a host of celebrations across the season from King’s College Choir to the Glen Miller Band.
Details: 7 December 2024 to 1 January 2025 at The Barbican Centre (Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS). See the full line up and book your tickets at barbican.org.uk
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The TP Caring Spaces Carol Concert
After its inaugural Christmas carol concert last year, TP Caring Spaces is back with another joyful and heartwarming occasion this festive season, once again hosted in 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.
Details: From 6.45pm on Monday 16 December 2024 at St Luke’s Church (Sydney St, London SW3 6NH). Tickets on sale in late October at tpcaringspaces.co.uk
(c) Raphael Tomi, Unsplash
Carols At The Royal Albert Hall
This is the big one: the Christmas carol concert at the Royal Albert Hall is a must-attend – so get it on the bucketlist. This year, a whopping 15 sing-along performances will be hosted across six days, with Jess Gillam and Greg Beardsell back to present the concert and each show featuring a soloist to bring the classic carols to life.
Details: Performances at 11am, 3pm and 7pm from 14–24 December 2024. Book your tickets at 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 is usually ticketed, but is still to be announced for 2024. Stay up to date 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. It’s one of London’s most popular festive sing-a-longs, with plenty of services across the season.
When? Various times from 12–22 December 2024 at All Souls (2 All Souls’ Pl, London W1B 3DA). No need to book: just turn up and enjoy. Find out more at carolservice.com
