London Christmas Carols

The climax of the Royal Albert Hall's Christmas carols programme is this dimly lit traditional Christmas celebration, Carols by Candlelight, mixing sing-along carols with readings from Dickens and the Scriptures. The name is a bit misleading - there are no actual candles lighting the hall, just an 'evocative candle-lit style setting' - but the performers are all in eighteenth century costume, and the hall splendidly decorated to create a thoroughly festive atmosphere. The Mozart Festival Orchestra will perform a medley of seasonal classics from Handel, Vivaldi and Bach, special guest Julian Rhind-Tutt will perform a reading, and everyone will be invited to join in the extensive carol programme. Which includes The First Nowell, Good King Wenceslas, O come, all ye faithful, Away in a manger, O little town of Bethlehem, Once in royal David's city, and a rousing Hark! The Herald angels sing. Check the Royal Albert Hall website for full details.

Performances:
Thu 13 Dec, 7.30pm: The BT Christmas Concert
Fri 14 Dec, 7.30pm: Messiah
Sat 15 Dec, 8pm: Messiah
15, 19 Dec: Jingle Bell Christmas
16, 20, 22, 20 Dec: Christmas Carol Singalong
16, 22, 23, 24 Dec: Carols by Candlelight
Mon 17 Dec, 7.30pm: Royal Choral Society Christmas Carols
18, 21 Dec: Christmas Carolling with Russell Watson
Tue 18 Dec, 7.30pm: Christmas Classics
Wed 19 Dec, 2.30pm: Jingle Bell Christmas
Wed 19 Dec, 7.30pm: King's College Choir
Thu 20 Dec, 2.30pm: Christmas Carol Singalong
Thu 20 Dec, 7.30pm: Classic Carols
Fri 21 Dec, 2.30pm: Christmas Carolling with Russell Watson
Fri 21 Dec, 7.30pm: The Glory of Christmas
Sun 23 Dec, 1.30pm and 4.45pm: Christmas with Aled Jones

Few places are better for traditional Christmas services and carols than St Paul's, the spiritual home of Great Britain. To meet the increasing demand, this year St Paul's hosts a series of concerts throughout the month of December peaking with the excessively popular Midnight Mass service and carol concert. St Christopher Wren's great dome, which dominates much of the City, fills with the sound of the Cathedral Choir for a large part of the month and the most special services and concerts are free and available to all. The cathedral formed the centrepiece of the reconstruction of London after the Great Fire of 1666 and miraculously went on to survive the Blitz in World War Two when most of the surrounding area was flattened by German bombing raids. It consequently acted as an inspirational symbol of British strength in the nation's darkest hour and is now an icon of resurrection and rebirth - a potent symbol of all that is associated with Christmas. The festive season kicks off with the dramatic Advent Procession on the last Saturday 1st December, with words and music focusing on the themes of light in darkness and hope in despair.

Programme
Sat 1 Dec & Sun 2 Dec, 6pm: The Advent Procession
Thu 6 Dec, 6.30pm: Messiah, George Frederic Handel
Tue 11 Dec, 7pm: Cancer Research UK Christmas Concert
Thu 13 Dec, 6.30pm: A Celebration of Christmas
Sun 16 Dec, 12.45 - 2.15pm: Tuba Carols
Fri 21 Dec, 5pm: Benjamin Britten's Ceremony of Carols
Sat 22 Dec, 1pm: Family Carols
Sun 23 Dec, 4pm: Christmas Carol Service
Mon 24 Dec, Christmas Eve, 4pm Christmas Carol Service
Mon 24 Dec, 11.30pm: Midnight Eucharist
Tue 25 Dec, Christmas Day, 8am: Holy Communion
Tue 25 Dec, 11am: Sung Eucharist
Tue 25 Dec, 3.15pm: Festal Evensong
Wed 26 Dec, 5pm: Evening Prayer with Carols
Thu 27 Dec, 5pm: Evening Prayer with Carols
Fri 28 Dec, 5pm: Evensong, sung by the Damian Singers

You are encouraged to arrive early on December 13th and 24th. Services and events are open to all, free and un-ticketed (except Messiah, for which you must apply for free tickets in advance and the Cancer Research Concert, tickets from £25 from the Barbican website). For more information please visit www.stpauls.co.uk.

Southwark Cathedral's popular candlelit carol services take place on the two Fridays and Sunday before Christmas but there are a host of other festive services open to the public throughout December. For the Cathedral Carol Service, the bulk of the singing is done by the boys, girls and men of the Cathedral Choir. The congregation will get a chance to join in and sing some of their favourites while the festive music will be interspersed with readings taken from St Matthew's account of the birth of Jesus. Be sure to arrive early because the annual Sunday evening event is hugely popular. Located besides the wonderfully odoriferous Borough Market and the south bank of the Thames, the Cathedral can date its origins all the way back to the Domesday Book in 1068.

Programme (check website for latest listings)
Sat 1 Dec, 7.30pm: Merbecke Choir Advent Concert
Fri 7 Dec, 7.30pm: Bach's Christmas Oratorio £12.50 advance, £15 on the door
Fri 14 Dec, 7.30pm: Cathedral Choir Concert
Fri 21 Dec, 7pm: Cathedral Carol Service
Sun 23 Dec, 6.30pm: Cathedral Carol Service
Tue 25 Dec, 11am: Christams Day - Choral Eucharist

Pack inside one of London's most famous landmarks for an old-fashioned service to take you right through to Christmas Day. Westminster Abbey has been at the centre of royal and religious life in Britain since the time of William the Conqueror who was crowned here on Christmas Day 1066, following the successful Norman invasion of the British Isles. More recently, it was where Prince William and Catherine Middleton chose to get married. It's easy to lose sight of what Christmas is all about in the sea of commercialisation, but sitting in the majestic history of the Abbey's nave will help remind you of the religious message. These awe-inspiring surroundings provide a striking backdrop for an evening of lessons and carols. Best to book in for the Services of Lessons & Carols on Sunday 23rd December at 4pm and Christmas Eve at 4pm which are especially popular and require (free) tickets.

Programme
Sun 2 Dec, 4pm: An Advent Liturgy by candlelight
Sun 16 Dec 6.30pm: That Yonge Child, including Britten's A Ceremony of Carols
Sun 23 Dec, 4pm: Service of Lessons & Carols (free tickets required)
Mon 24 Dec, Christmas Eve, 12noon: Crib Service for families
Mon 24 Dec, Christmas Eve, 4pm: Service of Lessons & Carols (free tickets)
Mon 24 Dec, Christmas Eve, 11.30pm: First Eucharist of Christmas
Tue 25 Dec, Christmas Day, 10.30am: Sung Eucharist
Tue 25 Dec, 3pm: Evensong H. Praetorius Magnificat quinti toni
Sun 30 Dec, 11.15am: Sung Eucharist
Sun 30 Dec, 3pm: Evensong

Check www.westminster-abbey.org for full details and ticketing information.

St Martin-in-the-Fields is a perfect venue for any kind of service or concert - especially when candlelit and on a cold winter's night - but it is really quite extraordinary during the festive period when it comes into its own with a generous dollop of Christmas carols and charity. The festive services at St-Martins raise money for their annual Christmas Appeal, which provides valuable support for local homeless people. Located almost in the shadow of the towering Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree, St Martin-in-the-Fields offers a seasonal glow throughout December with a range of services and carols that would get even Scrooge singing O Come, All Ye Faithful!

Programme
Sat 1 Dec, 4pm: Family Christmas Carols
Sat 1 Dec, 7.30pm: Advent Carols by Candlelight
Thu 6 Dec, 7pm: VSO Christmas Concert by Candlelight
Fri 7 Dec, 7.30pm: Royal Norwegian Annual Christmas Concert
Sat 8 Dec, 4pm: Mini Maestro Family Christmas Concert
Sat 8 Dec, 7.30pm: Christmas Concert with Audience Carols
Thu 13 Dec, 7.30pm: The Glory of Christmas
Fri 14 Dec, 7.30pm: Christmas Gala by Candlelight
Sat 15 Dec, 4pm: Carols for Shoppers
Sat 15 Dec, 7.30pm: A Ceremony of Carols
Mon 17 Dec, 7.30pm: The Joys of Christmas by Candlelight
Thu 20 Dec, 7.30pm: The Spirit of Christmas by Candlelight
Fri 21 Dec, 7.30pm: Handle Messiah by Candlelight
Sat 22 Dec, 11.30am: Christmas in Blue
Sat 22 Dec, 4.30pm: Christmas with the English Chamber Choir
Sat 22 Dec, 7.30Pm: Handle Messiah by Candlelight
Wed 26 Dec, 7pm: Boxing Day Baroque
Thu 27 Dec, 7pm: Complete Brandenburgs at Christmas
Fri 28 Dec, 7.45pm: Viennese Christmas
Sat 29 Dec, 10.15am: Come and Sing the World's Great Christmas Choruses
Mon 31 Dec, 3.30pm: New Year's Eve Operetta Matinee

Since 1947, stately Trafalgar Square receives a majestic Norwegian Christmas Tree as an annual gift from the people of Oslo, thanking Britain for its support and friendship during World War Two. The enormous tree is a popular seasonal tourist attraction, particularly in the fortnight leading up to Christmas, when each evening (11th-22nd Dec) a different choir gathers there to sing carols and raise money for a range of voluntary or charitable organisations. Passers-by are welcome to come and listen to the carols in the square, and even join in the festive cheer. Nelson's Column is decorated with Norwegian white lights and the tree is illuminated from noon until midnight until the Twelfth Night of Christmas in early January. The lighting ceremony takes place on December 6th, but the tree usually arrives a few days earlier if you want to see it in all its naked evergreen glory.

There is a hefty schedule of festive fun at the Southbank Centre and on the South Bank over the Christmas period. Their Winter Festival runs from November 16th to January 7th and features a whole host of events including dance, markets, music, poetry and magical encounters. Harry Christopher and The Sixteen will be returning with their annual sell-out Christmas concert of music celebrating the Christmas message at Queen Elizabeth Hall. The evening ends in The Front Room foyer at 9.15pm with the ever-popular and free sequence of carols, when the audience (and other members of the public) are invited to sing with The Sixteen. On the 9th December Handel's magnificent choral masterpiece, Messiah, is performed in full period costume in an evocative candlelit-style setting at Royal Festival Hall. Besides the strong musical programme there are plenty of festive events taking place (including the return of Slava's Snowshow) on the South Bank.For more information and the latest listings please visit the Southbank website.

Programme
Sun 9 Dec, 1pm: Gamelan Christmas Chimes
Sun 9 Dec, 7.30pm: Messiah by Candlelight
Sun 9 Dec, 2.30pm: The National Children's Orchestra
Sun 9 Dec, 7.30pm: The National Children's Orchestra
Mon 10 Dec, 7.30pm: The Sixteen's Christmas Concert
Tue 11 Dec 7.45pm: Ian Shaw and Claire Martin's Early Christmas Stocking

If the renowned author Dan Brown staggered through the vaulted archway of any grand London place of worship to sing carols this Christmas, it would surely be the Temple Church, between Fleet Street and the Thames. The Temple Church was built by the Knights Templar - made famous by Brown's The Da Vinci Code - and was used in the filming of the subsequent movie, starring Tom Hanks as the forty-year-old Professor Robert Langdon with the arrestingly deep voice, and the strong, carefree smile of a collegiate athlete (who had a haunting phobia of enclosed spaces). Jokes (and best-selling literary assassins) aside, the Temple Church's range of carol services are a true delight and will certainly get you in the mood for Christmas celebrations. Located in a picturesque courtyard between the Middle and Inner Temples, the famously round church is a popular spot for carol singing so be sure to arrive in good time - not just so you can amble around the nearby squares and gardens, but so you can grab a seat in the nave with a good view of the choir. For more information go to www.templechurch.com.

Programme
Sun 2 Dec, 11.15am: Choral Mattins ( Men's Voices)
Mon 3 Dec, 6pm: Advent Carol Service
Sun 9 Dec, 11.15am: Choral Mattins
Mon 10 Dec, 1.15pm: Lunchtime Carols Sing-Along
Wed 12 Dec, 6pm: Carol Service - The Temple Church Choir
Fri 14 Dec, 1.15pm: Lunchtime Carols - The Temple Singers
Sun 16 Dec, 11.15am: Carol Service - The Temple Church Choir
Mon 17 Dec, 6.45pm: A Ceremony of (Britten) Carols
Sun 23 Dec, 11.15am: Choral Mattins
Mon 24 Dec, 11.15pm: Midnight Choral Communion
Tue 25 Dec, 11.15AM: Choral Mattins Christmas Day