My Festive London Guide 2017

So, it might be mid-December now, but there are still so many festive things you can do in the city. London isn’t always my favourite place, but it’s an incredible place to spend Christmas. Here are my favourite festive picks:

THE LIGHTS

I love Christmas lights. There’s just something so festive about twinkly lights over the streets. I’m lucky enough to go past the ones on Oxford Street and Regent’s Street everyday, and as busy as the highstreet may be at this time of year nothing detracts from the lights. Or, if you don’t want to head into central, this might sound like a bit of a cop out but I always think it’s worthwhile wandering the streets where you live to see everyone’s personal displays. It’s something I used to do at home, and still do now.

THE MOVIES

There are so many good Christmas movies out there, too many to list in fact. But Prince Charles Theatre is managing to show a good chunk of them on the silver screen. So why not swap your TV for the big screen and make a night out of your movie marathon.

THE WALKS

To me there is nothing more wonderful and wintery than a walk in the cold. So, don your warmest coat (you might need your hat and scarf too) and hit up one of my favourite London trails. Bonus points if you manage to get out when it’s snowing.

 

THE CAROLS

Is there anything more traditionally Christmas-y than carolling? I don’t think so. This year children’s charity Street Charity are doing their annual carol service twice to share the love. So, if you want to get your sing-song on for a good cause, this is the place for you to be.

THE TIME TRIP

Once again Dennis Servers house is decked out in full Christmas sparkle, well sparkle from 1724. So step back in time into the 18th century complete with all of the sights, smells, and sounds that you would have experienced if you were sharing Christmas with the Huguenot family 300 years ago.

 

Singing Tree

https://www.timeout.com/london/things-to-do/the-singing-tree

If traditional trees aren’t your thing, you might want to pay a visit to the V&A. This year their tree is a digital projection designed by Es Devlin. The tree is brought to life via machine learning based on thousands of words collected from the public – that means you can contribute too!

 

 

Museum of Architecture’s Gingerbread City

https://www.timeout.com/london/things-to-do/museum-of-architecture-gingerbread-city

Just a stone’s throw away from the Singing Tree at the V&A, there’s a whole gingerbread city at the Museum of Architecture. Made by architecture firms from across the city, the model spans two floors. As well as getting to feast your eyes on the incredible structure, there are also workshops happening throughout the duration of the exhibition.

 

Finnish Rooftop Sauna

https://www.timeout.com/london/things-to-do/finnish-rooftop-sauna

If you’re feeling a bit wild, or rather a bit steamy, along with the usual market this year the South Bank also has a Finnish Sauna. Not only is it a great way to sweat out your festive indulgences, it also has one of the best views over the river.

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3 Comments

  1. December 13, 2017 / 7:37 pm

    I miss London so much and would kill to get back for these!

    Hannah | Wild At Heart

  2. December 14, 2017 / 3:06 pm

    For the past few years my family have developed a tradition of taking a trip to London around Christmas time, since my sister lives there, to check out the Christmas markets along the Southbank and outside the Tate Modern and then go to the theater. I especially like popping into St Pancras station to see their tree. The year they had the Disney toys one was a good’un

    • Natalie
      January 16, 2018 / 1:04 am

      The tree in St Pancras is such a good call – is it weird that the train stations are just generally some of my favourite places to visit in the city? Hope you had a lovely Christmas!