Seasonal
The 6 Best Things to Do in London in December
December is London at its most theatrical: short days, long evenings, the city dressed up and glad of an excuse. Here are six things worth braving the cold for, from the Trafalgar tree to a fireside pint in Hampstead.
In short: our top picks are The Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree, Carols at the Royal Albert Hall and Skate at Somerset House. 6 places in total, chosen on merit, with the full reasoning below.
December is the month London stops pretending it is anywhere else. The light goes by four, the parks turn to mud and woodsmoke, and the whole city leans into the dark rather than fighting it. This is the season of the genuinely worthwhile and the season of the tourist trap, often standing a few feet apart, so the trick is knowing which queues are worth joining and which to walk straight past. What follows is not a countdown of one-off 2026 happenings that will be gone by January. These are the fixtures, the things that come round every year and reward you for showing up: the tree that arrives from Oslo as it has since the war, the carols that fill the Albert Hall, the rink that goes down in the Somerset House courtyard like clockwork. We have mixed those big annual moments with the quieter December pleasures, the festive tea, the fireside pub, the cold-cheeked walk, that we would do regardless of the calendar. Wrap up properly. None of this improves if you are shivering.
| Place | Area | Price |
|---|---|---|
| The Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree | Trafalgar Square, Westminster | |
| Carols at the Royal Albert Hall | South Kensington | £££ |
| Skate at Somerset House | Strand | £££ |
| Festive Afternoon Tea at Fortnum & Mason | Piccadilly, St James's | ££££ |
| A Winter Walk on Hampstead Heath | Hampstead, North London | |
| The Holly Bush | Hampstead | ££ |
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Editor’s choice
The Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree
Why we pick itEvery year since 1947 Oslo sends London a Norway spruce as thanks for British support in the war, and every year it goes up in Trafalgar Square. The switch-on lands on the first Thursday of December, with a choir and the Lord Mayor of Westminster doing the honours. It is decorated the Norwegian way, plain vertical strings of white light rather than baubles, which is why it looks more dignified than anything on Oxford Street. Go on a clear evening, ideally midweek, and have a carol singer or two for company. It stands until Twelfth Night.
Annual event
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Carols at the Royal Albert Hall
Why we pick itThe Albert Hall comes into its own in the run-up to Christmas, and the big singalong carols are the fixture to book. You get the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, a proper choir and two thousand-odd people belting out the classics under that vast domed ceiling, with a soloist and a presenter to hold it together. It runs across the days before Christmas, usually with morning, afternoon and evening shows. Mulled wine in the interval, mince pies, the lot. Sentimental in the best way. Book ahead, because the evening performances go first.
Annual carol concert
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Skate at Somerset House
Why we pick itThe original and still the most cinematic of London's pop-up rinks, going down in the great neoclassical courtyard every winter since 2000. You skate a loop around a forty-foot Christmas tree with the Georgian facade lit up around you, which makes even the wobbliest first-timer feel like they are in a film. Sessions run by the hour from mid-November to early January. Worth knowing about the Skate Lates, the evening sessions with DJs on the rink-side decks, and the warming raclette in the chalet afterwards. Off-peak weekday slots are far cheaper and far less elbowy.
Ice rink
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Festive Afternoon Tea at Fortnum & Mason
Why we pick itFortnum's at Christmas is the most theatrical shop in London, all bottle-green and gold, and the festive tea up in the Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon is the civilised way to do it. Expect finger sandwiches with Christmas-spiced ham, a proper Fortnum's mince pie and a parade of seasonal pastries, poured with tea they have been selling since the eighteenth century. Book it, then do your loop of the Christmas hall on the way out. It runs from early November to early January, and the afternoon slots are calmer than the lunchtime crush.
Afternoon tea
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A Winter Walk on Hampstead Heath
Why we pick itDecember rewards a cold walk, and the Heath is the best of them. Come up from South End Green or the Overground, climb Parliament Hill for the big bare-tree view across the city skyline, then meander north past the ponds to Kenwood House, which is free and keeps a Rembrandt self-portrait by the fire. Bare branches, low gold light, frost on the grass if you are lucky. Wear boots, because it turns to proper mud, and time it so you finish before the light goes mid-afternoon. The perfect prelude to a pub.
Seasonal walk
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The Holly Bush
Why we pick itIf the Heath walk is the prelude, this is the payoff. The Holly Bush hides up a cobbled lane off Heath Street, a warren of little wood-panelled rooms with real fires going all winter, candlelit tables and creaking floors. It is the platonic December pub: come in cold, find a corner, and do not rush. The kitchen has earned an AA rosette, so the Sunday roast and the refined pub classics are a cut above what the snug setting suggests. Get there early on a winter weekend, because everyone with the same idea arrives at once.
Cosy pub
Before you book
A few things worth knowing. The big-ticket fixtures (Somerset House, the Albert Hall carols, Fortnum’s festive tea) sell out for the prime evening and weekend slots weeks ahead, so book early and aim for a weekday afternoon if you want it calmer and cheaper. The free pleasures, the Trafalgar tree and a Heath walk, are best earlier in the week and earlier in the day to dodge the crowds. December weather is reliably grim, so layer up, bring waterproof shoes for the parks, and remember the light goes by mid-afternoon, which is its own kind of charm if you plan around it. Most of the seasonal pop-ups run from mid-November to early January; the dead week between Christmas and New Year is quietly one of the best times to enjoy them, with half the city away.
Common questions
What are the top picks in this guide?
The Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree is our editor's choice: Every year since 1947 Oslo sends London a Norway spruce as thanks for British support in the war, and every year it goes up in Trafalgar Square. The switch-on lands on the first Thursday of December, with a choir and the Lord Mayor of Westminster doing the honours. It is decorated the Norwegian way, plain vertical strings of white light rather than baubles, which is why it looks more dignified than anything on Oxford Street. Go on a clear evening, ideally midweek, and have a carol singer or two for company. It stands until Twelfth Night. The Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree, Carols at the Royal Albert Hall and Skate at Somerset House lead the guide, with 6 places in total, all chosen on merit.
How does Lamplit London choose its recommendations?
Every place is chosen on merit, after first-hand visits where possible, with no pay-for-placement. Read our full method at https://www.lamplitlondon.com/how-we-choose/.
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