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In the shopping rush before Christmas,
visitors swamp London. If you are one of the
brave (or senseless) who will fight the Oxford street crowds this December, here are some other Christmas activities that will give you a rest from the mayhem.
Lights
Many streets and squares around London are now decorated with Christmas lights (and with the sun gone around four you’ll have plenty of opportunity to see them). The most famous of these displays is Oxford Street, but my personal favorite is Covent Garden.
The Tree
Every year a giant Norwegian tree is decorated in Trafalgar Square. This year the first lighting will be 6 Dec., at 6:30 p.m. Various evenings will feature carolers singing around the tree from 5 to 9.
The Nutcracker
No Christmas season would be complete without it, and here in London you have a choice of two:
Royal Opera House (Covent Garden tube)
Phone 020 7240 1200
Performances take place 22 Dec.-21 Jan.
London Coliseum (Charing Cross or Leicester Square tubes)
Phone 020 7632 8300
Performances take place 19 Dec.-20 Jan. Swan Lake and mixed programs are also being shown over this period.
Other Christmas Performances
Raymond Gubbay Presents 16 Seasonal Concerts
Barbican Hall – Christmas Festival 2000
Phone 020 7638 8891
Performances between 14 Dec. and 1 Jan. Features 16 different performances, ranging from classics by candlelight to opera to gospel to swing to Gilbert & Sullivan. See website for further details.
Royal Festival Hall (Waterloo tube)
Phone 020 7960 4242
Performances 11 & 14 Dec. at 7.30 p.m. A program of Christmas music performed by the BBC Orchestra, including excerpts from The Nutcracker and The Sleigh Ride as well as carols for the audience.
Two Thousand Christmases
Jermyn Street Theatre (Picadilly Circus tube)
Phone 020 7287 2875
Performances daily, 18-22 Dec. at 1 p.m. An assortment of Christmas poetry, prose and songs.
Dickens
Royal Festival Hall (Waterloo tube)
Phone 020 7960 4242
Performances including music and dance take place 21 Dec.-6 Jan.
(Russell Square tube)
Phone 020 7405 2127
His house will be decorated for Christmas throughout the month of December. Please note that Christmas at Dickens’ House, advertised in some tourist brochures, will not take place this year. However, the house is still decorated (the extra money only got you a mince pie and glass of punch anyway).
Charles Dickens’ Christmas Carol &
Seasonal Traditions Walking Tour
(Tower Hill tube)
Walking tours with The Original London Walks take place 10, 17, & 24 Dec. at 10:45 a.m.; 3 Dec. at 2:30 p.m.; and 26 Dec. at 2 p.m.
The Christmas Day Charles Dickens’ London Walk
25 Dec. at 2pm, meet in Trafalgar Square by Christmas Tree.
Dickens Christmas Festival Explorer Day
2 Dec. at 9:30am, Charing Cross rail station. A full-day excursion by The Original London Walks, featuring a morning and afternoon walk.
Knightsbridge tube
Phone 020 7330 1234
From 6 Dec. Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p m.; Christmas Eve, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. This year’s holiday theme is "The Magic of Christmas," and the store has been transformed as only Harrods could be.
Weird Stuff
Great Christmas Pudding Race
Covent Garden Piazza (Covent Garden tube)
Phone 020 7404 8760
2 Dec., race is at 11:30 a.m., but festivities will last all day.
Celebrities in costumes will race around the East Piazza, while carrying puddings on trays. Strange, but no doubt entertaining.
The King’s Medieval Christmas
Tower of London (Tower Hill tube)
27-31 Dec., 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Christmas celebration at the Tower will feature performers in period costumes providing music and merriment.
Christmas Theme Walking Tours
The following are all with The Original London Walks, but no doubt other London Walking tour companies have their own Christmas walks as well. (All walks meet at tube station and cost £5. Phone 020 7624 3978 or 020 7794 1764.
Charles Dickens’ Christmas Carol and Seasonal Traditions
(See above for details.)
The Christmas Customs Pub Walk
21 Dec. at 7 p.m., St. Paul’s tube.
A Christmas Literary Pub Walk
23 Dec. at 7:15 p.m., and 27 Dec. at 7 p.m., Holburn tube.
The Christmas Eve Pub Walk
24 Dec. at 7 p.m., Embankment tube.
The Christmas Morning Old Palace Quarter Perambulation
25 Dec. at 11 a.m., meet in Trafalgar Square by Christmas Tree.
The Christmas Day Charles Dickens’ London Walk
(See above for details.)
A Christmas Treasure Hunt (One for the kids)
30 Dec. at 2:30 p.m., Monument tube (children under 15 free if with adult).
The London Illuminated Pub Walk (Festive lights, festive cheer)
30 Dec. at 7:15 p.m., Embankment tube.
Explorer Days
The Original London Walks also offers "Explorer Days," which are full-day excursions featuring a morning and afternoon walk. Prices are £10, plus rail fare and admission fees.
Dickens Christmas Festival
2 Dec. at 9:30 a.m., Charing Cross rail station.
Hampton Court & Tudor Christmas Festivities
30 Dec. at 10:15am, Waterloo rail station.
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