Fun Stuff To Do In London At Christmas

London knows how to do Christmas. It doesn’t just switch on the lights and hum along to Mariah; it transforms. Streets sparkle, bars fill with laughter, and even the most hardened commuter finds themselves smiling at a busker on Oxford Street. The city takes a breath, glows for a month, and invites everyone to play.

But with so many festive things happening across town, the question isn’t what to do, it’s where to start. London at Christmas can be dazzling, but also overwhelming — one moment you’re sipping mulled wine in Covent Garden, the next you’re lost in a queue for an overhyped light trail.

So, here’s a guide to doing it properly: the best, most fun things to do in London this Christmas. Whether you’re plotting a festive night out with friends, a team get-together, or an excuse to wear that jumper with too much tinsel, these are the places that deliver cheer without the cringe.

And yes — we’re starting where the Christmas spirit is both competitive and contagious.

1. Sixes Social Cricket

Let’s be honest: a little friendly competition makes everything better. Especially when the drinks are flowing, the music’s good, and nobody’s taking themselves too seriously. That’s the magic of Sixes Social Cricket.

It’s part bar, part restaurant, part cricket simulator — but mostly, it’s pure festive chaos in the best possible way. You grab a bat, step into the nets, and swing at digital bowlers projected on screen. Whether you connect with the ball or miss completely, the crowd cheers anyway.

Groups huddle around the tables between turns, cocktails in hand, watching their mates either channel Ben Stokes or utterly disgrace themselves. The food’s proper — sharing plates, burgers, snacks that hit the sweet spot between comfort and craft — and the vibe lands somewhere between “sports night” and “really good party you didn’t want to end.”

Sixes is the kind of place that turns an ordinary December night into an instant story. You go for the laughs, stay for the cocktails, and leave with a new office legend who “definitely scored the highest.” The perfect festive night out — fun, easy, slightly competitive, and very, very London.

2. Southbank Winter Market

Every year, the Southbank transforms into a riverside wonderland: wooden chalets, fairy lights, the scent of mulled wine drifting through the cold air. You wander past stalls selling everything from artisan chocolates to questionable knitwear, then pause for raclette bubbling on the grill.

There’s something gloriously nostalgic about it all — festive without being fussy. You can stroll, snack, people-watch, and warm your hands on a paper cup of hot cider. It’s simple, it’s beautiful, and it’s the kind of Christmas that doesn’t need a filter.

3. Ice Skating at Somerset House

Even if you can’t skate, you should. Somerset House under lights is one of London’s great winter sights — a neoclassical courtyard turned into a glittering rink with music, mulled wine, and the occasional gentle tumble.

There’s something cinematic about gliding (or wobbling) through the open air with the city glowing around you. Go in the evening, when the lights shimmer and the DJs spin. Afterward, find a drink nearby and toast to the fact that nobody broke anything.

4. Christmas at Kew Gardens

If you like your Christmas with a touch of spectacle, Kew’s light trail is non-negotiable. It’s stunning — mile after mile of illuminated installations, laser shows, and tunnels of light winding through the trees.

It’s the perfect balance of wonder and calm: enough magic for the kids, enough atmosphere for adults pretending not to be impressed. Bring gloves, wear good shoes, and let yourself be quietly dazzled.

5. Pub Lunches That Feel Like Hugs

Sometimes, the best Christmas activity is a long lunch that turns into an evening. London’s pubs come alive in December — fires roaring, fairy lights twinkling, and roast potatoes crisp enough to restore your faith in humanity.

Go traditional with The Churchill Arms in Kensington (famous for its frankly outrageous Christmas décor), or find a corner table at The Spaniards Inn in Hampstead. Order a Sunday roast, add a pint, and accept that you’ll be there for hours.

6. Winter Wonderland, Hyde Park

Yes, it’s busy. Yes, it’s chaotic. And yes, it’s absolutely brilliant when you lean into it. Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland is part fairground, part Christmas village, part fever dream — and you need to experience it at least once.

There’s roller coasters, ice bars, Bavarian halls with oompah bands, and more food stalls than you’ll ever manage to sample. Go with friends who appreciate both the irony and the fun, grab a stein, and let the lights do their work. It’s not subtle, but then again, neither is Christmas.

7. Covent Garden at Night

Covent Garden is London showing off — cobbles, giant baubles, street performers, and a 60-foot tree that seems to glow from within. The entire square becomes a stage set, and somehow, it never feels overdone.

It’s ideal for an evening wander: hot chocolate in hand, brass band in earshot, that odd feeling that maybe you’re in a Richard Curtis film. If you catch the snow machines at the right time, it even looks convincing.

8. Borough Market Festive Food Crawl

Few places in London capture the sensory overload of Christmas quite like Borough Market. It smells like heaven — roasting chestnuts, melted cheese, freshly baked mince pies — and every stall is a temptation.

Gather a few friends and turn it into a self-guided tasting tour. A bite of cheese here, a cup of mulled wine there, a dangerously rich brownie to finish. You’ll leave full, happy, and mildly smug about how you’ve “done Christmas properly.”

9. See a Classic Christmas Film at an Old Cinema

There’s something unbeatable about watching Love Actually, The Holiday, or Home Alone on the big screen surrounded by strangers who all know the lines. London’s independent cinemas do it best — Picturehouse Central, Electric Cinema in Notting Hill, or Everyman Hampstead with its velvet seats and wine service.

It’s cosy escapism, pure and simple. Two hours of nostalgia, snacks, and the collective warmth of people who’ve already forgiven themselves for quoting Hugh Grant.

10. Carol Singing at St Martin-in-the-Fields

If you want something with genuine heart, go for carols at St Martin-in-the-Fields near Trafalgar Square. The church’s candlelit concerts are quietly stunning — voices rising through the nave, audience joining in softly.

It’s a reminder that not everything about Christmas has to flash or jingle. Sometimes, standing still in a beautiful space is more than enough.

11. Christmas Shopping in Liberty London

Shopping doesn’t sound like fun until you’re standing in Liberty under those timber beams, surrounded by ornaments, fabrics, and that famous scent of understated luxury. The store is practically made for December.

Even if you’re just browsing, the building itself feels festive. The wooden galleries, the twinkling decorations, the slightly eccentric grandeur of it all. You go in for a candle, leave with a scarf, a chocolate bar, and a vague sense that you live in a Nancy Mitford novel.

12. Lights on Regent Street and Carnaby

You don’t need an itinerary for this one. Just walk. Regent Street’s angels still take your breath away, and Carnaby always gets the brief — playful, irreverent, brilliant.

Bring a camera, or don’t. The real joy is in the stroll: the chatter, the cold air, the city quietly showing off. Finish with a drink somewhere along Kingly Court and feel very pleased with yourself.

13. Afternoon Tea, but Make It Festive

Afternoon tea in London is a year-round institution, but at Christmas, it becomes something close to theatre. Sandwiches, scones, cakes, all dressed up for the season.

The Rosewood does a particularly charming version, Claridge’s is iconic, and Sketch in Mayfair goes full fantasy. If you prefer somewhere relaxed, try the Dalloway Terrace near Bloomsbury — fairy lights, good tea, no fuss.

14. A Night at the Theatre

Nothing says London Christmas quite like the West End lit up in gold. Whether you’re after The Nutcracker, a Christmas pantomime, or something classic like Les Misérables, the city’s stages deliver in December.

Book early, grab a pre-show dinner somewhere near Covent Garden, and make an evening of it. There’s something profoundly cheerful about joining a crowd all dressed for the same shared story.

15. A Rooftop Bar in the Cold (Trust Us)

Winter rooftops have become a London specialty — blankets, heaters, fairy lights, and cocktails strong enough to warm even the iciest hands.

Aviary near Moorgate does winter igloos with skyline views; Pergola Paddington turns into a snow-covered cabin village; and Madison’s terrace by St Paul’s never fails for drama. Layer up, order something sparkling, and enjoy the city from above.

16. Explore the Christmas Displays in the Hotels

The city’s grand hotels treat Christmas as a competitive sport. Step inside Claridge’s, The Connaught, or The Lanesborough just to see the decorations. You don’t have to be staying — wander in for a cocktail, admire the tree, pretend for a moment that this is your regular haunt.

It’s pure escapism and entirely acceptable behaviour in December. The staff will smile knowingly; they’ve seen it all before.

17. Boxing Day Walk on Hampstead Heath

After the indulgence, fresh air. Londoners have been walking Hampstead Heath on Boxing Day for generations, and with good reason. The view from Parliament Hill on a crisp winter morning is pure poetry.

Bring coffee, good boots, and company. End at The Flask for a pint by the fire and the smug satisfaction of having done something wholesome.

How to Do Christmas in London Properly

The trick to London at Christmas isn’t doing everything — it’s doing the right things. The ones that make you laugh, pause, or feel quietly delighted to live (or at least be) here.

For some, that’s watching the lights come on across the river. For others, it’s a perfect roast in a corner pub. And for many — sensibly, it must be said — it’s an evening at Sixes, laughing between innings, pint in hand, forgetting entirely about the end-of-year email mountain.

Because London at Christmas isn’t about grand gestures. It’s about moments — shared, surprising, a little bit silly, and completely your own. The kind of nights that start with “just one drink” and end in a round of applause for someone who somehow scored 89 runs on their first go.

So yes, there’s plenty to do this season. Go see the lights, skate badly, eat too much, sing too loud. But make sure, somewhere in the middle of it all, you gather your people, pick up a bat, and let the laughter do the work.

Because the most fun thing to do in London at Christmas?

It’s the activity bar.And of course — Sixes.