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Earlier, quieter, tantrum-dodging fireworks nights in or near London 2024 Fireworks sound like the perfect family experience. But the reality is often tired and grumpy children, wailing or sleeping through zingers and screaming at the bangers. So hurrah to our best kids fireworks displays below, which all offer earlier , tantrum-dodging displays, in or near London, with many providing quieter fireworks, plus kid-pleasing entertainment , from face-painting and fairground rides to kid’s performers. There are also plenty of hot toddies to warm and loosen up the grown-ups. BOOM. _______________ Battersea Park Fireworks Family Night Fireworks = Good. Tired, grumpy children after an 8pm display = Bad. Enter stage left, Battersea Park Fireworks with their special Family Night on 3 November . The event kicks off at a much more tantrum-friendly 5pm, with fireworks at 7pm. And as well as food and drinks, there will be an Octonauts adventure, a kid's disco in the Big Top, rides in Whizzbang Wonderland; face-painting performers and an extraordinary show, set to music, by the team behind London's annual NYE show. Battersea Park Fireworks , London SW11 4NJ. 3 November. 5pm. £13.10 per adult. £8.80 per child. Under 5s go free Coram’s Field, Bloomsbury Not only is this fireworks show brilliantly early - the event kicks off at 3.30pm with fireworks at 6pm - it is also free . The seven-acre Bloomsbury spot hosts its annual, family fireworks event on 5 November,  with food stalls, dance and musical performances, and a mini funfair alongside the sky sparkles. Coram’s Fields , Guildford Street, 5 November. Free Beckenham Fireworks in the Park This family-friendly firework stalwart has been exploding since 1946 and offers a quieter, earlier display for young children at 6pm, followed by a main display at 7.45. Both are set to music. There will be 18 food stalls offering everything from Malaysian Blue Rice Bowls and Polish sausage Hot Dogs to Churros and chocolate. And rides will run from doors opening at 4.30pm until the end of the display. Beckenham Fireworks. Croydon Road Recreation Ground (Beckenham Rec) 319 Croydon Rd, Beckenham. November 2nd. Doors open 4. 30 pm , quiet display at 6pm, full display at 7.45. Tickets £15 per aduls, £5 per child (5-14) Dulwich Fireworks Display These guys have their zingers lit specifically for little ones. This family event is just one pound for kids under 16, and kicks off at 5pm with mulled wine, real ale (for the kids’ plus ones) plus live musical performances of popular kiddie songs as well as adult bangers. There’s a barbecue, burgers, Indian, pizza and kids’ stalls and an early 7pm display. Boom. Dulwich Fireworks. Dulwich Sports Club, Giant Arches Road, London, SE24 9HB. Adults £12.50. £1 for under 16s. 5pm-7.30. 2 November Morden Park Fireworks Display Not only does this bad-boy kick off at a brilliantly child-pleasing 5.15pm with fireworks at 6.45pm, set to music. There is also a funfair, food and drink stalls, plus a second show for older banger fans, with louder displays. Morden Park Fireworks , Morden Hall Roa, London, SM4 5JD. £9 per adult. £6.50 per child. Under 4s go free. 2 November. 5.15pm to 10pm Fireworks Spectacular at Kent Life Heritage Farm On 2 and 3 November Kent Life will launch its farmy, family firework behemoth. Kicking off at a much more civilised 3pm, kids can enjoy the bulging activities at the farm, from indoor and outdoor play areas, tractor rides, vintage buildings, and animal feeding sessions. Then they can launch themselves into fairground rides, glow sticks (a licensed bar for the adults - boom) and an early 6pm fireworks display. Kent Life Fireworks Spectacular , Kent Life, Lock Lane, Sandling, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 3AU. 2 and 3 November. £18 adult. £15 children (2-15). Under 2s go free. Doors open at 3pm, fireworks at 6pm Like what you've read? Why not follow us on Instagram?

Meet Father Christmas on boats, trains, biomes, caves and secret woodland worlds Although his job mostly involves sitting in a chair and being jolly until The Big Night, Santa does have to park that juicy, red behind into a lot of grottos each December. And if you’re overwhelmed by the choice of Santa tête-à-têtes, Time Well Spent ’s elves have rounded up the UK's best Santa experiences for you, from meetings in extraordinary, elven worlds to magical portals to follow festive wishes and meet the Big Guy, snowy, three-day experiences, trains, boats, underground caves, pods 450 ft above beaches and tropical biomes. It's all below-ho-ho. __________________________________ Lapland UK Read our review Pure Christmas magic, which leaves visitors of all ages in no doubt that Father Christmas exists and resides within the ancient elven civilisation at Lapland UK . This extraordinary, immersive experience starts when your child opens the icy cold, wax-sealed invitation from the Big Guy, inviting them to Lapland to help the elves make their toys. Deep in Ascot's snow-covered, Enchanted Forest, the elf folk present the Small People with special elven passports, enabling entry through the secret doorway to Lapland, where they will discover a jaw-dropping world full of elven characters, the toy factory, real reindeer and huskies, Mother Christmas’s Kitchen, The Elven Village complete with ice rink, elf emporium, restaurant and Elva’s Post Office for a magical, four-hour experience in an astonishingly detailed and sprawling world. Finally, deeper in the forest, past the magical sleigh, they head to Father Christmas’s wooden cabin and see their own names handwritten on the Good List, before meeting St Nick himself, in front of a roaring fire - he knows plenty about each child and will present them with a toy and a special bell, only awarded to his best elves. Lapland UK , Whitmoor Forest, Swinley Rd, Winkfield Row, Ascot SL5 8BD. Tickets from £59 pp in November and from £89 pp in December. Opens on 9 November until 24 December Santa Breaks at Aviemore Resort Three days brimming with Christmas magic, including the UK’s only free-range reindeer herd, Santa’s grand arrival, real snow, plus a visit to his woodland grotto and elves’ workshop. There is also a Christmas panto, festive family movie pass, a gaggle of daytime and evening Christmas entertainment. And on top of that, there’s a hearty Scottish breakfast each morning, special, festive dining experiences every day and splash fun in the indoor pool with flume and wave machine. Magical Santa Weekends , Macdonald Aviemore Resort, Highland Resort, Aviemore, Inverness-shire, PH22 1PN. Select dates between 29 November - 23 Dec Father Christmas at The Eden Project There are few places as other-worldly and exciting as the Eden Project, so it’s no surprise that Father Christmas has set up camp there this December. Little ones can meet him and his newest helper Elfie, who is fresh out of Elf Training Camp. Elfie is keen to help, but accidentally causes havoc. Children discover how he learns to be brave and teams up with Father Christmas to deliver a Christmas miracle. During each 40-minute session, kids will check out Santa’s Eden camp, including elf bunk beds, bedside stories and letters from children before meeting Father Christmas himself, leaving with a storybook of Elfie's adventures, plus a chocolate treat. Eden Project. Bodelva, Cornwall, PL24 2SG. Select dates from 22 November - 24 December. From £12-£16 for a child with one adult plus admission. Take Europe's Steepest Cable Railway to Santa's Zipmas Grotto For a grotto experience with a difference, head to Zipmas at Zip World , North Wales, which can only be accessed via Europe’s steepest cable railway. Santa’s grotto is so special and secret, it can’t be reached by foot, so you must descend deep below ground on a special cable car, surrounded by twinkling lights. On arrival, you will encounter three magical chambers, housing a light maze, Santa’s Workshop and beautifully lit tunnels to the final chamber, where the Big Man will be awaiting you in his cost cabin, warmed with his log burner. You can also meet the elves, create slate baubles, or have a go at Zipmas’s Grotto Golf experience – the world’s only adventure golf set in a cave. Zipmas , Llechwedd, Blaenau Ffestiniog LL41 3NB. 22 November - 24 December. From £20 per adult, £23 per child Santa in the Sky at Brighton i360 Father Christmas is very at home in the sky - after all, he spends most of Christmas Eve up there on his sleigh. So he’s inviting families to visit him and his elves 450ft above Brighton beach inside the Brighton i360 glass pod. It includes a 25 minute pod journey, meeting with Santa and a gift for every child. Afterwards, you can also enjoy a festive themed cream tea in their beachfront building. Brighton i360 , Lower Kings Road, Brighton, BN1 2LN. Tickets £6.85 - £12.95 per child. £19.95 per adult Santaland at Winter Wonderland The capital’s annual, Christmas mecca returns for its 16th year on 17 November with an entire land dedicated to the big guy himself. Santaland has kid-friendly rides, the Santa Express Train and the chance to meet the Father Christmas, as well as firepits for marshmallow toasting, the apline, Explorer’s Rest and a Santaland Chill Out area for little ones.The event includes a Magical Ice Kingdom made from more than 500 tonnes of ice and snow, plus an apres ski ice bar; ice rink, a real ice slide; wintry Cirque Berserk circus show; Zippos Christmas Circus Show, ice sculpting workshop; open air Christmas markets and a Bavarian Village. There are rides for all ages, from Ice Mountain to a ride around a Christmas tree in giant baubles. Hyde Park Winter Wonderland , Hyde Park, London. 21 November - 5 January. Off peak tickets are free and peak tickets are £7.50 Santa's Winter Wonderland at Snowdome Play and slide in a real snow wonderland, complete with sledges, snow slides, snow tubes and proper, falling snow. Then join Santa and friends for their all new, Santa in Wonderland stage show. Explore Santa’s Village, meeting his real , furry animal friends before finally visiting the Big Man’s home and leaving him a letter in the magical, talking post box. SnowDome , Leisure Island, River Drive, Tamworth, Staffordshire, B79 7ND. 16 Novemnber- 5 January Santa's Special Trains - Epping Ongar Railway For turbo- Polar Express vibes (in Essex) head to the glorious Epping Ongar Railway to board Santa’s Special Train. Grab some festive drinks and nibbles and listen to the brass band while awaiting the magical train, then head over the footbridge for photos with the man in red and a view of the steam train’s grand arrival. Once onboard, children can write their letters to Santa and will be entertained by his elf friends, while waiting for Father Christmas to waddle through each carriage, meeting the children and giving them presents. Epping Ongar Railway , Station Approach, Chipping Ongar, Ongar, Essex, CM5 9BN. Select dates from 23 November to 24 Dec. The Father Christmas Experience at Marsh Farm Marsh Farm never disappoints in the Santa stakes. Small People must first head to the Elf Academy, where they will learn the crucial magic required to be inducted as honorary elves. Once they’ve received their elf passports, they stop off at Mother Christmas’ kitchen, for treats to fuel them through the adventure, which includes an audience with the Mr FC himself, a trip to the Teddy Bear market and a visit to Elfville’s Toy Shop, where they can exchange their Magical Snowy (elf dosh) for any toy on the shelves. This year, they have added rides, a Santa train and ice rink. Marsh Farm, Marsh Farm Road, South Woodham Ferrers, CM3 5WP. From 16 November to 24 Dec. Tickets from £30pp Christmas with Shrek For a swampy twist on the traditional grotto, head to Shrek’s Adventure, where the Big Green Ogre dons the famous red suit to take children on a festive, fairytale adventure from Far Far Away on a flying bus, guided by Donkey. They’ll encounter Puss in Boots, Pinocchio, Princess Fiona, Cinderella and the Muffin Man along the way, before their happily ever after, culminating in an audience with Santa Shrek for photos and sweet treats. Check out our Shrek’s Adventure review to find out more. Shrek’s Adventure tickets. Riverside Building, County Hall, Westminster Bridge Rd, London SE1. Dates TBC Chelsea Christmas Grotto Sloane Square’s Chelsea Christmas Grotto launches a new Christmas experience, in partnership with festival events juggernauts, Underbelly. Follow the Christmas trees to Santa’s fancy grotto - scented by luxury fragrance maison, Diptyque.The Big FC will read them a story in a 25 minute session and each child will receive a gift from his elves.Afterwards, the family can explore the winter wonderland, featuring festive food and drink, twinkling winter terrace and a Bavarian Curling Rink. Chelsea Christmas Grotto . Sloane Square, London SW1W 8EG. 19 November - 24 December excluding 18 and 24 December. Tickets £15pp. Noir Kringle - The Black Santa's Grotto Experience Amazingly, Noir Kringle is London’s only diverse Santa experience, launched in 2018 to give children and parents the opportunity to visit a magical Christmas grotto where Father Christmas and all of his elves are Black. Noir Kringle events have been sell out hits every year since, for families who value the importance of positive Black representation, inclusion, and diversity. Mr Kringle loves rum coke and sorrel for Christmas Eve and his cosy workshop is full of the sounds, smells, and spirit of Christmas that encapsulate Black British culture. Noir Kringle , Crooked Billet Yard, Shoreditch, London, E2 8AF. Dates TBC Set Sail with Santa If a Santa rendezvous on dry land doesn’t float your boat, perhaps a Santa boat will? Santa’s embracing some self care away from the North Pole on a cruise around Poole, and you can join him for some mulled wine, mince pies and carols while you sail around Brownsea Island, Sandbanks Peninsula, Studland Bay and more. Santa meanders around the boat, meeting the little ones and dishing out gifts. After leaving your 1.15 hour Christmas cruise, you can wander around the Quay and admire the Christmas tree and festive shops. Santa Cruise , The Quay, Poole BH15 1BQ. from 30 November -24 December. Tickets from £16pp Winter's Tail at Chessington World of Adventures Follow the jolly elves as they guide you through a snowy wonderland with real falling snow, to Santa’s cosy cabin for an audience with the Big Guy. Afterwards, children head to his Toy Workshop top explore where he builds his gifts and can choose their own present to take home. Kids can also help the elves make (and eat) festive treats in the Magical Cookie Kitchen as well as enjoying The Wild Christmas Panto and a host of live entertainment to get them in the Christmas spirit, from carols to audiences with Mrs Christmas to real reindeer. And on top of that, they can enjoy some family favourite rides, like Room on the Broom and Adventure Tree, as well as lions, gorillas, sharks and rays at the zoo and Sea Life aquarium. Chessington World of Adventures .Leatherhead Rd, Chessington KT9 2NE. 23 November - 31 December Like what you've read? Why not follow us on Instagram?

The Capital's Unmissable Art Shows this November 2024 November is filled with light (thanks to Anthony McCall) dark (hello Tim Burton and Serial Killers) and icons, from Marilyn and Barbie to Batman. There are also some brilliantly eccentric robot installations, Oasis exhibitions, trippy journeys through spiritual worlds, cartoonish hospitals and Japanese food art, among our top 16 London exhibitions this November, below: __________________________ Geumhyung Jeong: Under Construction Geumhyung Jeong’s brilliantly eccentric solo show sees the artist playing Frankenstein, performing with assorted disembodied robotic body parts, strewn around the gallery, to assemble, manipulate and perform choreographed parts alongside the animatronic creatures. ICA , The Mall, London SW1Y 5AH. Until 15 December. Tickets £6 pp Lost in Light Immersive light and sound installation giants - and the brains behind Four Tet’s immersive gig settings - Squidsoup have filled three floors of a 26,000 sq ft former Shoreditch rave venue with their best suspended light and soundscape installations. 118 Curtain Road, Shoreditch, London, EC2A 3PJ. Until 5 January 2025. Tickets from £23 per adult or £12 per child Batman Unmasked: The Exhibition Follow the Bat Signal and explore a never-before-seen collection of the Caped Crusader's original props, vehicles, and costumes. The new Batman exhibition has nine themed rooms, including the famous Wayne Manor library (and secret bookcase door) The Joker's Room and The Batcave. Batman Unmasked . 45 Wellington Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 7BN. Until 30 December. Tickets from £22 The World of Tim Burton We whispered Beetlejuice three times, and the UK premiere of The World of Tim Burton has been announced at London's Design Museum. Fittingly, the alchemist of whimsical goth horror’s exhibition launches just before Halloween, on 25 October, riding the crest of the hype-tsunami around the freshly released Beetlejuice 2 movie. The show will showcase his work beyond the silver-screen, as an illustrator, painter, photographer and author, as well as key collaborations with designers. Drawing from Burton’s personal archive and representing his creative output from childhood to the present day, this collection of drawings, paintings, photographs, sketchbooks, moving-image works, sculptural installations, set and costume design focuses on the recurrent visual themes and motifs found in Burton’s art and film worlds. This will be the final stop in a decade-long world tour for this exhibition and will be its only ever showing in the UK. The World of Tim Burton , Design Museum, 224-238 Kensington High St, W8 6AG. 25 October 25 2024 - 21 April 2025. Tickets from £19.69 pp, Kid’s £9.85 Serial Killer: The Exhibition Go behind the police tape, inside the dark minds of monsters like Dahmer, Manson and Bundy at Serial Killer: The Exhibition . Now open at The Vaults  beneath Waterloo Station, this exhibition features crime scene recreations in seven immersive rooms, audio stories, VR headsets and more than 1000 original artefacts which belonged to some of the most notorious serial killers from history, from John Wayne Gacy’s paintings to Dahmer’s glasses. As well as exploring their methodology, typologies and psychological profiles, you’ll discover how investigative techniques have evolved over the years and, crucially, take time to honour the victims, who are poignantly named and pictured in the exhibition. Serial Killer: The Exhibition - London. The Vaults, Leake St, London, SE1 7NN. Tickets from £21pp. Until 5 January Marilyn: The Exhibition Read our review This UK premiere will offer a rare and unprecedented glimpse into the private world of the silverscreen icon, when it opens for a limited run at Arches London Bridge this October.    From love letters, satin robes and timeless outfits to vintage shoes, make-up and accessories, this meticulously curated collection features 250 extraordinary objects from the exclusive private collection of Ted Stampfer, the world's largest collector of Marilyn's historical objects. The eternally fascinating, Hollywood superstar's most personal belongings were locked in storage for almost 40 years before being dispersed across the globe, after being released to the world’s biggest auction houses. Finally, this vast and extraordinary collection has been reunited for this show, revealing the woman behind the world’s most famous smile. Marilyn: The Exhibition . Arches, London Bridge,  8 Bermondsey St, London SE1 2ER. Until 23 February 2025   Looks Delicious! S hokuhin sanpuru  – the Japanese concept of placing unexpectedly realistic food replicas in restaurant windows - has been celebrated, in this feast for the eyes. Audiences can admire 47 of these skilfully-created models up close, with dishes ranging from Okinawan goya chanpuru  (bitter melon stir fry) to the indigenous Ainu ohaw (soup with salmon) from the northern island of Hokkaido. The free show explores the history, materials, processes and future potential of the craft. Japan House , 101-111 Kensington High St, London W8 5SA. Until 16 February. FREE Definitely Maybe: A View from Within The Oasis reunion didn’t get much attention, so to mark it, Town Hall Hotel is showing a FREE exhibition of photographer Michael Spencer Jones' work with Oasis, including their first three album covers (including Definitely Maybe), as well as never before seen images of the band.  Town Hall Hotel, 8 Patriot Square, London E2 9NF. Until 31 December. FREE Turner Prize 2024 Work by the four shortlisted Turner Prize artists will go on display from 25 September , ahead of the 40th year of the awards ceremony, which has made stars of everybody from Damien Hirst to Grayson Perry. Delaine le Bas and Jasleen Kaur explore their Glaswegian Sikh and Roma heritages via immersive installations; Claudette Johnson examines the marginalisation of Black people in Western art, through striking figurative portraits, and Pio Abad reflects on colonialism, with drawings and sculptures of artefacts from Oxford museums. Tate Britain , Millbank, London SW1P 4RG. 25 September - 16 February 2025 Monet and London - Views of the Thames A world away from his water lilies and sunny gardens, Monet and London will realise the Impressionist’s unfulfilled ambition of showing this extraordinary group of paintings of London - just 300 metres from the Savoy Hotel where many of them were painted. They demonstrate that some of his most remarkable Impressionist paintings were made not in France but in London, depicting views of the Thames with his trademark light, atmosphere and radiant colour. The Courtauld Gallery, The Denise Coates Exhibition Galleries. Until 19 January. £16pp Barbie: The Exhibition The wonder doll (and society’s) evolution is charted in this luminous exhibition, which opened this month, to coincide with Barbie’s 65th birthday. Exploring her story through a design lens including fashion, architecture, furniture and vehicle design, her plastic-fantastic universe has engulfed the Design Museum, showing changing attitudes to women’s careers - Barbie has had more than 250 jobs -  race, sexuality, fashion and body image. Highlights include a rare first edition of the very first doll released by Mattel in 1959, the first Black, Hispanic and Asian dolls to bear the Barbie name, as well as dolls that reflect today’s diverse, multicultural society, including the first Barbie with Down Syndrome, the first to use a wheelchair, and the first to be designed with a curvy body shape. Design Museum, 224-238 Kensington High St, London W8 6AG. Until 23 February 2025. Adult from £14.38. Children from £7.19 Anthony McCall - Solid Light at Tate Modern The Godfather of immersive exhibitions, Anthony McCall brings his extraordinary, Solid Light show to Tate Modern on 27 June, inviting visitors to bring artworks to life through movements and interactions. Beams of light projected through a thin mist create large, three-dimensional forms in space, which slowly shift and change. As you move through these translucent light sculptures, you’ll create new, airy sculptures. Occupying a space between sculpture, cinema, drawing, and performance, McCall is known for his innovative installations of light. In 1973, his seminal work Line Describing a Cone redefined the possibilities of sculpture and this show is set to be the Tate’s next big blockbuster. Anthony McCall: Solid Light. Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG. Until 27 April 2025. Tickets £10 pp. Entheon at Illusionaries  Illusionaries , Canary Wharf's new multi-sensory art space, invites us on a journey through three immersive rooms and installations, designed to engage the senses through soundscapes, animation, projection and colour. The UK premiere of the Entheon show sees international artists Alex and Allyson Grey explore the human condition, with kaleidoscopic pieces, showing the interconnectedness of the physical and spiritual worlds. Alex and Allyson are also the co-founders of Chapel of Sacred Mirrors (CoSM), a non-profit organisation dedicated to fostering creativity, spirituality and contemplation through art.  Entheon . Illusionaries, Crossrail Pl, London E14 5AR. Until 30 November NAOMI in Fashion at V&A The V&A will transform into the ultimate catwalk for a celebration of supermodel Naomi Campbell’s 40 year career, from 22 June. The show features more than 100 stunning outfits as well as iconic shots by some of the world’s biggest photographers, telling her extraordinary story and celebrating her creative collaborations, activism and far-reaching cultural impact. Victoria & Albert Museum , Cromwell Rd, London SW7 2RL. Until 6 April 2025 Fragile Beauty  Sir Elton John and David Furnish are sharing their extraordinary private collection of more than 300 rare prints from over 140 photographers, for V&A’s new, summer blockbuster. The show features photographers including Cindy Sherman, Ai Weiwei and Robert Mapplethorpe and includes portraits of Marilyn Monroe and Miles Davis. It spans from the Fifties to the present day, covering the civil rights movement and AIDS activism to 9/11 and has eight themes, from the male body to fashion and celebrity. The show will be the gallery’s largest temporary exhibition of photography to date. Fragile Beauty : Photographs from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection in partnership with Gucci. Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Rd, London SW7 2RL.  Until 5 January 2025. Tickets £20 pp. The Vinyl Factory: REVERB The Vinyl Factory explores the intersection of art and sound with a major new multimedia exhibition at 180 Studios. Bringing together more than 100 artists and musicians working across visual arts, music, film and live performance, the show features 18 installations, including audio visual pieces and sonic experiences. There will also be a chill out space to listen to vinyl, plus live performances, talks and UK premieres of many ambitious new artworks. The Vinyl Factory , 180 Studios, 180 Strand, Temple, London WC2R 1EA.Until 10 November  Jason and the Adventure of 254 Artist Jason Wilsher-Mills presents his major (and FREE) solo exhibition, which transforms the gallery into a cartoonish hospital ward, full of surreal humour and kaleidoscopic colour, exploring his experience of becoming disabled as a child. The joyful show is perfect for all ages - you are invited to touch everything. Highlights include a giant installation of a figure in a hospital bed, Seb Coe with a TV for a head, huge calliper boots and penny arcade inspired dioramas. Wellcome Collection ,  183 Euston Rd, London NW1 2BE.  FREE. Until 12 January 2025 Like what you've read? Why not subscribe to our free, monthly newsletter?

Our Tried and Tested Guide to the Top Foodie Presents of 2024 Tis the season to eat, drink and be merry and we have sniffed out the BEST food and drink Christmas gifts for 2024. There's something for every budget and flavour of foodie, so stick a napkin down your jumper and dig in to our delicious guide. ___________________ St-Germain X Issy Granger Cocktail Carafe Set This stunning, limited edition cocktail set is a mic-drop of a Christmas present, for somebody you really love. The beautiful box has a swish drawer, which pulls out to reveal a wonderfully unique, handblown Issy Granger cocktail carafe, embazoned with dainty glass elderflowers, and inspired by the iconic St-Germain bottle. There is also a generous, 50cl bottle of dreamy St-Germain elderflower liquer, a bottle of Harvey Nichols Premier Cru Brut Champagne, a matt gold cocktail spoon and St-Germain recipe cards - we heartily recommend their famous Festive Spritz, a refreshing and suitably merry combo of St-Germain, fizz, lemon and soda water. The only downside is that it's almost too beautiful to use... although we're very glad we did. BUY FROM HARVEY NICHOLS . £95 The British Hamper Company - Artisan Celebration Hamper This is the ultimate hamper for foodies this Christmas, bulging with fizz, a candle and wonderfully curated, luxury sweet and savoury nibbles, from top artisan and independent producers. Presented in a beautiful ribbon tied gift box, it contains a bottle of excellent Ruggeri Prosecco Argeo, a Sea Breeze scented candle, dark chocolate mints, chocolate dipped almonds, sea salt and black peppercorn crunch, British Breakfast Tea, sweet and salty popcorn, bean to bar chocolate, lemon butter shortbread, all butter cheddar biscuits, Jalapeño and Lime nuts and rosemary and garlic olives. All the products are packaged beautifully and the award-winning quality of these producers is evident in every bite. The company is famous for its wide range of great value hampers, which include a Christmas hamper, brimming with festive treats. BUY FROM BRITISH HAMPER COMPANY. £100 Eleanor Bowmer Santa's Serve Platter 'Sleigh' your gifting this Christmas with the gorgeously kitsch Eleanor Bowmer Santa Serve Platter. Part of the 2024 Fabulously Festive collection, this stonewear serve platter features hand-illustrated moons, stars and a retro Santa design. It's finished with a golden rim for a Christmas table that will be merry and bright. It's also available in a matching gravy boat and saucer. BUY FROM ELEANOR BOWMER £40 Dexam Nutcracker Cake Stand It's a shame to put a cake on this stand, because it's pretty enough to eat. The sturdy ceramic stand is decorated with a beautiful Nutcracker design, featuring ballet dancers, the titular soldier toy, candy canes, Christmas trees and holly. This is part of Dexam's new Christmas collection, which includes a gaggle of whimsical Nutcracker items, from plates, mugs and jugs to table runners and napkins. BUY FROM DEXAM  £22 Instant Cold Brewer Coffee & Iced Tea Maker Instant Pot's ingenious Cold Brewer ia a game-changer, making bolder flavoured cold coffees in 20 minutes. We've been smashing out the cold brews, now we don't have to wait a day for them, thanks to its snazzy FlashExtractTM technology. It also works for loose tea leaves for iced tea, bubble tea, or even chai tea lattes. You can customise the brew strength and drinks have a more mellow and less acidic taste, which is not watered down with ice cubes. This gift will become their new best friend, trust us. BUY FROM INSTANTPOT . £79.99 Hokan Bowls We love these stylish, innovative and sustainable bowls, hard. The space saving sexpots can be stacked and used to prepare and cook food, as well as serving meals - the lid doubles as a side dish - plus saving and storing nosh. Available in three sizes and five colours - white, black, lemon, sea green and cobalt blue - they are too pretty to hide away in cupboards. We've put our Hokans through their paces, via ovens, microwaves, fridges and the hands of baking toddlers - and they are turbo robust and will survive us all. Perfect gift for a space-saving student keen for a multi-tasking tool or a chef maestro - Nigella swears by them. BUY FROM HOKAN BOWLS . From £24 Wonderland 12 Cocktails of Christmas This gift pack of easy but impressive cocktails is guaranteed to put the merry into Christmas. The 12 cocktails use Brewdog's spirits and are cunningly designed with extra space in the can, for the perfect shake and pour. The fizzy offerings in the box simply need to be chilled and poured. The treats include perfectly made classics, like the Mojito, Cosmo and Margarita along with some inspired twists on bar favourites, like their wonderfully festive Chocolate Orange Espresso Martini, or the Watermelon Margarita. No shaking, mixing, or messing up recipes, just perfect, bar-quality cocktails straight from the fridge - a lovely gift which will disappear worryingly quickly, if your recipient is anything like us... BUY FROM BREWDOG . £40 Della Vite Prosecco Rose The Delevingne sisters aren’t just pretty faces - on top of acting, singing and charity work, the trio has launched the hit vegan and sustainable Della Vite Prosecco. We sampled their newly launched DOC Treviso Rosé Prosecco Gift Set, which is the perfect Christmas gift for bubbly lovers. The 11.5% bottle comes in a fancy, embossed box and is fresh and fruity with a creamy texture. Its rhubarb and wild berry notes also make it the perfect base for a mean, sparkling Cosmo. Bottoms up. BUY FROM SAINSBURY’S . £21.50 Hydro-Herb Kits Pretty: Check. Eco-conscious: Check. Useful: Check. Fun: Check. Clever: Check. These gorgeous kits are made sustainably, using recycled wine bottles, cut and ground by hand. Each kit contains an organic, nutrient rich solution - which will last for around two years - to easily grow a range of herbs, including basil, coriander, mint, thyme and tarragon. Within seven days, our mint was beginning to sprout and by the second month, we were picking leaves for cooking. The full set of these would look gorgeous in the kitchen and they're the perfect gift for the cook in your life. All of the parts are either recycled, recyclable or biodegradable and were inspired by its clever founder's desire to eliminate the weekly walk of shame to the bottle bank - we'll drink to that. BUY FROM HYDRO-HERB . £25 Puerto De Indias Strawberry Gin Puerto De Indias are the OG, who invented strawberry gin and launched a whole new category. What's more, it's the only pink gin made with distilled strawberries. Fun Fact: It was created by a happy mistake when two Sevillian brothers macerated locally grown strawberries in alcohol - the fruit, alcohol and hot Seville summer led to the beginning of the flavoured gin revolution. It's a beautiful bottle to gift and a wonderfully different present for a gin-lover, with wonderful berry aromas and flavours, alongside fresh notes of citrus and juniper. BUY FROM MASTER OF MALT . £28 Leone Nutcracker Chocolates & Jellies We're all over the beautiful hat box tin that these festive goodies come in. Regardless of the contents, it's a gorgeous looking prezzie. Luckily, the prettily wrapped fruit jellies and chocolate ingots inside are delicious. A generous assortment of excellent Italian confestionary in a sexy, Christmas gift box. It's a yes from us. BUY FROM SOUS CHEF. £15 Height of Arrows Gin This award-winning new Scottish gin is a must for the Christmas lists of true, gin aficionados. All of it's flavour comes from one botanical ingredient - juniper. They add sea salt to add depth and beeswax for its uniquely silky texture. We loved its clean and fresh flavours of fresh pine, zingy citrus and balanced spice. It makes the perfect G&T and its complex flavours also make it a wonderful basis for a wonderful Martini, Gibson or Negroni cocktail. BUY FROM HOLYROOD DISTILLERY. £36 BODUM 1.5l Bean Set Cold Brew Coffee Maker Stone cold coffee for a stone cold legend - the perfect gift. These stylish cold coffee brewers come in a range of colours and use a snazzy French press system for smooth, naturally sweet iced coffees. Less acidic and bitter than coffee brewed the natural way, these cunning carafes have two lids - one to preserve taste and aroma, while brewing in the fridge, and a plunger lid. It was easy to use, made a delicious cuppa and easy to clean in the dishwasher, after use. We’ll drink to that. BUY FROM BODUM. £39.90 The Happy Pear 20 The twin Flynn brothers are back, with a brand new, plant-based recipe book this Christmas. It’s a gorgeous selection of more than 100 healthy, delicious recipes, powered by veg from the bestselling pair’s 20 years at their Happy Pear Cafe and brand, with a community of 2 million fans. And it’s the perfect gift for the foodie in your life, to kickstart the new year with healthy, planet-kind meals which are also delicious. The stylish book reimagines David and Stephen’s old classics and favourites, with some funny and insightful stories and lessons learnt during their two decades in the food industry.  BUY FROM AMAZON. £18.55 Italicus Rosolio dI Bergamotto This premium Italian apéritif is wonderfully versatile, perfect for winter cocktails, vegan and comes in a beautiful bottle, ticking all the boxes for gifting tipple-lovers. It has a refeshing citrus flavour, with delicate bergamot orange and floral notes. And we loved it in a Spritz, topped with bubbly and salty green olives. It also makes a fabulous Margarita twist, served with tonic and grapefruit soda. It's an impressive looking gift, with design nods to ancient Roman columns, while its base is shaped like a Bergamot fruit, and the marbled cap is inspired by Northern Italian gothic architecture. BUY FROM WAITROSE . £31.50 Microplane Black Sheep Truffle Shaver This is a sexy and versatile gift for the foodie in your life with an eye for design-led kitchenware. The shaver comes in a classy gift box with seven blades and a robust stainless-steel handle, frame and blade, coated with a scratch-resistant matt black PVD. We were amazed by how sharp the blades were - it's like cutting air and that's down to whizzy technology pioneered by Microplane more than 50 years ago. The blades and teeth cut effortlessly, without ripping or tearing and releasing the natural aroma of ingredients. It can be used on anyhting, from hard cheese, truffle and veg, to chocolate, nuts, ginger and coconut. BUY FROM BOROUGH KITCHEN  £49.95 Blue Sardine Knife Block Scale up your recipient's kitchen style with this fin-tastic sardine knife block. The chic and quirky holder has a retro style based on a giant tin of sardines in olvie oil. Cunningly, the plastic straw design means multiple knives of any size can be slid into it, without being hampered by a set number of pesky slots. We squeezed five knives into it and it's a gorgeous way to add some personality and colour to the kitchen counter. BUY FROM SOUS CHEF £25.99 Fever-Tree Christmas Crackers There isn't a nail-clipper or dodgy joke in sight in this cracker of a present. Each luxury cracker contains a miniature, quality spirit and the perfect mixer for a festive tipple. With their elegant design, they make the perfect, grown-up tree gift. Options include Rhubarb and Raspberry Gin and Tonic, Vodka Blood Orange Spritz, Tequila Mexican Lime Spritz and Rum and Ginger Beer. There are also non-alcoholic options and if you want to add some luxury Christmas spirit to the Christmas table, you can even buy boxes of four Perfectly Paired Gin Crackers, in assorted flavours. BUY FROM JOHN LEWIS . £9 Joe & Seph's Gourmet Popcorn & Truffles This dangerously addictive, handmade gourmet popcorn has won 100 Great Taste awards. The family business has launched a giant, star-shaped gift box for Christmas, filled with their greatest hits, from Salted Caramel Popcorn - our personal favourite - and Chocolate Yule Log to Caramel and White Chocolate. Their rich and boozy Espresso Martini caramel truffles are pure, Christmas gorgeousness. Made with fresh double cream, blended with 5% coffee liqueur and vodka, plus a shot of espresso in a velvety Belgian chocolate shell, they are pure heaven. BUY FROM JOE & SEPH'S . Espresso Martini Truffles £12.99. Very Merry Popcorn Selection £8 Banhoek Chilli Oil This is the perfect gift for the foodie in your life to spice up everything, from pizza and pasta to salads. This premium chilli oil enhances the natural flavours of your dish, without overpowering. It's gained a massive following in South Africa - it's made in the beautiful Banhoek Valley, in the heart of the Cape Winelands. And now it's making waves over here - we loved it in hearty soups and ended up adding it to stews and zingy potato salds - you can even make spicy lime and chilli cheesecake with it. BUY FROM AMAZON. £9.50 Angel's Dare Cocktails Gift Box Bring the bar to your cocktail-loving friend, with this delicious gift box. Few can muster the energy to whip up he perfect Martini, when weighted down with turkey, sprouts and stilton. Step forward, Angel's Dare, which has made these pretty presents, containing a Cheeky Wee Kiss, Maverick Martini, Secret Orchard and their non-alcoholic mocktail, La Bonnie Vita. Their mixology chief is Michael Crozier, a heavyweight in Scottish hospitality, and this is clear from the first, second and third sips - hic. And as the cocktail names suggest, they are proud of their Scottish heritage. BUY FROM ANGEL'S DARE . £25 Magibles Christmas Cracker Christmas can suck, with allergies - step forward Magibles, which has made a cracker of a gift to make sure they can also feast and be merry. They can be popped in the tree, around the dinner table or in a stocking and are filled with four packs of gluten, dairy and nut free goodies. There's one M*LK Chocolate, a HazelNOT and two Salted Caramels - our personal favourite. BUY FROM MAGIBLES. £10.99. GET A 10% DISCOUNT WITH THE CODE TIMEWELLSPENT10 Tracklemeats Christmas Collection Wiltshire condiment Kings Tracklemeats are a staple of Christmas feasts. And they've launched this shiny, new Christmas gift box, featuring their moreish Christmas Spice Chutney - Christmas in a jar - and our personal favourite, the Cranberry, Port and Orange Sauce, which cuts through rich meats like turkey and goose with its tingling tartness There is also a delicious Caramelised Onion Marmalade and Spiced Honey Mustard - all made with the highest quality, natural ingredients, handmade in small batches. Ding and very much, dong. BUY FROM WAITROSE. £13 Lily O'Brien's Christmas Desserts Collection Chocolates are the LAW at Christmas, and this selection transforms the best festive desserts into dreamy chocs. Each box contains 24 chocolates including; Berry Eton Mess, Dark Orange, Triple Chocolate Shot, Spiced Latte, Hazelnut Torte, Crème Brûlée, Banoffee, Raspberry Infusion and Lemon Posset. Our favourites were the Spiced Latte, which blends double roasted arabica bean coffee with spice and white chocolate, and the Banofee Pie - chocolate and crispies with banana infused caramel in milk and white chocolate topped with toffee pieces. BUY FROM LILY O'BRIENS . £12 Cavi-Art Vegan Caviar Looking for a luxe stocking filler for your fancy, vegan friend? Check out Cavi-Art Vegan Caviar. We love seafood and caviar is a special treat, but we were amazed by this cheaper and sustainable seaweed alternative. It looks the part and has the same pleasing pop and delicious, salty flavour. And it is an incredibly close substitute to lumpfish roe, cod roe or salmon roe to pop on your blini and surprise your friends. BUY FROM SOUS CHEF . £3.99 We have been gifted samples in order to provide honest and accurate tried and tested reviews. But we never feature anything we don't recommend Like what you've read? Why not subscribe to our free, monthly newsletter?

The Top Kid's, Food & Drink and Adult's Advent Calendars of 2024 Count down to Christmas with our guide to the most original and delicious advent calendars of 2024. From musical Gruffalo calendars, to advent doll's houses, luxury beauty calendars housed within jewellery boxes, gardener's calendars and hot chocolate treats, it's all here. __________________ KIDS The Gruffalo Musical Advent Calendar This magical advent calendar plays three songs from The Gruffalo’s Child movie, while magnetic characters dance on its ice rink, in front of a wintry forest backdrop. Open the doors to reveal pop-up scenery, stickers and three skating figures (Gruffalo, Gruffalo Child and snake) for the Music Box base as you count down to Christmas. It’s also filled with 3D pop-up card models and a range of stickers to decorate the festive scene. BUY FROM DANILO. £24.49 Polly Pocket Advent Calendar This wonderfully original advent calendar is housed in a giant pink gingerbread house playset, with numbered doors opening up to 25 different Christmas rooms in the house, filled with festive surprises to play with. The set houses 24 toys, from Christmas trees to cake rings, snowmen and furniture. There are also two dolls to live in the calendar house and the best bit is that it can be played with all-year round. BUY FROM JOHN LEWIS. £14.69 Pokemon Advent Calendar This fabulous Pokemon Holiday Calendar by Jazwares is bulging with 16 Battle Figures and eight accessories, for a festive Pokemon toy for every day of the Christmas countdown . All Battle Figures have a pearlescent finish that is exclusive to this calendar. It’s comes in a lovely, sturdy advent box and is the perfect way for little Pikachus to count down to the big day. BUY FROM JOHN LEWIS . £24 Pinball Machine Advent Calendar This planet-friendly, limited edition Pinball Machine Advent Calendar by Build Your Own has pieces and instructions behind each door on the countdown to Christmas. Over December, you will gradually assemble the pieces to construct a fully functioning Pinball Machine that the whole family can enjoy on Christmas Eve and beyond. Load your swirly glass marbles into the spring-loaded launcher and let the game begin. Will your marbles whizz along the top ramp or spin around the vortex cone? Use the elastic-band powered flippers to keep your marbles in play for as long as possible and get the highest score. There are five targets to aim for in this fast-paced action-packed game, which is easy to assemble using slot together techniques, with no glue, no mess and no fuss. BUY FROM BUILDYOUROWN £19.99 GROWN-UPS AYU Cosmetics Advent Calendar This stunning advent calendar doubles as a beautiful, velvet lined jewellery box with mirror  and pull out drawer, and houses 12 full-sized AYU Cosmetics products. On each day in the twelve night countdown, you will discover numbered boxes containing full size luxury gifts like Illuminating Face Cream, Glamour Lengthening Mascara, Liquid Blush (Pink or Peach), Cream Shadow Stick, Concealer Brush, Buffer Foundation Brush, Lip Gloss, Lip Balm (New & Exclusive), Kajal Eye Pencil, Eye Shadow Palette, Individual Eyeshadow, Brush Soap (New & Exclusive). You also have peace of mind, knowing that make-up artist Suzie O’Neill’s award-winning brand is fully vegan, never tests on animals and only uses wood from regenerated forests for the handles of their brushes. A truly stunning countdown to the big day. BUY FROM AYU COSMETICS. £127.73 Bimble & Bolt Runners Advent Calendar Perfect for passionate runners, park run joggers and fitness lovers of all kinds, this advent calendar sells out every year. It's bulging with the team’s brand-new Soft Stepper running socks, along with a mix of running accessories, energy boosters, hydration essentials, and snacks. With a total combined retail value of over £60, this calendar is packed with everything you need to elevate your runs.  BUY FROM BIMBLE & BOLT. £39.99 Yankee Candle Advent Book This gorgeous calendar is packed with 24 days of festive fragrances, hidden behind each door. It includes: Silver Sage & Pine, Cinnamon Stick, Wild Orchid, Amber & Sandalwood, Bayside Cedar, Vanilla Bean Espresso, Vanilla Cupcake, Black Cherry, Red Raspberry, Clean Cotton®, Spiced Banana Bread, and Soft Wool and Amber Accessory as well as a Constellation sliver plated glass Tea Light Holder. BUY FROM YANKEE CANDLE . £49.99 Border in a Box Advent Calendar The perfect Christmas countdown for green fingers, this unique calendar has 24 packets of seeds behind each door, containing a mixture of flowers, vegetables, herbs and even a Christmas Tree. The seeds have been selected to cultivate a diverse and vibrant garden, from fragrant herbs to colourful flowers, delicious vegetables and your own Norway Spruce tree. The pack contains twine to hang the 24, numbered seed envelopes, which feature a pretty, hand drawn wreath design, and 24 mini pegs. BUY FROM NOTONTHEHIGHSTREET £49.99 FOOD & DRINK Popcorn Shed Gourmet Popcorn Advent Calendars Popcorn Shed have two moreish advent calendars to pop open over December. The Signature Gourmet calendar has the beautiful festive design of a snow-capped, Popcorn Shed shop, bulging with 24 flavours, including Salted Caramel, Pop N Choc, Peanut Butter Caramel, Pecan Pie, Berry-licious and Cookies & Cream. The Vegan Gourmet calendar is equally delicious, in an emerald green box, festooned with  trees, crackers and holly and containing 24 treats, in Butterscotch, Cocoa Caramel, Cherry Pie, Gingerbread, Chocolate Orange and Christmas Pudding flavours. The only tricky part is limiting yourself to one window... BUY FROM POPCORN SHED. £25 Wonderland 12 Cocktails of Christmas This gift pack of easy but impressive cocktails is guaranteed to put the merry into Christmas. The 12 cocktails use Brewdog's spirits and are cunningly designed with extra space in the can, for the perfect shake and pour. The fizzy offerings in the box simply need to be chilled and poured. The treats include perfectly made classics, like the Mojito, Cosmo and Margarita along with some inspired twists on bar favourites, like their wonderfully festive Chocolate Orange Espresso Martini, or the Watermelon Margarita. No shaking, mixing, or messing up recipes, just perfect, bar-quality cocktails straight from the fridge - a lovely gift which will disappear worryingly quickly, if your recipient is anything like us... BUY FROM BREWDOG . £40 Cocoba Hot Chocolate Advent calendar An ingenious antidote to the traditional choccie calendar, this bad-boy contains an assortment of 24 hot chocolate bombes, spoons, and drinking chocolate flakes, all crafted from premium chocolate. It’s excellent value, in a chunky and suitably merry box, with everything you need to make the perfect, velvety winter cocoa. BUY FROM COCOBA . £62.95 TWG Tea’s The Twelfth Night Advent Calendar This luxurious calendar is a unique take on the advent countdown, with 12 of the finest teas included. The beautifully presented calendar is a gorgeous way to warm you through the countdown, with a dozen Christmas teas behind each door, including Christmas Jewel Tea; Magic Christmas Tea; Night in Paris Tea; Night in Shanghai Tea; and Night in New York Tea. BUY FROM TWG TEA . £70.98 We have been gifted samples in order to provide honest and accurate tried and tested reviews. But we never feature anything we don't recommend. Like what you've read? Why not subscribe to our free, monthly newsletter?

Remarkable Immersive Theatre and Victorian Banquet Experience Bursts with Christmas Spirit Even the steeliest Scrooges will wrap themselves in mistletoe and dispatch urchins to buy fat geese after experiencing The Great Christmas Feast , a remarkable immersive experience which combines theatre, cinematic live music, food, drink and blockbuster sets, loaded with festive magic. The Lost Estate’s critically acclaimed retelling of A Christmas Carol has sold out for the past six years, so our expectations are high, as we head through the red velvet draped entrance for its launch event, into snowy, cobbled Victorian streets and through the secret, Christmas tree-flanked front door into the home of Charles Dickens himself. The theatre and feasting space transports us to Christmas Eve in Victorian London, 1843. With 5000sq ft of sets made by Darling & Edge - the legendary immersive designers behind Gingerline, Secret Cinema and Crystal Maze - the story unfolds around us before the show begins. The room is vast, yet intimate, atmospherically lit by flickering table candles and dangling street lights. The festive smells of roast duck and mulled wine hang in the air; classical Christmas music sets the tone, we’re surrounded by Christmas trees, artfully piled old books with four stages dotted around us, featuring sets like Scrooge’s velvet bed or Charles Dickens’s desk. Our china tea cups are filled with mulled cider, quickly followed by excellent Victorian cocktails - I have the First Edition 1843 - a fresh, citric Piper-Heidsieck Brut Champagne, Cognac and Yellow Chartreuse long fizz - and my partner kicks off with an Old Curiosity, their festive take on the Old Fashioned, infused with toasted pecans, burnt orange and winter bitters. Then the gong sounds, the lights dim and Charles Dickens bursts into the room - actor Alex Phelps reprises this role, as well as Scrooge and 18 other characters in this powerful, one-man performance, which recognises Dickens’s famous solo readings of his works, with us playing the role of his specially invited audience to preview his new, ghostly Christmas tale, over dinner at his home. Phelps fizzes with energy and captivating charisma, taking over the entire space, bouncing between tables to share wine with diners, and leaping through characters, aided by clever sets, dramatic lighting, spine-tingling effects and extraordinary live music from acclaimed musicians, who are the beating heart of the experience. His youthful Dickens reimagines the stuffy, mutton-chopped character that many imagine, and is perhaps closer to the jolly philanthropist, and occasional magician that he was. Stand out moments include a beautiful scene, with Phelps as Ghost of Christmas Present, fanning snowflakes around himself as he spins around in a green velvet coat; or the dramatic lightning-lit moment, when he sees a terrifying glimpse of his future. Phelps artfully moves the audience, recreating the family mourning Tiny Tim and then fills the room with cheer, forcing the room to join a rowdy Victorian dance, or bringing up audience members to act out scenes with him - many diners are dressed in period attire for the occasion and most are in their Victorian best. The show is divided into three acts, with an extravagant Victorian course for each, provided by Dickens’s housekeeper Ursula, otherwise known as Executive Chef Ashley Clarke, who is known for his delicious work with Gordon Ramsay Group, Smokestak, and Temper Soho. These are masterful. We begin with an explosion of Christmas flavours, via a dreamy Ham Hock Terrine with Pickled Beets, Samphire, Chutneys and Pickles, mopped up with great, Dickensian hunks of malt and white sourdough with truffle and sea salt butter. This is followed by a rich and tender Confit Grassingham Duck leg, with flesh which falls from the bone. The artichoke purée, mulled cabbage, and duck jus trimmings are excellent, and the standout is the crispy and fluffy thyme and garlic roast potatoes, which our forks greedily fight over. I lack a sweet tooth, but seemed to grow several for the dessert - it’s a Christmas miracle. The Twelfth Night Cake is Christmas on steroids - crispy, gooey, bursting with brandy and accompanied by a sublime plum pudding ice cream. These are all washed down with a lovely Rioja from Dickens’ well stocked wine cellar. The production is outrageously ambitious and with so many balls in the air, you would expect (and forgive) them for dropping one. But this is not the case, they triumph in every element - from the theatre to the food, drink, atmosphere, music and sets. We reluctantly return to the cold, dark streets of West Kensington, warmed by the festive magic of Dickens's hospitality and brimming with Christmas spirits of every form. The Great Christmas Feast , 9 Beaumont Ave, London W14 9LP. Until 12 January 2025. Tickets from £105 pp Like what you've read? Why not follow us on Instagram?

Magical Light Trail Dials Up Christmas Spirit with Spectacular New Installations Leeds Castle has turned its Christmas dial up to 11 with its stunning light trail through its magnificent, 550-acre estate, blazing and twinkling with festive magic. We head to its launch, where we discover gingerbread men and fireworks exploding across the castle walls; winding paths of flaming flowers, shimmering in the water; sparkling tunnels, a field of light which dances to Christmas music; giant colour-changing lilies illuminating the lake and an otherworldly, lit waterfall. There are sparkling gingerbread men, leaping from trees; smoke and lasers that our children dance through; UV, neon bridges and giant Nutcrackers - in keeping with the theme of the castle’s new, immersive show. We warm up with mulled wines and hot chocolates, with pizza, crumble and custard at their fair and festive market area. The experience closes with marshmallow toasting around a fire pit, before a surprise meeting with Father Christmas himself, who awaits guests outside his cosy, wooden grotto at the close of the magical experience. It is even more beautiful than last year's light trail, with brand new installations and enough merry photo opps around each corner to melt your phone. Christmas is officially switched on. Christmas at Leeds Castle,   Leeds Castle, Broomfield, Maidstone ME17 1PL. 23 November to 1 January. Not included with admission ticket. Tickets from £22.50 pp and £16per child. Like what you've read? Why not follow us on Instagram?

With Chimney Experiences to Blow Santa's Mind, Skating, Festive Food and Entertainment, this might be London's Ultimate Christmas Destination Battersea Power Station has turned its Christmas dial up to 11 with this year’s Glide ice rink, plus luxury igloos, a glass apres ski lodge, rides, games, elf school, festive markets and the chance to hurry up its iconic chimney, for a sleigh's view over London’s festive twinkles. Giant candy canes welcome us, as we totter along Electric Boulevard towards the landmark, where we discover a 40 ft tree in Malaysia Square, exploding with 1,500 baubles, and a giant bauble installation bigger than a bus along the riverwalk. London’s only riverside ice rink has returned for its third season, set against the backdrop of the Grade II listed Power Station, with three interconnecting rinks and a suitably extra, 30-foot Christmas tree. The rink itself is straight out of a Richard Curtis Christmas rom-com, festooned with twinkling lights and swirling with couples or kids floating along with penguin aids. Away from the ice, we recommend a festive tipple at The Glass House, overlooking the river and station. Their Cointreau Christmas Margarita with cranberry sauce is our kind of Christmas spirit and the Hot Chocolate Orange is a big hit with the kids, who burn the sugar off, by hurtling around Glide’s Helter Skelter and Carousel. If you’re feeling particularly fancy, there are posh glass igloos - festooned with McQueen flowers, naturally - for fizz and a banging view of the Power Station. For us, the real wow factor is a chance to play Santa with a trip up the world’s most iconic chimney, Lift 109. The experience includes an immersive history exhibit, before stepping inside the glass elevator and whooshing up 109 metres to the top of the chimney, for extraordinary 360 degree views across London’s skyline. There are also a gaggle of seasonal events, from Santa’s School for Elves - a 25-minute experience inside the Big FC’s cosy yurt - to Christmas crafting workshops; festive food huts - check out their Chimney Cakes - and obviously, all the Christmas shopping and food your purse can handle, inside the station. It’s one of our ultimate London Christmas picks - amazing backdrop: check. Skating: check. Festive food and entertainment: check. Chance to get a Santa’s eye view above London: check, check, check. Battersea Power Station, Circus Rd W, Nine Elms, London SW11 8DD Like what you've read? Why not follow us on Instagram?

We journey through the lands of toys, sweets, snowflakes and flowers on a quest to rescue the Sugarplum Fairy Leeds Castle has been transformed into a magical, immersive Nutcracker experience, where we journey through the lands of toys, sweets, snowflakes and flowers on a quest to rescue the Sugarplum Fairy. The Nutcracker himself greets us at the grand, Christmas tree flanked doors to the castle, which is bulging with enough beautifully decorated trees to fill an enchanted forest. The installations and decorations are jaw-dropping and have the starring role in this reimagining of the festive classic, alongside live actors, playing the Sugarplum Fairy, the Nutcracker and the mischievous Mouse King. We shrink in Clara’s bedroom, where her giant toys come to life around us. There are life-sized musical jewellery boxes for our children to spin on like little ballerinas, with giant golden keys to twist in their backs. We rummage through fancy dress boxes for the children to join the Mouse King on his stage for photographs, dressed as mini Nutcackers. It’s a breathless romp through room after stunning room, with our children excitedly searching for clues and delighting at each new discovery. We discover bedrooms filled with gingerbread houses, snow and trees; enormous twinkling trees through the window in the cobbled courtyard and vintage toys beneath trees, ready for Christmas Day. Stunning chandeliers and Christmas trees constructed from tutus and ballet slippers herald our meeting with the Sugar Plum Fairy, in a magical room, festooned with giant candy canes, sweets, trees and twinkling lights. The experience culminates with a sword fight showdown between the Nutcracker and Mouse King, who is finally defeated. We leave this impossibly festive and cosy experience back into the cold night of the castle grounds, where the Nutcracker waves us off with a wink… was it all a dream? A Nutcracker Christmas , Leeds Castle, Broomfield, Maidstone ME17 1PL. 23 November to 5 January. Included with admission ticket, which also gives you access to Leeds Castle for a year Like what you've read? Why not follow us on Instagram?

Unmissable festive experiences, theatre, ice rinks, feasts and family events this Christmas 2024 Polish your baubles, unleash the shelf elves, frown at the orange cream Quality Streets and get out the novelty hats because it’s here… the MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR. Time Well Spent ’s elves have been gathering the UK's best Christmas events of 2024 and wrapping them up in a giant bow for you , from the top Christmas experiences and ice rinks to festive theatre and family fun this December. See why our excitement is as high as Santa's sleigh, by clicking the buttons below: ______________________ Best Christmas Events The Great Christmas Feast Read our review The Lost Estate’s critically-acclaimed, immersive theatre and dining experience, A Christmas Carol: The Great Christmas Feast is back, following six sold out years in a row. Guests will be transported to the home of Charles Dickens on Christmas Eve 1843, for three courses of extravagant Victorian feasts, while watching an immersive retelling of the ultimate festive ghost story, with cinematic live music and 5000sq ft of sets constructed by legendary immersive designers Darling & Edge ( Gingerline , Secret Cinema , Crystal Maze ). The Lost Estate, 9 Beaumont Ave, London W14 9LP. 8 November 2024 - 12 January 2025. Tickets £135-£265pp Hogwarts in the Snow Have a very Harry Christmas at the Hogwarts in the Snow studio tour, when the iconic Harry Potter sets are twinkling with Christmas lights and covered in a blanket of snow. The Great Hall will be decked in golden decorations from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, and you’ll find a banquet of turkeys and flaming puddings for the end-of-term Hogwarts feast. Learn the dance moves studied by Neville Longbottom ahead of the Yule Ball in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire , or how the invisibility cloak Harry Potter receives as a Christmas present was used to create the illusion on-screen. Then step into the Forbidden Forest , where the woodlands will be covered in snow, or stroll down Diagon Alley   with its snowy shop fronts and cobbled stones. Stop by the Christmas shop which has returned this year to provide you with a premium and exclusive selection of Christmas gifts, souvenirs, and stocking fillers. The experience ends with a walk around the Hogwarts Castle model, which is blanketed with snow. Hogwarts in the Snow , Warner Bros Studios, Studio Tour Dr, Leavesden, Watford WD25 7LR. 16 November - 19 January. Tickets from £56. Under 4s go free. Christmas at Kew The most festive botanical event this side of the moon kicks off on 13 November,  with Kew’s annual light behemoth. Discover glittering tunnels of light, dancing lakeside reflections and trees drenched in jewel-like colours. Warm up with flickering flames in the fire garden, wander beneath larger-than-life illuminations and keep your eyes peeled for Father Christmas along the way. Kew Gardens  has four entrance gates: Victoria Gate (TW9 3JR) Elizabeth Gate (TW9 3AB) Brentford Gate (TW9 3AF)13 November - 5 January. From £25.50 per adult. £16 per child. Children under 4 go free A Nutcracker Christmas at The Castle Read our review Rescue the Sugar Plum Fairy in Leeds Castle's reimagining of The Nutcracker festive classic, where toys come to life. In this festive journey through beautifully festive rooms, discover a whimsical doll house, and a rocking horse which awaken the mischievous Mouse King. The event culminates in a  showdown between the Nutcracker and the Mouse King, with live performers on weekends and during the school holidays. A Nutcracker Christmas , Leeds Castle, Broomfield, Maidstone ME17 1PL. 23 November to 5 January. Included with admission ticket, which also gives you access to Leeds Castle for a year. Christmas at Leeds Castle Read our review Leeds Castle has turned its Christmas dial up to 11 with its stunning light trail through its magnificent, 550-acre estate, blazing and twinkling with festive magic. We head to its launch, where we discover gingerbread men and fireworks exploding across the castle walls; winding paths of flaming flowers, shimmering in the water; sparkling tunnels, a field of light which dances to Christmas music; giant colour-changing lilies illuminating the lake and an otherworldly, lit waterfall. There are sparkling gingerbread men, leaping from trees; smoke and lasers that our children dance through; UV, neon bridges and giant Nutcrackers. The experience closes with marshmallow toasting around a fire pit, before a surprise meeting with Father Christmas himself. Christmas at Leeds Castle, Leeds Castle, Broomfield, Maidstone ME17 1PL. 23 November to 5 January. Included with admission ticket, which also gives you access to Leeds Castle for a year. Secret Santa's Giving Grotto Many children will wake up on Christmas morning without presents, food or even a bed to get out of. Action for Children is addressing this by launching the UK’s first Secret Santa’s Giving Grotto , where children give a gift rather than receiving one.  Unlike a traditional grotto, young visitors will step into the role of a Secret Santa, selecting a gift (from £5 teddies to books, toys, meals and warm clothes) that could help a vulnerable child. As parents make a donation, their child will choose a present which could help a vulnerable child feel the magic of Christmas.  When there, the parent or carer will be able to make a donation, helping to support the vital work Action for Children does all year round. For the children, once they have visited Santa, they will receive a special reward of a photo taken with Father Christmas, a ‘thank you’ letter, and a badge for their generosity.  BOOK NOW . 15 Bateman Street, Soho, London. 29 November (12.30 - 7pm) 30 November (10am - 7pm) Entry is FREE with a £5 deposit, allowing for a family up to five. The Elf on the Shelf® Christmas Adventure Our review The interactive Christmas adventure from The Lumistella Company’s The Elf on the Shelf® Santaverse™ will make its global debut at Bluewater in Kent from 16 November. Visitors will step through the Elf Door to the North Pole, where they will embark on an interactive, 25-minute adventure, to help the Scout Elves spread Christmas cheer. As well as making a wish at the wish-gatherer, challenges will include Christmas tree decorating and snowball throwing. Meanwhile Santa will be watching over the ‘Christmas Spiritmeter,’ a magical machine monitoring Christmas Spirit levels. Santa plans to drop into some sessions to encourage the children to complete all the challenges on their Christmas Spirit Checklists. Budding elves will collect stamps on their Christmas Spirit Checklist as they complete games and challenge, and each child will receive a gift. While there, guests can also visit Bluewater’s Ice Rink, the Winterland experience and The Giving Tree. The Elf on the Shelf Christmas Adventure , Upper Rose Gallery, Bluewater, Dartford, Greenhithe DA9 9ST. 16 November - 24 December The Gingerbread City The Museum of Architecture’s deliciously festive Gingerbread City returns this Christmas, with an eye-popping world of buildings and people made entirely from gingerbread, frosting and sweets, complete with moving trains and twirling parts. Each year, the MoA challenges more than 50 leading architects and designers to create a futuristic, gingerbread city. There are also daily workshops and this year’s promises to be the sweetest yet. MOA , The Gaumont, Chelsea, 196 - 222 King's Road, London SW3 5XP. 30 November - 29 December. Christmas at Old Royal Naval College Our review Old Royal Naval College is bulging with festive family events, including storytellings with Father Christmas, the return of family favourite, immersive show The Elves and The Magic Bear, Christmas carols, and a unique festive dining experience beneath Luke Jerram’s astonishing Mars installation. Old Royal Naval College , London SE10 9NN. From 30 November Natural History Museum at Christmas Even the T-Rex is dressed in his jazziest Christmas jumper and Santa hat… and you can meet the big guy himself for storytelling with Father Christmas, and nab a pic and gift. Natural History Museum , Cromwell Rd, South Kensington, London SW7 5BD. 10 - 15 December. Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park The capital’s annual, Christmas mecca returns for its 17th year on 21 November. The event includes a Magical Ice Kingdom made from more than 500 tonnes of ice and snow, plus an apres ski ice bar; ice rink, a real ice slide; wintry Cirque Berserk circus show; Zippos Christmas Circus Show, ice sculpting workshop; open air Christmas markets and a Bavarian Village. There are rides for all ages, from Ice Mountain to a ride around a Christmas tree in giant baubles, plus Santaland with more rides, the Santa Express Train and the chance to meet the Big Guy himself; firepits for marshmallow toasting, the apline, Explorer’s Rest and a Santaland Chill Out area for little ones.   Hyde Park Winter Wonderland , Hyde Park, London. 21 November - 5 January. Off peak tickets are free and peak tickets are £7.50 Winter Festival - Museum of the Home Winter traditions are explored through a gaggle of colourful events for all ages, celebrating cultures spanning from Diwali and Hanukkah to Christmas and Lunar New Year. Highlights include the Winter Past Exhibition, looking back on festive traditions from 1630 to the future and Christmas events from live toy theatres, to gift making workshops. Museum of the Home , 136 Kingsland Rd, London E2 8EA. 19 November - 12 January Christmas at Kent Life This award-winning Christmas experience invites children to graduate from elf school, hop on the Jingle Express for a ride around the festive farm, visit the Candy Cane Cottage sweet shop, build their own teddy bear, decorate gingerbread or make reindeer food. The highlight of the event will be visiting Father Christmas in his magical grotto where little ones can choose a gift from the well-stocked toy shop. The Snow Inn will also be filled with mulled wine and festive food and drinks. All tickets include all day access to Kent Life, which is brimming with activities and animals. And from 30 November - 1 December, the Santa Paws experience invites dogs along for a photo with the Big FC. Kent Life , Lock Ln, Maidstone ME14 3AU. 30 November – 24 December, Adult: £13.95, Child (aged 1-15): £18.95, Child (under 1): £8, Concession: £12.95, Family (2+2): £65 Crystal Maze Snow Dome The Christmas magic returns to The Crystal Maze with the return of The Snow Dome. Leap into the festive edition of the 90s gameshow, racing against the clock, solving puzzles and taking part in interactive activities during a 75-minute adventure. Players can take to the snow from 18 November to 29 December at the London and Manchester locations. Crystal Maze , 22 - 32 Shaftesbury Ave, London W1D 7EU. £59pp Friends The Experience: The One in London FRIENDS™ Experience: The One in London is giving their New York-themed sets a festive twist, inviting fans to celebrate the festive season “Holiday Armadillo” style. Relive unforgettable holiday moments from the show, including Monica’s Christmas tree and Ross’s Holiday Armadillo costume. Additionally, visitors can indulge in a holiday-themed menu, which offers festive treats at FRIENDS™ Station. Could that BE any more festive? The Friends Experience : The London One, Immerse LDN, ExCeL Waterfront, E16 1XL. Tickets £20 Best Christmas Theatre Robin Hood at The London Palladium This is the ultimate panto, on steroids. Famed for special effects like the giant beanstalk, which caused jaws (including our own) to drop as it grew through the audience to the ceiling. This year, Julian Clary returns for its ninth season to steal the show with smut and sequins as Robin Hood, alongside Jane McDonald as Maid Marion.  This brilliantly camp and extra production sees the return of Palladium panto favourites, including Paul Zerdin, Nigel Havers Charlie Stemp and Rob Madge, with insane sets, special effects and costumes. Robin Hood, London Palladium , 8 Argyll St, London W1F 7TF. 7 December - 12 January. Tickets from £39.50 A Christmas Carol at the Old Vic The Ebeneezer baton has been passed onto John Simm for The Old Vic’s eight staging of A Christmas Carol. The latest (and possible final) of the festive Dickens classic is being touted as one of the best yet, with the Life on Mars star masterfully switching from bah-humbugging old miser to fat goose-sharing Christmas cheer on two legs. A Christmas Carol , The Old Vic, 103 The Cut, London SE1 8NB 23 November - 22 February. Tickets from £15 pp The Snowman at Peacock Theatre Spend an evening walking in the air in the 27th year of this magical ballet adaptation of the much-loved Christmas story. Hearts (and snowmen) will melt, with the moving choreography, enchanting set, fake snow, and famous soundtrack for big and little kids. Peacock Theatre , Portugal St, London WC2A 2HT. 23 November-4 January 2025. Hansel and Gretel at The Globe Read our review Follow the trail of breadcrumbs all the way to Shakespeare's Globe this Christmas, for their beautiful production of Hansel and Gretel, returning for its second year. Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage transforms the Globe Theatre into the gingerbread and lollipop festooned sphere of the world's most famous witch-conquering siblings, for this classic Brother Grimm fairytale. In this timely retelling, a woodcutting dad and bread-making mum leave their children in the woods to protect them from their war-torn village, where they meet a strange old lady with a plan of her own. The Globe,  21 New Globe Walk, London SE1 9DT. 29 November - 5 January Sleeping Beauty at Broadway Read our review Award-winning panto alchemist, Susie McKenna has waved her wand and transported Sleeping Beauty to Lewishtonia, in this modern retelling of the classic, packed with magic, comedy, sparkling routines and West End stars. The show is fizzing with amazing production and effects and is one to get in the diaries this Christmas. You snooze, you lose. Broadway Theatre , Rushey Green, Catford, London, SE6 4RU. 4-31 December Odd and the Frost Giants Children aged 7+ can enter the enchanting realm of Norse mythology this winter, in a magical and humorous adaptation about unlikely hero Odd, who is on a daring quest to save the mighty Gods - Odin, Loki, and Thor - who have been transformed into animals and stranded in the human world. With the Frost Giants threatening to envelop the world in an endless winter, this powerful new production tells a story about finding unexpected friends and courage. Unicorn Theatre , 147 Tooley St, London SE1 2HZ. 19 November - 31 December. From £16.50 Jack and the Beanstalk at New Wimbledon Alexandra Burke and Joe Pasquale star as ‘the villianous Mrs Blunderbore’ and Jack’s brother Simon, in New Wimbledon Theatre’s big production. Oh yes they do. New Wimbledon Theatre , 93 The Broadway, London, SW19 1QG. 7 December - 5 January. Tickets from £13 Dick Whittington and his Cat The National Treasure of Dames, Clive Rowe returns in Hackney Wick’s 25th panto, this time as Sarah the Cook. The production follows Dick on his search for fame and fortune as Mayor of London and features all the crucial panto ingredients - slapstick, audience participation and smut - plus gorgeous costumes, a great cast - including regulars like comedian Kat B - and effects. Hackney Empire , 291 Mare St, London E8 1EJ. 23 November - 5 January. Tickets from £10 Room on the Broom Read our review Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's classic children’s book is zooming onto the stage at the Lyric Theatre, in this Olivier Award-nominated adventure. When a witch with a plait, a hat and her cat are flying through the skies, they pick up some fantastic creatures along the way. But while there was room on the broom for two, there certainly was not room for five. And things take a turn for the worse when a fiery dragon is thrown into the mix. Lyric Theatre , Shaftesbury Avenue, London, W1D 7ES. 22 November - 5 January. Tickets from £12 The Fir Tree How it Ended and artsdepot present a playful re-telling of Hans Christian Andersen’s classic Christmas tale, The Fir Tree . Fusing movement, live music, song, and puppetry, this meaningful and playful production explores mental health and environmental responsibility and made with neurodiverse audiences in mind. Artsdepot, 5 Nether St, London N12 0GA. 12-31 December Best Ice Rinks Skate at Somerset House It’s not Christmas until Somerset House opens its iconic ice rink. Expect gourmet dining at The Chalet, a rink-side view Skate lounge by Whispering Angel; Skate School lessons, and a pop-up Shelter Boutique store. Somerset House , Strand, London WC2R 1LA. 13 Nov - 12 Jan. Tickets from £11 Royal Pavilion Ice Rink For an otherworldly skating experience - which is also powered entirely by Green Energy - glide over to the beautiful Royal Pavilion Ice Rink in Brighton. With the backdrop of the iconic, fantasy former royal residence behind you and hugged by a ringside bar and kitchen full of warming goodies, it’s one of the UK’s most beautiful spots to hit the ice this Christmas. The Royal Pavilion , 4/5 Pavilion Buildings, Brighton and Hove, Brighton BN1 1EE. Until 5 January 2025. Tickets from £9. Westfield London’s Tropical Moana Rink Westfield London’s   ice rink returns with a tropical twist, in celebration of Disney’s  Moana 2 . From 15 November until 5 January, skaters will be transported to the colourful world of Oceania as the Westfield Square rink brings the spirit of the Pacific islands to life. At the centre will be Europe’s tallest Christmas tree on an ice rink, soaring 65 feet high and festooned with island-inspired decorations, Westfield London , Westfield Square, Ariel Way, London W12 7SL. 15 November - 5 January Glide at Battersea Power Station Set against the backdrop of one of London’s most iconic buildings, this Insta-perfect rink offers stunning views of the Thames, while you skate around three interconnecting rinks surrounded by twinkling lights and a giant, 30ft Christmas tree. Afterwards, you can warm up with a hot chocolate - or something stronger - at the Glass House Nine Elms , London SW11 8EF. 8 November - 5 January. tickets from £14 Lapland UK's Frozen Elf Pond Read our review This elves' frozen pond is flanked by snow-covered Christmas trees at the heart of The Elven Village, in this extraordinary Ascot wonderland, created with blockbuster movie production quality. The rink is surrounded by elven characters, passing huskies, an elf emporium, restaurant and Elva’s Post Office. Children can use penguin supports as they glide around the otherworldly space, before warming up with hot chocolates and sweet treats. Afterwards, they will head deeper into the Enchanted Forest, past the famous, real reindeer and a sleeping Rudolph - illluminating the stable with his bright nose, as he snores - to the sleigh and finally, the wooden cabin of Father Christmas himself. Lapland UK , Whitmoor Forest, Swinley Rd, Winkfield Row, Ascot SL5 8BD. Tickets from £59 pp in November and from £89 pp in December. Opens on 9 November until 24 December Hampton Court Palace Ice Rink This stunning rink returns to the gardens of Henry VIII’s historic home, with beautiful views of the illuminated Tudor palace in the background as you glide around its 26 foot Christmas tree centrepiece. After your 45 minute session, you can head to the Rink Cafe and Bar for festive food and drinks. Hampton Court Palace, Hampton Ct Way, Molesey, East Molesey KT8 9AU. 22 November - 5 January. Tickets from £20.65 per adult and £15.65 per child. Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park Rink The capital’s annual, Christmas mecca returns for its 17th year on 21 November. The event includes a Magical Ice Kingdom made from more than 500 tonnes of ice and snow, plus an apres ski ice bar; ice rink, a real ice slide; wintry Cirque Berserk circus show; Zippos Christmas Circus Show, ice sculpting workshop; open air Christmas markets and a Bavarian Village. There are rides for all ages, from Ice Mountain to a ride around a Christmas tree in giant baubles, plus Santaland with more rides, the Santa Express Train and the chance to meet the Big Guy himself; firepits for marshmallow toasting, the apline, Explorer’s Rest and a Santaland Chill Out area for little ones. Hyde Park Winter Wonderland , Hyde Park, London. 21 November - 5 January. Off peak tickets are free and peak tickets are £7.50 Ice Rink Canary Wharf London’s longest running seasonal ice rink, Ice Rink Canary Wharf offers visitors a magical skate session in the heart of Canary Wharf. This year’s ice rink will be putting on themed skating sessions, including 80’s, 90’s and Soul Classics nights to get skaters in the festive spirit. There’s a transparent roof, to thwart Blighty’s pesky weather, plus an apres-skate alpine bar serving winter warmers for skaters and spectators. And the centre piece this year is a glorious Christmas tree, beneath a suspended giant mirrored ball, casting disco reflections across the rink. Ice Rink Canary Wharf.  Canada Square, London E14 5AB. 26 Oct - 23 February Winter Funland Midlands This festive indoor fairground returns to The NEC from 9 December until 1 January, with an enormous ice rink at its heart. Skate instructors and penguin aids will be on hand for little ones. And afterwards, the family can enjoy the UK’s largest indoor funfair, complete with Christmas markers, unlimited rides including dodgems, waltzer and a giant slide, a Christmas circus performance in their 1200-seater theatre - featuring an extreme motorbike show - plus a meeting with Santa himself in his grotto. Winter Funland,  NEC Birmingham, B40 1NT. 7 December - 1 January. Under 3s go free. Adult/Child ticket £31.50 pp plus £3.50 booking fee. Christmas at Warwick Castle Ice Rink If you like history and beauty with your ice, then look no further than Warwick Castle. The iconic building's east front transforms into a magical skating rink from 25 November to 7 January. During your 45 minute experience, you can glide beneath the majestic Guy’s Tower, to the sound of Christmas bangers, with the amazing backdrop of Warwick Castle, illuminated for Christmas. Warwick Castle, Warwick, CV34 6AU. 25 November - 7 January. From £11 pp Best Santa Grottos Lapland UK Read our review Pure Christmas magic, which leaves visitors of all ages in no doubt that Father Christmas exists and resides within the ancient elven civilisation at  Lapland UK . This extraordinary, immersive experience starts when your child opens the icy cold, wax-sealed invitation from the Big Guy, inviting them to Lapland to help the elves make their toys. Deep in Ascot's snow-covered, Enchanted Forest, the elf folk present the Small People with special elven passports, enabling entry through the secret doorway to Lapland, where they will discover a jaw-dropping world full of elven characters, the toy factory, real reindeer and huskies, Mother Christmas’s Kitchen, The Elven Village complete with ice rink, elf emporium, restaurant and Elva’s Post Office for a magical, four-hour experience in an astonishingly detailed and sprawling world. Finally, deeper in the forest, past the magical sleigh, they head to Father Christmas’s wooden cabin and see their own names handwritten on the Good List, before meeting St Nick himself, in front of a roaring fire - he knows plenty about each child and will present them with a toy and a special bell, only awarded to his best elves. Lapland UK , Whitmoor Forest, Swinley Rd, Winkfield Row, Ascot SL5 8BD. Tickets from £59 pp in November and from £89 pp in December. Opens on 9 November until 24 December Santa Breaks at Aviemore Resort Three days brimming with Christmas magic, including the UK’s only free-range reindeer herd, Santa’s grand arrival, real snow, plus a visit to his woodland grotto and elves’ workshop. There is also a Christmas panto, festive family movie pass, a gaggle of daytime and evening Christmas entertainment. And on top of that, there’s a hearty Scottish breakfast each morning, special, festive dining experiences every day and splash fun in the indoor pool with flume and wave machine. Magical Santa Weekends , Macdonald Aviemore Resort, Highland Resort, Aviemore, Inverness-shire, PH22 1PN. Select dates between 29 November - 23 Dec Father Christmas at The Eden Project There are few places as other-worldly and exciting as the Eden Project, so it’s no surprise that Father Christmas has set up camp there this December. Little ones can meet him and his newest helper Elfie, who is fresh out of Elf Training Camp. Elfie is keen to help, but accidentally causes havoc. Children discover how he learns to be brave and teams up with Father Christmas to deliver a Christmas miracle.During each 40-minute session, kids will check out Santa’s Eden camp, including elf bunk beds, bedside stories and letters from children before meeting Father Christmas himself, leaving with a storybook of Elfie's adventures, plus a chocolate treat. Eden Project.  Bodelva, Cornwall, PL24 2SG. Select dates from 22 November - 24 December. From £12-£16 for a child with one adult plus admission. Take Europe's Steepest Cable Railway to Santa's Zipmas Grotto For a grotto experience with a difference, head to Zipmas  at Zip World , North Wales, which can only be accessed via Europe’s steepest cable railway. Santa’s grotto is so special and secret, it can’t be reached by foot, so you must descend deep below ground on a special cable car, surrounded by twinkling lights. On arrival, you will encounter three magical chambers, housing a light maze, Santa’s Workshop and beautifully lit tunnels to the final chamber, where the Big Man will be awaiting you in his cost cabin, warmed with his log burner. You can also meet the elves, create slate baubles, or have a go at Zipmas’s Grotto Golf experience – the world’s only adventure golf set in a cave.   Zipmas , Llechwedd, Blaenau Ffestiniog LL41 3NB. 22 November - 24 December. From £20 per adult, £23 per child Santa in the Sky at Brighton i360 Father Christmas is very at home in the sky - after all, he spends most of Christmas Eve up there on his sleigh. So he’s inviting families to visit him and his elves 450ft above Brighton beach inside the Brighton i360  glass pod. It includes a 25 minute pod journey, meeting with Santa and a gift for every child. Afterwards, you can also enjoy a festive themed cream tea in their beachfront building. Brighton i360 , Lower Kings Road, Brighton, BN1 2LN. Tickets £6.85 - £12.95 per child. £19.95 per adult Santaland at Winter Wonderland The capital’s annual, Christmas mecca returns for its 16th year on 17 November with an entire land dedicated to the big guy himself. Santaland has kid-friendly rides, the Santa Express Train and the chance to meet the Father Christmas, as well as firepits for marshmallow toasting, the apline, Explorer’s Rest and a Santaland Chill Out area for little ones.The event includes a Magical Ice Kingdom made from more than 500 tonnes of ice and snow, plus an apres ski ice bar; ice rink, a real ice slide; wintry Cirque Berserk circus show; Zippos Christmas Circus Show, ice sculpting workshop; open air Christmas markets and a Bavarian Village. There are rides for all ages, from Ice Mountain to a ride around a Christmas tree in giant baubles. Hyde Park Winter Wonderland , Hyde Park, London. 21 November - 5 January. Off peak tickets are free and peak tickets are £7.50 Santa's Winter Wonderland at Snowdome Play and slide in a real  snow wonderland, complete with sledges, snow slides, snow tubes and proper, falling snow. Then join Santa and friends for their all new, Santa in Wonderland  stage show. Explore Santa’s Village, meeting his real , furry animal friends before finally visiting the Big Man’s home and leaving him a letter in the magical, talking post box. SnowDome , Leisure Island, River Drive, Tamworth, Staffordshire, B79 7ND. 16 Novemnber- 5 January Santa's Special Trains - Epping Ongar Railway For turbo- Polar Express  vibes (in Essex) head to the glorious Epping Ongar Railway  to board  Santa’s Special Train.   Grab some festive drinks and nibbles and listen to the brass band while awaiting the magical train, then head over the footbridge for photos with the man in red and a view of the steam train’s grand arrival. Once onboard, children can write their letters to Santa and will be entertained by his elf friends, while waiting for Father Christmas to waddle through each carriage, meeting the children and giving them presents. Epping Ongar Railway , Station Approach, Chipping Ongar, Ongar, Essex, CM5 9BN. Select dates from 23 November to 24 Dec.   The Father Christmas Experience at Marsh Farm Marsh Farm never disappoints in the Santa stakes. Small People must first head to the Elf Academy, where they will learn the crucial magic required to be inducted as honorary elves. Once they’ve received their elf passports, they stop off at Mother Christmas’ kitchen, for treats to fuel them through the adventure, which includes an audience with the Mr FC himself, a trip to the Teddy Bear market and a visit to Elfville’s Toy Shop, where they can exchange their Magical Snowy (elf dosh) for any toy on the shelves. This year, they have added rides, a Santa train and ice rink. Marsh Farm,  Marsh Farm Road, South Woodham Ferrers, CM3 5WP. From 16 November to 24 Dec. Tickets from £30pp Christmas with Shrek For a swampy twist on the traditional grotto, head to Shrek’s Adventure, where the Big Green Ogre dons the famous red suit to take children on a festive, fairytale adventure from Far Far Away on a flying bus, guided by Donkey. They’ll encounter Puss in Boots, Pinocchio, Princess Fiona, Cinderella and the Muffin Man along the way, before their happily ever after, culminating in an audience with Santa Shrek for photos and sweet treats. Check out our Shrek’s Adventure review  to find out more. Shrek’s Adventure tickets.  Riverside Building, County Hall, Westminster Bridge Rd, London SE1. Dates TBC Chelsea Christmas Grotto Sloane Square’s Chelsea Christmas Grotto launches a new Christmas experience, in partnership with festival events juggernauts, Underbelly. Follow the Christmas trees to Santa’s fancy grotto - scented by luxury fragrance maison, Diptyque.The Big FC will read them a story in a 25 minute session and each child will receive a gift from his elves.Afterwards, the family can explore the winter wonderland, featuring festive food and drink, twinkling winter terrace and a Bavarian Curling Rink. Chelsea Christmas Grotto . Sloane Square, London SW1W 8EG. 19 November - 24 December excluding 18 and 24 December. Tickets £15pp. Noir Kringle - The Black Santa's Grotto Experience Amazingly, Noir Kringle is London’s only diverse Santa experience, launched in 2018 to give children and parents the opportunity to visit a magical Christmas grotto where Father Christmas and all of his elves are Black. Noir Kringle events have been sell out hits every year since, for families who value the importance of positive Black representation, inclusion, and diversity. Mr Kringle loves rum coke and sorrel for Christmas Eve and his cosy workshop is full of the sounds, smells, and spirit of Christmas that encapsulate Black British culture. Noir Kringle , Crooked Billet Yard, Shoreditch, London, E2 8AF. Dates TBC Set Sail with Santa If a Santa rendezvous on dry land doesn’t float your boat, perhaps a Santa boat will? Santa’s embracing some self care away from the North Pole on a cruise around Poole, and you can join him for some mulled wine, mince pies and carols while you sail around Brownsea Island, Sandbanks Peninsula, Studland Bay and more. Santa meanders around the boat, meeting the little ones and dishing out gifts. After leaving your 1.15 hour Christmas cruise, you can wander around the Quay and admire the Christmas tree and festive shops. Santa Cruise , The Quay, Poole BH15 1BQ. from 30 November -24 December. Tickets from £16pp Winter's Tail at Chessington World of Adventures Follow the jolly elves as they guide you through a snowy wonderland with real falling snow, to Santa’s cosy cabin for an audience with the Big Guy. Afterwards, children head to his Toy Workshop top explore where he builds his gifts and can choose their own present to take home. Kids can also help the elves make (and eat) festive treats in the Magical Cookie Kitchen as well as enjoying The Wild Christmas Panto and a host of live entertainment to get them in the Christmas spirit, from carols to audiences with Mrs Christmas to real reindeer. And on top of that, they can enjoy some family favourite rides, like Room on the Broom and Adventure Tree, as well as lions, gorillas, sharks and rays at the zoo and Sea Life aquarium. Chessington World of Adventures .Leatherhead Rd, Chessington KT9 2NE. 23 November - 31 December Like what you've read? Why not follow us on Instagram?

The top pantomimes, all-star variety shows, musicals and festive theatre of 2024 Ladies and gentlemen, girls and boys, we are presenting our annual guide to the best Christmas theatre shows in or near London… OH YES WE ARE. It’s not Christmas until festive drag queens are wheeled out to make jokes about your Aunt Fanny and cockatoos. And we’ve got all the sequins, tinsel-covered jazz hands and dancing elves to see you through to 2025. So point your eyes here and then take them there. ______________________ Robin Hood at The London Palladium This is the ultimate panto, on steroids. Famed for special effects like the giant beanstalk, which caused jaws (including our own) to drop as it grew through the audience to the ceiling. This year, Julian Clary returns for its ninth season to steal the show with smut and sequins as Robin Hood, alongside Jane McDonald as Maid Marion.  This brilliantly camp and extra production sees the return of Palladium panto favourites, including Paul Zerdin, Nigel Havers Charlie Stemp and Rob Madge, with insane sets, special effects and costumes. Robin Hood, London Palladium , 8 Argyll St, London W1F 7TF. 7 December - 12 January. Tickets from £39.50 A Christmas Carol at the Old Vic The Ebeneezer baton has been passed onto John Simm for The Old Vic’s eight staging of A Christmas Carol. The latest (and possible final) of the festive Dickens classic is being touted as one of the best yet, with the Life on Mars star masterfully switching from bah-humbugging old miser to fat goose-sharing Christmas cheer on two legs. A Christmas Carol , The Old Vic, 103 The Cut, London SE1 8NB 23 November - 22 February. Tickets from £15 pp The Snowman at Peacock Theatre Spend an evening walking in the air in the 27th year of this magical ballet adaptation of the much-loved Christmas story. Hearts (and snowmen) will melt, with the moving choreography, enchanting set, fake snow, and famous soundtrack for big and little kids. Peacock Theatre , Portugal St, London WC2A 2HT. 23 November-4 January 2025. Hansel and Gretel at The Globe Read our review Follow the trail of breadcrumbs all the way to Shakespeare's Globe this Christmas, for their beautiful production of Hansel and Gretel, returning for its second year. Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage transforms the Globe Theatre into the gingerbread and lollipop festooned sphere of the world's most famous witch-conquering siblings, for this classic Brother Grimm fairytale. In this timely retelling, a woodcutting dad and bread-making mum leave their children in the woods to protect them from their war-torn village, where they meet a strange old lady with a plan of her own. The Globe,  21 New Globe Walk, London SE1 9DT. 29 November - 5 January Sleeping Beauty at Broadway Read our review Award-winning panto alchemist, Susie McKenna has waved her wand and transported Sleeping Beauty to Lewishtonia, in this modern retelling of the classic, packed with magic, comedy, sparkling routines and West End stars. The show is fizzing with amazing production and effects and is one to get in the diaries this Christmas. You snooze, you lose. Broadway Theatre , Rushey Green, Catford, London, SE6 4RU. 4-31 December The Great Christmas Feast Read our review The Lost Estate’s critically-acclaimed, immersive theatre and dining experience, A Christmas Carol: The Great Christmas Feast is back, following six sold out years in a row. Guests will be transported to the home of Charles Dickens on Christmas Eve 1843, for three courses of extravagant Victorian feasts, while watching an immersive retelling of the ultimate festive ghost story, with cinematic live music and 5000sq ft of sets constructed by legendary immersive designers Darling & Edge ( Gingerline , Secret Cinema , Crystal Maze ). The Lost Estate,  9 Beaumont Ave, London W14 9LP. 8 November 2024 - 12 January 2025. Tickets £135-£265pp Odd and the Frost Giants Children aged 7+ can enter the enchanting realm of Norse mythology this winter, in a magical and humorous adaptation about unlikely hero Odd, who is on a daring quest to save the mighty Gods - Odin, Loki, and Thor - who have been transformed into animals and stranded in the human world. With the Frost Giants threatening to envelop the world in an endless winter, this powerful new production tells a story about finding unexpected friends and courage. Unicorn Theatre , 147 Tooley St, London SE1 2HZ. 19 November - 31 December. From £16.50 Jack and the Beanstalk at New Wimbledon Alexandra Burke and Joe Pasquale star as ‘the villianous Mrs Blunderbore’ and Jack’s brother Simon, in New Wimbledon Theatre’s big production. Oh yes they do. New Wimbledon Theatre , 93 The Broadway, London, SW19 1QG. 7 December - 5 January. Tickets from £13 Dick Whittington and his Cat The National Treasure of Dames, Clive Rowe returns in Hackney Wick’s 25th panto, this time as Sarah the Cook. The production follows Dick on his search for fame and fortune as Mayor of London and features all the crucial panto ingredients - slapstick, audience participation and smut - plus gorgeous costumes, a great cast - including regulars like comedian Kat B - and effects. Hackney Empire , 291 Mare St, London E8 1EJ. 23 November - 5 January. Tickets from £10 Room on the Broom Read our review Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's classic children’s book is zooming onto the stage at the Lyric Theatre, in this Olivier Award-nominated adventure. When a witch with a plait, a hat and her cat are flying through the skies, they pick up some fantastic creatures along the way. But while there was room on the broom for two, there certainly was not room for five. And things take a turn for the worse when a fiery dragon is thrown into the mix. Lyric Theatre , Shaftesbury Avenue, London, W1D 7ES. 22 November - 5 January. Tickets from £12 The Fir Tree How it Ended and artsdepot present a playful re-telling of Hans Christian Andersen’s classic Christmas tale, The Fir Tree . Fusing movement, live music, song, and puppetry, this meaningful and playful production explores mental health and environmental responsibility and made with neurodiverse audiences in mind. Artsdepot, 5 Nether St, London N12 0GA. 12-31 December A Nutcracker Christmas at The Castle Read our review Rescue the Sugar Plum Fairy in Leeds Castle's reimagining of The Nutcracker festive classic, where toys come to life. In this festive journey through beautifully festive rooms, discover a whimsical doll house, and a rocking horse which awaken the mischievous Mouse King. The event culminates in a  showdown between the Nutcracker and the Mouse King, with live performers on weekends and during the school holidays. A Nutcracker Christmas , Leeds Castle, Broomfield, Maidstone ME17 1PL. 23 November to 5 January. Included with admission ticket, which also gives you access to Leeds Castle for a year. Like what you've read? Why not subscribe to our free, monthly newsletter?

From FREE concerts and acting classes to comedy shows, Hindu temples and cinema nights If you’ve sold one kidney to fund Christmas and are keen to keep the second, while STILL enjoying amazing activities in the world’s best (but wallet-annihilating) capital, we’ve got you thrifty, fun-wizards covered. To be fair to The Big Smoke, there are amazing, free experiences that everybody knows about - most of the big museums are free, from National History Museum and Royal Academy of Arts to Tate Britain . And there are some brilliant, free experiences, like the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, The Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London and spots like Columbia Road Flower Market and foodie Mecca, Borough Market. But we’re bringing you the most unusual and exciting experiences that many Londoners themselves don’t have the whiff of a Scooby about, from FREE concerts and Royal Academy acting classes to comedy shows, Hindu temples, chocolate meccas and cinema nights. So read on, and your wallets can thank us for nothing, ____________________________ Underground Roman Temple for Mithras Cult A secret Roman temple, created nearly 200 years after the founding of London for the mysterious cult of Mithras and hidden beneath the City of London? We’re in. This extraordinary, immersive experience in London Mithraeum is staggeringly FREE. It was discovered during a building’s construction in 1954 and now sits beneath the Bloomberg London building. The multi-sensory experience takes you seven metres below the city streets, where the river Walbrook once flowed, to where the Roman’s cult god, Mithras the bull slayer was once worshipped by cult followers shrouded in a veil of secrecy. And it houses Britain’s largest and earliest collection of its kind, including the first known reference to London, Roman waxed writing tablets and the earliest hand-written document in Britain. London Mithraeum 12 Walbrook, London EC4N 8AA London’s Only Lighthouse  Built 150 years ago, this lighthouse was once used as a laboratory by famous scientist Michael Faraday and is now used to play a musical composition, projected to last one thousand years without ever repeating. You can find it in one of the capital’s most eccentric and rarely visited areas - Trinity Buoy Wharf. There you will also discover a sea container city; ringing public telephones you answer for free meditation and memory experiences;  an original Fifties George town diner, moved to London to become Fatboy’s Diner ; a floating music recording studio and the world’s smallest museum ( Faraday Effect ) inside a wooden hut. Trinity Buoy Wharf , 64 Orchard Pl, London E14 0JW Free Short Story Dispensers Choose the length of your story - one, three or five minutes - and the free short story dispensers at Canary Wharf’s Jubilee Place, Churchill Place and Crossrail Place Roof Garden will select a story for you. Genres range from suspense, crime, science fiction, to romance, humour, fiction and children’s stories – printed on eco-friendly paper to read on your commute and swerve doom-scrolling for a bit. Find them at Jubilee Place, Churchill Place and Crossrail Place Roof Garden Secret Millennium Bridge Steps to Hidden Beach There are secret steps near Millennium Bridge which few venture down, but head through the open gate at the bottom and you will discover a hidden, sandy beach which runs along the South Bank, when the tide is out. In this peaceful spot in the heart of the capital, you can enjoy amazing views of the city, north bank and river as the boats bob by. Thames Embankment, London EC4V 3QH Find the Eyes and Ears of London Two artists secretly placed various body parts around the city for you  to find. Rick Buckley hid 30 reproductions of his nose onto famous landmarks and public places as a protest against CCTV, which led to various urban myths when they were first discovered - like the one about the spare nose for Nelson’s column beneath Admiralty Arch. You can still find that one as well as six others, dotted around Great Windmill Street, Meard Street, Bateman Street, Dean Street, Endell Street and D'Arblay Street. If you’re hungry for more, mysterious appendages, Tim Fishlock also glued casts of his own ear around London - there are two on Floral Steet, but he claims there are more to find around Covent Garden. Multiple locations around Covent Garden, Great Windmill Street, Meard Street, Bateman Street, Dean Street, Endell Street and D'Arblay Street. Giraffes in Regent’s Park A secret footpath in Regent’s Park will lead you to real  giraffes and penguins. It runs along the side of London Zoo , where you can admire the long-necked beauties, looking out over the hedges and peek through at the penguins splashing about, for free . Regent's Park , London Fake 10 Downing Street Door Just around the corner from the real PM’s gaff, you’ll find a replica of his famous door on 7-10 Adam Street, just off The Strand. The doors were made at a similar time, both with the same 10 and strikingly similar neoclassical surroundings. But this one has no security preventing a doorstep photo to confuse your Insta mates. House 7-10 Adam St, London WC2N 6AA Trapped Man in Paddington’s Clock Above Paddington Station, you can watch a man, inside a giant clock, painstakingly rubbing the hands and numbers off the face of the clock and redrawing them every minute. It was created by Dutch artist Martin Baas, who based the mysterious time keeper on the station’s architect Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Paddington, Praed St, London W2 1HU A Shrine to Dreams in an Artist’s Home Inside an unassuming terraced house in East Dulwich, you will find a mind-blowing museum to former art director, Stephen Wright’s dreams, life and loves and a monument to his deceased partner and parents. Every surface is a shrine to the discarded and the weird, covered in mosaics and bursting with sculptures, found objects, thousands of broken dolls, teeth moulds, glasses and even the actor, Richard Ashton’s ponytail. Stephen lives there, but opens it to the public on select days each month. House of Dreams,   45 Melbourne Grove, London SE22 8RG Cross Bones Graveyard and Garden This bright ribbon and flower-festooned shrine and garden to the Medieval prostitutes (or “Winchester Geese”) and 18th Century paupers who were buried there can be found off a side street, near Borough Market. In 2004, Friends of the Crossbones was formed, made up of “sex workers, poets, activists, oddballs and outsiders” who have met at 7pm on the 23rd of every month since then at Cross Bones Garden , for the Crossbones Vigil to the Outcast Crossbones Graveyard and Garden , Union St, London SE1 1TA Incredible Hindu Temple… in Neasden You are many moons away from the well-trodden tourist track in these northwest London ‘burbs. But make the trek and you will be rewarded by the jaw-dropping sight of Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, a 70 feet high, Hindu Temple carved by 650 artisans from 8,000 tonnes of Indian and Italian marble and Bulgarian limestone. This magnificent mandir is the largest Hindu temple outside India and will make it impossible to believe you are in what was one nicknamed ”the loneliest village in London.” Shri Swaminarayan Mandir , Pramukh Swami Road, Neasden, London NW10 8HW, UK Hyde Park's Secret Dog Cemetery Tucked away on the edge of Hyde Park is a secret pet cemetery, where Victorians buried their faithful friends. Each stone has a touching story to tell, and the graveyard even features in  Peter Pan  - its author JM Barrie lived nearby. If you visit in the Spring, it is bursting with bluebells. Hyde Park Secret Dog Cemetery, 41 Bayswater Rd, London W2 4RQ The Secret Rooftop Beside Sky Garden Everybody knows about the amazing, free views at Sky Garden – London’s highest garden, at the top of the Walkie Talkie building, with 360-degree views of the capital’s skyline amid exquisitely landscaped gardens, observation decks and open-air terrace. But because it’s so popular, free and (well) amazing, it’s often tricky to book the free tickets to enter. However, The Garden at 120 is located right next door to Sky Garden , commanding the same amazing views (from slightly lower down) but all you have to do is walk in. It also has a landscaped garden and water features, but without the major crowds and long wait for tickets. Win-win. The Garden at 120, 120 Fenchurch St, London EC3M 5BA God’s Own Junkyard Inside an unassuming, Walthamstow warehouse, you’ll find this neon wonderland, fizzing and burning with the glow of the world’s biggest neon sign collection. More than four decades ago, late owner, Chris Bracey started making signs for Soho strip clubs and his incredible talents led him to create props for directors including Stanley Kubrick and Tim Burton, as well as some of the globe’s most iconic signs. This Aladdin’s cave of more than 1,000 neon lights is a museum to his life and the history of neon art, as well as an art gallery - with pieces you can buy or rent - and is home to The Rolling Scones cafe and bar. God's Own Junkyard , Unit 12, Ravenswood Industrial Estate, Shernhall St, London E17 9HQ Free Acting Masterclasses at Theatre Royal Haymarket If you’re between 18 and 30 and get your kicks from theatre, become a Masterclass Member for FREE acting masterclasses, which have been held by stars including Julie Walters, Steve Coogan, Catherine Tate and John Simm, plus onstage workshops, mentoring, free script development sessions and £5 tickets to top West End and fringe shows. Masterclass Theatre Royal Haymarket London SW1Y 4HT Free Comedy Gigs. Free comedy - are you having a laugh? Well, yes actually. The Top Secret Comedy Club in Drury Lane is so respected on the circuit, it’s where stars including Amy Schumer, Dylan Moran, Eddie Izzard, Micky Flanagan and Michael McIntyre head to work out new jokes and practice sets before tours or TV gigs. Many of these shows are completely free (or very cheap) and between 6 - 7.15pm most days, you can check out work in progress shows by the next big things preparing for festivals like Edinburgh arts festival. Or head to Angel Comedy at the Bill Murray in Islington for free comedy shows seven nights a week. Its stage has been graced by everybody from Stewart Lee and Tim Key to Simon Amstell and Joe Lycett. The Top Secret Comedy Club , 170 Drury Ln, London WC2B 5PD Angel Comedy, The Bill Murray, 39 Queen's Head St, London N1 8NQ Free Classical Music Lunchtime Concerts Every Monday, Tuesday and Friday at 1pm, an eclectic range of musicians from classical and pop to students at the Royal Academy of Music perform free lunchtime concerts at St Martin-in-the-Fields church , on the corner of Trafalgar Square. Alternatively, experience an exciting programme of free, 45-minute classical music lunchtime performances by artists from The Royal Opera, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House and The Royal Balle t in the newly opened-up spaces of the Royal Opera House. St Martin-in-the-Field s, London WC2N 4JH Royal Opera House , Bow St, London WC2E 9DD Free Tours at Somerset House Head to one of Europe’s most stunning courtyards and the last of the huge palaces that used to stud the Thames, for free, guided tours exploring the Neoclassical beast’s wonderfully dramatic history. Join the Old Palace tour to find out about the three, Catholic queens who used to call it home; the Historical Highlights tour to delve into the lives of the Tudors, Georgian enlightenment, scientific curiosity and naval power, or the Studios Tour to learn out about the palace’s current incarnation as a home for creatives. Somerset House , Strand, London WC2R 1LA Walk Beneath the Thames Head underneath the Thames, through the 370 metre Greenwich Foot Tunnel, for a more unusual way to explore the city from one side of the river to the other. When it opened in 1902, it was one of the city’s most impressive, engineering achievements and it’s used by more than 4,000 people a day. Greenwich Foot Tunnel The Chocolate Museum Did somebody say “chocolate” and “free?” French artisan chocolatier, Isabelle Alaya, established The Chocolate Museum in Brixton to inspire a passion for learning about quality chocolate and its history, via antique chocolate tools to old advertising materials. There are also paid for workshops and experiences which enable you to taste and make your own chocolates. The Chocolate Museum , 187 Ferndale Rd, London SW9 8BA Watch a Session at the Houses of Parliament Fancy a free clown show in a beautiful circus, steeped in history? Then head to the Houses of Parliament to watch parliament in session - it's free for overseas visitors and UK residents. You'll need to book ahead for the more juicy sessions, like Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) or Ministerial Question Time. There is only access when either House is in session. But if Parliament is in session (even as late as 11 pm) you're allowed inside for free. Houses of Parliament, London SW1A 0AA Barbican Conservatory Explore a hidden, tropical oasis on the third floor of The Barbican , with a glass roof, plus tropical plants and trees, birdlife and exotic fish. There are regular free events in the urban jungle, from art and design, cinema, music, theatre, dance as well as talks, workshops and tours. Admission is free. Tickets for the Conservatory are released one week in advance online on Thursdays at 10am. A limited number of day tickets are released for online booking from 9.30am each day that the Conservatory is open. Barbican , Silk St, London EC2Y 8DS The Horniman Museum The 16 acres of stunning gardens are completely free, dog-friendly and have some of the most breathtaking views across London and a variety of trails and activities. Children can make a racket on giant instruments in the Sound Garden, explore the Bee Garden, Wildlife Garden, play in the Meadow Field, picnic in South Downs Meadow and check out the living fossils in the Prehistoric Garden or visit alpacas, goats and sheep on the Animal Walk. The museum is also free and includes the wonderfully weird and fascinating Natural History Gallery, packed with taxidermy, skeletons and fossils including Forest Hill's most famous resident, The Horniman Walrus - generously stuffed by Victorians who had (clearly) never seen a real walrus before. There are floor to ceiling specimens, from a dodo, platypus to Bornean orangutang. And the Nature Base allows kids to stroke a fox, watch harvest mice and see hundreds of honey bees in a special hive. There are also a slew of free exhibitions. And for a very reasonable sum, you can also check out the butterfly house and aquarium. Check out our review HERE to see why we think it’s one of London’s best, hidden gems. The Horniman Museum & Gardens , 100 London Rd, London SE23 3PQ OXO Tower Public Viewing Gallery For stunning views across the Thames, without juicing your wallet, get the lift to the eighth floor of the OXO Tower to gawp across St Paul’s and the Millennium Bridge. All you have to do it ask the guys on the floor’s front desk if you can see the platform, and they’ll escort you to the secret roof terrace. It’s on the same floor as the bar and restaurant, so you can spend some of the wonga you saved on a cocktail, while looking at the view from the bigger terrace…which no doubt, is the purpose of this dangled carrot of a secret viewing gallery. OXO Tower , Barge House St, London SE1 9PH Fulham Palace Head to West London to discover the home of the Bishops of London - a historic house and botanic garden, brimming with beauty and stories. Henry VII sent Catherine of Aragon there to keep her paws off his son (she got Henry VIII to put a ring on it anyway and became the first of his six wives) and Mary I turned it into a (very pretty) place of torture. Fulham Palace, Bishop's Ave, London SW6 6EA Kenwood House On the edge of Hampstead Heath, surrounded by 122 acres of landscaped gardens sits Kenwood House, a true gem in the capital’s crown. And you don’t have to spent a penny to enjoy its delicious gardens and interiors, or its world-class art collection, including Rembrandt’s iconic Self-Portrait With Two Circles. Kenwood House , Hampstead Ln, London NW3 7JR Watch BFI’s Film and TV Archives Head to the little-known, BFI Mediatheque , choose a cosy booth and explore the riches of the BFI National Archive of more than 33,000 films and TV shows for free, every Tuesday to Sunday from 11am - 9pm. BFI Mediatheque , Belvedere Rd, London SE1 Like what you've read? Why not subscribe to our free, monthly newsletter?