By Maria Bregman
As Christmas approaches and the snowy winter sets in, experience the amazing glow of London’s Christmas lights. Discover the best events for December 2023 in this monthly column by our esteemed editor-in-chief Maria Bregman.
Southbank Centre Winter Market
Every winter, the Southbank Centre transforms the banks of the Thames into a wonderland filled with small alpine-style wooden houses selling gifts, warm drinks, and snacks. This year, you can cozy up in Jimmy’s Winter Lodge with its heated snow globes on the riverbank, where you can indulge in cheese fondue. Below, you’ll find huts serving truffle burgers, duck wraps, Thai street food, Lebanese-Mediterranean cuisine, and cheese toasties. Or grab a glass of mulled wine while browsing gifts, decorations, and ornaments made by independent designers and enjoy the sparkling views along the river.
Address:
Queen’s Walk
Southbank
London
SE1
Price:
Free entry
Hours:
Sun-Thurs: 11:00-22:00, Fri Sat: 11:00-23:00
Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park
An annual favorite returns for its sixteenth year in 2023. Entry to Winter Wonderland is free during off-peak hours and £5 or £7.50 during peak hours, and you can enjoy fun illuminated rides at the fair, Santa Land for children (including Santa’s grotto), and quirky Christmas markets. It’s a real treat for those looking to immerse themselves in the holiday spirit – provided you’re ready to hear all those songs while you whizz around.
Address:
Hyde Park
London
W2 4RU
Price:
Free, £5 or £7.50
Hours:
10am-10pm
Christmas at Kew
The mother of all light trails, Christmas at Kew has become a key date in London’s festive calendar as the 300-acre botanical garden is illuminated with sparkling lights and illumination. This year’s route will take you past glasshouses adorned with kaleidoscopic projections, through shimmering light tunnels and trees infused with bright colors. As usual, there will also be warm winter snacks and a grotto where you can greet Father Christmas himself.
Address:
Kew Gardens
Royal Botanic Gardens
London
TW9 3AB
Price:
Adult tickets start from £22.50, family tickets available (up to 4 people free)
Hours:
4:20pm-10pm
Satanic Flea Market: Anti-Christmas Fayre
The Satanic Flea Market has just what you need. Buy tarot cards, witchy fashion, prints, taxidermy, journals, spell books, and even real human skulls at this antidote to the usual saccharine December holidays. The Electrowerkz bar and restaurant will also be open, so you can treat yourself to a tasty fried dinner after you’re done shopping for occult trinkets that will make the perfect goth pressie in your life.
Address:
Electrowerkz
7 Torrens St
London
EC1V 1NQ
Price:
£4
Hours:
12pm-6pm
“Impressionists on Paper: Degas to Toulouse-Lautrec”
Big names of Impressionism are well represented (Monet, Renoir, Morisot, Cezanne), but only one stands out as a true devotee to the medium. Degas’ works on paper are simply stunning, perfect things. Right there as you enter, you see three images of ballet dancers on colored paper. Legs and bundle on soft pink, stretch and yawn on bright green, rest and repose on dirty grey. Then it turns deeply dark, horribly grim, portraying a woman at a window in ochres and wretched blacks, then twisted and uncomfortable with its depiction of a woman peering at you through binoculars in an act of reverse voyeurism. All this before you even see the classic woman drying her hair from the National Gallery or other lighter visions of ballet dancers. No one here comes close because no one else here has been as obsessive and devoted to paper and pastel.
Royal Academy of Arts
Burlington House, Piccadilly
London
W1J 0BD
Price:
£19
These are just a few of the amazing events happening in London this December. Whether you’re looking for festive markets, light displays, or unique art exhibitions, there’s something for everyone to enjoy in the city during the holiday season. Don’t miss out on these incredible experiences!
