
Brilliant things to do in London in December 2024
Whether you're looking for full-on festivity or just want to escape the seasonal onslaught, there's something in the capital for everyone this month
It will come as no surprise to any long-term resident that London comes alive in December. As the lights go up and the capital’s luxury hotels fill with glittering Christmas trees, seemingly every bar, restaurant and boutique in the city is also hosting its own drinks party, special shopping event or collaborative pop-up. We’ve scouted out some of the best festive events in London in December 2024. Plus, because there is such a thing as too much Christmas, a few which have absolutely nothing to do with Santa or sleigh bells.
The shopping: House of Canary Wharf

Are you yet to tick off your Christmas gift list? Us too. This season, swap the chaos of Oxford Street for a festive day out in Canary Wharf’s Jubilee Place mall, where the House of Canary Wharf has popped up to inject some fun and flair into your shopping experience. Imagined as a snug living room, complete with a warming fireplace and twinkling festive decorations, the festive pop-up is open Thursday to Sunday from midday and is home to Canary Wharf’s very own complimentary Gift Guide Concierge. For anyone struggling with the perfect festive gift for loved ones, the team here will be on hand to help get presents in order, with no appointment needed.
Explore the house to discover a stunning powder room, showcasing the Wharf’s very best beauty brands – including Kiehl’s, Malin+Goetz and John Lewis. Fashionistas can rejoice at the home’s immersive walk-in wardrobe, where beloved brands like Lululemon, Circle Collective (featuring the likes of True Religion and Dickies), and Gant will also offer a curated selection of Christmas presents. Plus, don’t miss checking out the Deck the Malls programme – a series of live acoustic performances, carol singers and a rock choir – and your chance to create personalised gift tags with Canary Wharf’s finest illustrator.
On 7 December, the House of Canary Wharf will become home to famed fashion curators, Sarah Ellis and Phillipa Bloom from We Are Twinset, who will be on the concierge desk for one day only. Throughout the day, visitors will have the opportunity to book one-on-one sessions with the duo for just £10, with all ticket sales donated to East London-based food distribution charity the Felix Project. These personalised sessions will guide visitors through their Christmas shopping, helping them find the perfect gifts for family and friends, leaving with a goody bag filled with stocking fillers from some of Canary Wharf’s top brands.
Visit canarywharf.com
The festive package: The Waldorf Hilton


A magical Christmas awaits at The Waldorf Hilton in Covent Garden this year, promising decadent festive menus, a whimsical afternoon tea and a New Year’s Eve celebration to remember. On 8 December, book the beautiful Waldorf Tea Dance in the hotel’s historic ballroom – home to Latin dance classes since 1910 – where guests will be treated to a whimsical Be Our Guest A Winter’s Tale afternoon tea set to a soundtrack of live music from a five-piece band performing ballroom classics while you dine and dance the afternoon away.
The special afternoon tea offering is inspired by La Belle et La Bête, a fairytale written and first published by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve in 1740, before being famously re-told by Walt Disney as Beauty and the Beast. Thoughtfully curated by executive chef Luke Rayment-Blakey, the tea features elegant sandwiches – including crayfish cocktail on brioche bun, smoked duck and chipotle in a beetroot wrap – classic scones with Devonshire clotted cream and spiced winterberry jam, and sweet highlights of a chestnut and vanilla Mont Blanc shot and pistachio and rose macaron.
Finally, on New Year’s Eve, don’t miss the Be Our Guest Ball offering an enchanting evening of refined entertainment and culinary delights in the Homage restaurant. Savour dishes of roast sirloin on the bone, salmon coulibiac, pumpkin-filled gnocchi, and rock oysters before joining the jungle party at The Wild Monkey Bar where rum punch, champagne and DJ sets will flow into the night.
Visit tasteofwaldorf.co.uk
The festive dining: Pan Pacific London


What better way to see out the last month of the year than with a line-up of festive activities at one of London’s most elegant luxury hotels? Pan Pacific London is spreading the joy with a full schedule of seasonal events and limited edition menus guaranteed to get you in the holiday spirit. Head to the Ginger Lily Bar & Lounge for those festive catch ups with friends and colleagues, and sample the signature Ginger Lily Festive Punch, featuring vodka with gingerbread syrup, baked fruits and aromatic spices. For a true taste of festive indulgence, order one of the gourmet hot chocolates and chocolate cocktails from the Pierre Marcolini cart.
Feeling peckish? Look no further than Straits Kitchen’s indulgent four-course meal, available throughout December. Executive chef Adam Bateman’s menu starts with wild mushroom soup before roast turkey with all the trimmings and the exclusive Bailey’s ‘bauble’ (chocolate mousse with spiced apple compote and caramel sauce). For those who fancy a decadent weekend activity, don’t miss the festive afternoon tea, featuring delicious finger sandwiches, orange and cranberry scones and a sensational plate of sweet treats.
No plans for New Year’s Eve? See out 2024 in style with a three-course set menu at Straits Kitchen featuring plates of yellowfin tuna tartare, 28-day-aged fillet of Herefordshire beef shin and After 8 Delice (a rich chocolate ganache accompanied by stracciatella ice cream). Post-dinner libations continue at the Ginger Lily bar, where DJs will keep the party going until 2am.
Visit panpacificlondon.com
The bucket list: British Pullman festive lunch


There’s no better way to get in the festive spirit than by spending a day aboard Belmond’s British Pullman train, indulging in Christmas fare while traversing the English countryside in glamorous fashion. Harking back to a bygone era of old-world luxury, the iconic Art Deco carriages of the British Pullman train – each with their own name, decor and history – are bedecked in festive decorations and Christmas magic, offering enchanting journeys from London Victoria into the Kent countryside until 31 December.
Start your day with an apple and rhubarb tipple to warm the cockles at Belmond’s lounge at Victoria station, where jazz singers serenade your arrival. Climb aboard the train to be greeted by suited-and-booted seasoned waiters, who are on hand to hang your coats and pour a glass of Veuve Clicquot as the Pullman rolls out of the station. Walnut wood accents, gilded lamps, white-glove service and traditionally upholstered and plush armchairs set the scene, while a five-hour whistlestop tour of the Garden of England awaits.


Five decadent courses designed by executive chef Jon Freeman celebrate the very best British produce, featuring mulled wine-cured salmon, winter squash and wildflower honey soup, ballotine of Norfolk turkey with all the trimmings, as well as a Valrhona chocolate log, festive cheeseboard and petit fours with coffee. Wines are paired and poured generously tableside, as flapper dancers, jazz singers, magicians, and saxophonists tour the carriage to provide thoroughly English entertainment. Also don’t forget to pull the beautiful blue crackers to discover your very own embroidered Christmas decoration to take home. Proving trains are the essence of timeless travel, this is certainly an afternoon well spent – and an experience you won’t want to miss this month.
From £485 for a table for two, visit belmond.com
The restaurants: Gallery at The Savoy and Osteria Del Mare


A new era for The Savoy has begun, as it unveiled its new dining destination, Gallery, this month. Having emerged from a top-to-toe refurbishment which sees the Gallery space glow in soft pink hues, menus nod to culinary pioneer Auguste Escoffier, who was the chef at The Savoy when it opened 135 years ago. Expect sole tacos – incorporating flavours inspired by the Escoffier’s famed Sole Veronique – Cornish tuna tataki, and charcoal-grilled chicken tikka pie, set to be a favourite. Designed by London-based studio, BradyWilliams, interiors pay homage to the hotel’s heritage, featuring silhouettes of dancing figures recalling the night a daring couple got up to dance, sparking the dinner-dance craze of the early 1900s, striking chandeliers and low-level table lighting. As night beckons, a curtain drops theatrically behind the bar to signal the start of an evening of drinking and dining.

Savour Italy’s sun-soaked shores as Osteria Del Mare opens on The Strand on 9 December. Inspired by the seaside charm of Forte dei Marmi, a beloved coastal town on Italy’s west coast, Osteria Del Mare is the latest opening from the team behind renowned Italian restaurant group Bocconcino, and is designed to connect diners to the deep-rooted culinary heritage of its homeland. Helmed by Italian-born and raised chef Matteo Massafra, the menu features seafood delicacies while the wine list spotlights European bottles. Located within an old bank, Osteria Del Mare boasts original features and the former vault has been transformed into a private dining room designed by Geometry Design.
Gallery at The Savoy is open at Strand, WC2R 0EZ, visit thesavoylondon.com; Osteria Del Mare opens on 9 December 2024 at 366 Strand, WC2R 0JF, visit bocconcinorestaurant.co.uk
The theatre: Ballet Shoes at the National Theatre

In collaboration with Coram – the UK’s first and longest continuing children’s adoption charity – the National Theatre will host its latest production, Ballet Shoes, at the Olivier Theatre from 2 December. Based on Noel Streatfeild’s beloved story and adapted for the stage by Kendall Feaver, this new stage production is set in a crumbling house full of dinosaur bones and fossils, where sisters Pauline, Petrova and Posy are learning who they are and what they want to be. Under the watchful eyes and guidance of their guardian Sylvia, Nana, and some unlikely lodgers, they fight to pursue their passions.
Ballet Shoes is open from 2 December 2024 at National Theatre, South Bank, SE1 9PX, visit nationaltheatre.org.uk
The pop-ups: Champagne Chalet and The Covent Garden Chalet

This winter, King's Cross welcomes the Champagne Chalet, a magical alpine-inspired retreat that will transport guests to a winter wonderland. Open until 3 January 2025, the chalet blends rustic charm with twinkling fairy lights, pine garlands and festive decor while serving an impressive selection of Perrier-Jouët champagne, cocktails, classic beers and hearty dishes. Highlights include Mulled Red with Monkey 47 Gin and the Boozy Hot Chocolate with Jameson whisky and cream. For those who don’t mind the cold, opt for a frozen cocktail, including the clementine and spiced cranberry cosmopolitan, best enjoyed on the heated outdoor terrace area where live singers and DJs will add an extra touch of magic throughout the season.
Elsewhere in Theatreland, Covent Garden has just launched its own cosy, alpine-inspired chalet perfect for those needing to unwind after a day of Christmas shopping and embrace the holiday spirit. Featuring wooden benches and old barrels for tables, there will be an array of mulled wine, signature hot cocktails, churros, mince pies, and pigs in blankets on offer. Visitors will also have the chance to create a lasting memory of their day by stopping by at the ski lift for the perfect backdrop for family holiday photos or capturing the ultimate Christmas card snap.
Visit champagnechalet.co.uk and coventgarden.london
Read more: The best New Year’s Eve parties in London