All weekend
ICE SKATING: London's festive ice rinks remain open throughout the Christmas period and into January. Somerset House, Battersea Power Station and Hyde Park are just some of the places you can take to the ice this year — here's a full ice skating guide. The JW3 Ice Rink even opens on Christmas Day!
CHRISTMAS LIGHTS: Similarly, London's Christmas lights stay on after the big day, illuminated every evening until early January. Have a read of our guide to London's Christmas light displays for tips on seeing them; you can do it by bus (not Christmas Day), or on foot with our self-guided festive walking route though central London.
WINTER WONDERLAND: Huge festive fair Hyde Park Winter Wonderland is all-systems-go throughout the festive season, and this is the final weekend to visit. Fairground rides, markets, food and drink stalls, circus shows and an ice rink are all part of the fun — just bear in mind that you need to book your entry in advance to get in. Until 1 January
PANTO: From classic Aladdin at the legendary Hackney Empire, to Cinderella with a sassy twist, via Jack and the Beanstalk, Dick Whittington and Peter Pan London's panto scene is absolutely thriving this year. There's even The Hunger Gays, strictly for the adults. Read our guide to London's pantomimes this year to choose your show. Some close this weekend, and others run right through until January.
LIGHT FESTIVALS: Wrap up warm and head out to one of London's ongoing light festivals. At time of writing, tickets are available for Christmas at Kenwood and Christmas at Eltham Palace on Saturday. Alternatively, hit up Winter Light at Southbank Centre or the Luminaze at Wembley Park — both of those latter two are free and don't require booking.
FESTIVE THEATRE: Elf, The Snowman, The Nutcracker. Nope, not a list of Christmas films, but rather a selection of the festive productions taking place on stage in London this year. From ballet to circus to musicals, take a look at these fantastically festive theatre shows in London, and book yourself a seat this Twixtmas. We've also got a guide to family-friendly shows, if you're treating the whole clan to a festive outing.
MONSTER CHRISTMAS: Kids bored of their new toys already? Artsdepot in North Finchley hosts a run of There's A Monster In Your Christmas Show, based on Tom Fletcher's Who's In Your Book? series of children's reads. It's a brand new, 50-minute musical show featuring Little Monster and his friends, Dragon, Alien, Elf and Unicorn, and aimed at age 2+. Daily 27 December-7 January, with a relaxed performance this Saturday
FAMILY RAVES: Keep the party going with Big Fish Little Fish, who host several of their family raves this weekend. Get together on the dance floor in Crystal Palace on Saturday (12pm/3pm), or New Cross on Sunday (1pm), and boogie to live DJ sets. Other entertainment includes giant balloons, craft tables, bubbles and glitter cannons. 30-31 December
Saturday 30 December
RIVER LEA: How much do you know about the River Lea? Get better acquainted on this walking tour, following it through the Olympic Park and down to where it meets the Thames. Footprints of London guide Rob Smith has walked its entire length, and on this final section, he takes you past the London Stadium, many former industrial sites, the tide mills at Bow and Canning Town down to where it reaches the Thames at Trinity Buoy Wharf. 11am-2pm
WINTER WALK: Join The Gentle Author — who writes the Spitalfields Life blog — for a winter walk through the City of London. Meet at St Paul's Cathedral and pass some of the area's most historic spots, including Roman relics and 18th century graffiti, before finishing with refreshments at Barbican Library. 2pm
BIG GAME 15: Harlequins' Rugby Union Big Game is one of the biggest events in London in the downtime between Christmas and New Year. This is the 15th edition, and like last year, both Harlequins Men and Women's sides are playing the same opposition in a double header against Gloucester. Takes place at Twickenham Stadium. 2.30pm
NEW YEAR CONCERTS: Ahead of the New Year's Day Parade on Monday, some of the high school bands who've flown in from the USA for the performance get warmed up with a series of special concerts, including at both St John's Smith Square and St John The Evangelist Waterloo tonight. Both 7.3opm
LORD OF THE RINGS: Hear music from Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Game of Thrones and more, performed live by the London Concert Orchestra and a choir at Barbican. 7.30pm
Sunday 31 December: New Year's Eve
NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTIES: Looking for somewhere to see-in 2024? Check out our guide to New Year's Eve parties and events, including rooftop shindigs and a 1920s speakeasy themed evening. The guide also covers daytime events, a few of which are highlighted here:
KIDS' COUNTDOWN: Kids buzzing for New Year, but not going to last until midnight? Take them along to Southbank Centre on NYE morning for the Kids' Countdown with Len Blanco — a full-on party with singing, dancing and an NYE-style countdown to midday instead of midnight. FREE, 10.30am
ART SUNDAYS: Dulwich Picture Gallery isn't letting a little thing like New Year's Eve stop its regular Art Sundays from going ahead. Designed for 7-12 year olds and their families, it's a chance to experiment with colour and make different artworks inspired by the current Rubens & Women exhibition. FREE, 1pm-3.45pm
BOOZE AND BOROUGH: Footprints of London guide David Charnick offers both an in-person and virtual tour around the Borough area, focusing on its links to the booze industry. Hop wagons from Kent, Sussex and Surrey used to unload into warehouses in the area, and it used to be home to one of London's largest breweries too. In person 2pm-4pm or virtual tour 9pm-10pm
ZIMMER VS WILLIAMS: The London Concert Orchestra perform excerpts from some of the best scores of arguably the two greatest film composers of all time, in The Music of Zimmer vs Williams. Star Wars, Harry Potter and Jurassic Park all feature. 2.30pm
WHEN HARRY MET SALLY: It's become something of a tradition for Leicester Square's Prince Charles Cinema to show 1989 rom-com When Harry Met Sally on New Year's Eve (makes sense if you've seen the film). We're pleased to say they're not letting us down this year, so you can spend the evening huddled away in the cinema watching Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal, and still make it out to a party/home for the Hootenanny. Cheers to that! 6.30pm
