Christmas in London with kids

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I know, I’m leaning into the holiday clichés here, but there’s no denying that London is pure magic this time of year. As I write, neighborhoods across the city are draping sparkling lights along every street, putting the finishing touches on their grand Christmas trees. And honestly, even as an adult, I can’t help but be swept up in the charm of it all.

Christmas in London for kids is truly something special. Over the years I have found that there is an infinite amount of choices to immerse the whole family in London’s festivities and holiday traditions. I will say sometimes this time of year can be overwhelming – there is just so much to do! How does one even choose?

This season, I have curated a list of a few unique and fun family-friendly experiences that really capture the magic of London at Christmas.

In this post I will share what I have planned for Christmas in London this year for my 7 and 4 year old girls. I am really looking forward to experiencing it all with them! Also included is a list of other fantastic activities and attractions that I am bookmarking for next year as we already have far too much on our calendar over the next few weeks.

I hope this post will be helpful for your festive plans with doing Christmas in London with kids – one that will create lasting memories.

Christmas in London with kids: what we have booked

Christmas at Kew

Our festive plans for this year is to start with Christmas at Kew, an enchanting light trail across Kew Gardens that feature over 20 illuminated installations. This is always a highly anticipated Christmas attraction. Getting to Kew Gardens is a trek for us but I am assured by friends who have experienced Christmas at Kew in the past and promise it is well worth the effort.

I already know the girls will enjoy the fairground rides in a magical setting along with the promises of toasted marshmallows and hot chocolate.

UPDATE: We went to Kew Gardens last night as a family and surpassed my expectations. The creativity of the different light installations left us in awe, even as adults! I can see why Christmas at Kew has been such a much loved family Christmas attraction in London. The fairground rides were also a big bonus in breaking up the trail for the kids.

Skate at Somerset House

I have always loved visiting the ice skating rink at Somerset House, especially when it’s illuminated in the evenings with the iconic building as a backdrop. In the past, though, I hesitated to book a session for the girls, mainly because of how popular and crowded the rink tends to get.

This year I booked the special skate sessions at Somerset House that is specifically for kids only and run for 30 minutes. The Kids Skate Club offering, for ages 6-10 years, give children a safe and friendly environment to ice skate with support of the ice marshals and stabilizers if needed. For older children (8+) there is also the Skate School that offer lessons.

The Gingerbread City

One of the more unique Christmas in London with kids experiences is the Gingerbread City exhibition organized by the Museum of Architecture in Sloane Square. It is a sweet affair with structures crafted entirely from gingerbread, candy, and frosting, designed by over 50 architects.

The Gingerbread City exhibition is now in its 8th year, each installment bringing a different theme to life. For 2024, the spotlight turns to “The Recycled City,” challenging gingerbread architects to reimagine iconic London landmarks while incorporating recycled materials into their creations.

For an extra dose of fun, you can also book their gingerbread house-making workshop to complete the experience. Surely the kids will have found plenty of inspiration all around them!

Cinderella Panto

As an American I have never really understood the allure of a pantomime (a.k.a. panto). But seeing as how I am now British and raising English children I should probably get on board. A panto is a comical, musical comedy theatre production that is geared towards family-friendly entertainment. For a lot of British families, it is a part of their Christmas tradition.

We’re kicking off our first family panto experience at the King’s Head Theatre in Islington Square. Not only is this our local theater, which I’m always excited to support, but the show itself sounds like a lot of fun too.

On the King’s Head Theatre website the panto is billed as: “fully fabulous North London pantomime experience, featuring sensational songs, hilarious slapstick comedy, romance, puppetry provided by Little Angel Theatre and plenty of audience participation.”

The Nutcracker

There are a few Nutcracker ballet options in London this Christmas season and I opted for the most kid-friendly one. We have tickets to the Let’s All Dance Ballet company’s Nutcracker at Sadler’s Wells by Angel. It is 52 minutes long and after the performance children have the opportunity to have their photos taken with the dancers.

Leading up to the day of the ballet I will be having the girls revisit The Nutcracker book by The Story Orchestra to get into the spirit of Clara’s adventure set to Tchaikovsky’s music. I purchased this book last year for them which they loved. It is certainly the kind of gift that keeps on giving.

If you are looking for other Nutcracker ballet performances in London this season check out the English National Ballet’s Nutcracker at The Coliseum or the Royal Birmingham Ballet at the Royal Albert Hall.

Christmas in London with kids: unique & fun family-friendly experiences

• The Tower of London will be displaying a royal celebration to showcase how kings and queens celebrated in the past including the frost fairs. From the 27th to 31st December the Tower of London will be host to the Spirit of Christmas experience with special performances and a giant game of pass the parcel.
  
  
• St. Paul’s Cathedral will be hosting a special free morning carol service on December 21, 2024 at 11am, where families and children of all ages are invited to join in on the festive singing. It’s not every day you get the chance to step into such a historic landmark and belt out carols alongside the talented London Youth Choirs—what an incredibly unique experience for the whole family!
  

• There are quite a few festive children’s afternoon teas available in London.
  If you are a Bridgerton fan, head to The Lanesborough for their just launched Bridgerton Festive Afternoon Tea. The restaurant is gorgeous as well.
  
  Claridge’s offers a lovely festive afternoon tea for children, featuring a delightful array of holiday-themed treats and whimsical touches that make it a special afternoon tea experience for little ones.
  
  For something special and a little over the top (hey, ’tis the season!) head to Sketch to see it all decked out with Christmas whimsy and experience their festive afternoon tea in the Gallery. The kids will for sure get a kick out of the bathroom pods currently dressed with gingerbread houses.

• Younger children ages 2-5 can enjoy the Rosie Robin and the Christmas Post puppet show at the Little Angel Theatre. I absolutely love what they do there and have taken the girls to most of their puppet show productions over the last five years.

• Get a chance to have Father Christmas read the kids a story in unique London settings. Santa will be reading a Christmas story at the Natural History Museum and will be available for pictures afterwards. Cost of the ticket for Storytelling with Father Christmas is £17/child, adults go free and includes a gift.
  
  Father Christmas will also be visiting the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich for a special reading of ‘Twas the Night before Christmas. Tickets cost £15/child and includes a gift and photo opportunity. Up to two adults per child can go free.

• A relaxed activity to take in Christmas in London with the kids is a Christmas Lights bus tour. Last year I looked into doing the London Christmas Lights Open Top Bus tour when my nieces came to to visit us for the holidays. Sadly we did not have the time to go on the tour after spending a fun day at the Harry Potter WB Studio tour for their Hogwarts in the Snow experience – which I also highly recommend.

• Alternatively, a more budget friendly option to see the Christmas lights in London is to hop on a TFL operated bus.
  
  One of the best routes to see the Christmas lights in London at night is to take the 139 bus from outside Selfridges on Oxford Street heading towards Waterloo. This bus route will take you through the different light schemes of Oxford Street, Regent Street and The Strand all without having to get off the bus.
  
  Do note that this option does not include tour guide commentary and the bus is not open top unlike the Golden Tours bus but still a dazzling activity that the kids will love.

I hope you find my curated roundup list on doing Christmas in London with kids helpful. For sure there is a lot more to do like visiting a Santa’s grotto at Hamley’s or Fujifilm House of Photography.

We are skipping Santa’s grotto in London this year as we’ll be heading to Santa’s Village in Lapland in mid December. I’ll be looking forward to that experience with the girls and cannot wait to share more about it here.

While I have you here be sure to check out my posts on my favorite stress-free dining with kids at restaurants hack and the perfect 2 day itinerary in London with kids.