Get your quirk on this Christmas in London! Tick off some of the weird and wonderful activities across the city, from one-of-a-kind London events and festively dressed rooftop bars to quirky London places to visit over the holiday season.
Last year, the below activities were some of the quirkiest ways to spend Christmas in London – check back later in the year for confirmed details of the top quirky things to do in London at Christmas in 2020.
Cool London Christmas events
- Get 'gramming at Christmas at Kew – wander through the Tunnel of Light, explore the Fire Garden and dazzle your friends with the Palm House finale.
- Sing cheesy karaoke tunes, make your own wreath and watch The Muppet Christmas Carol underneath graffiti-clad arches with Miracle on Leake Street.
- Get up close to London's tallest LED Christmas tree and pose in the famous Sonic Runway straight out of Nevada's Burning Man festival at Winterfest in Wembley Park.
- Celebrate calypso-style during Caribbean Christmas with Just Vibez, packed with family-friendly activities, performances and live DJs, at Southbank Centre's Winter festival.
- Browse the stalls at Christmas in Leicester Square, before heading to the velvet-draped Belgian spiegeltent to see La Clique, filled with fire-breathers, acrobats and cabaret acts.
Unique Christmas film screenings in London
- See original cast members reprise their roles in a live screening of Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, accompanied by the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
- Enter the Winter Night Garden or journey to The Snow Kingdom with Backyard Cinema, where you can watch a movie in magical surroundings.
- Get in the festive spirit during a lineup of Christmas classics at the Luna Winter Cinema, set in the grounds of Kensington Palace.
- Grab your friends and head to a sky-high screening of festive favourite Home Alone with 'grammable views at The View from The Shard – one of the coolest Christmas cinemas London has to offer!
Quirky Christmas things to in London
- Follow in the footsteps of Harry, Ron and Hermione as the Great Hall is decked out for Christmas at Hogwarts in the Snow at The Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter.
- Visit the holiday armadillo's grotto, re-enact your favourite moments and explore the TV show's iconic sets with a Christmassy twist during FriendsFestive.
- Ride your magic carpet to The Vaults for a spectacular dining and dancing extravaganza with Aladdin and the Feast of Wonders this Christmas in London.
- Experience Dennis Severs' House's gingerbread-inspired Christmas installation during a candlelit tour of this unusual London museum.
- Watch the panto-horse dance off, sing along to festive tunes and cheer on the racers at the Star Wars-themed London Pantomime Horse Race.
- Whizz around the ice to late-night tunes spun by top DJs or join an all-night skating session during Skate at Somerset House.
Festive London food and drink
- Get snuggly in York & Albany's cute Gingerbread Cabin, where you'll tuck into a selection of sweet and savoury canapes next to the roaring fireplace.
- Warm up with a mulled wine by the fire pit or take a dip in a Nordic hot tub with views over the river Thames at Winterland.
- Drop by the world-famous Miracle pop-up bar at the Henrietta Hotel for quirky Christmas cocktails in London, from the Christmaspolitan to the Snowball Old Fashioned.
- Step back in time to Victorian London with The Great Christmas Feast, for a festive banquet and an immersive re-telling of A Christmas Carol.
- Enjoy a fancy meal in The Grand Hall of a Grade II-listed Soho chapel, before drinking Christmas tipples in the atmospheric crypt, at The Winter House.
- Follow the yellow brick road to the Emerald City, on the rooftop of hip hangout The Queen of Hoxton, where you'll find Kansas-style food, green cocktails and a lineup of quirky events.
- Ho-ho-hop onboard Bustronome for a six-course dinner on a festively dressed double-decker London bus tour... driven by Santa Claus!
- Dance to the DJ's beats and sip on cocktails made up of childhood memory-inducing flavours, before diving into a giant ball pit at Ballie Ballerson.
If you're spending the Christmas holidays in London, make sure to check out the best London Christmas activities, top quirky London restaurants and Insta-worthy London Christmas lights.