Questions about Christmas 2026

The 1st Advent is on 29 November 2026. The big Christmas markets open in November: Birmingham's Frankfurt Christmas Market opens on 5 November, Manchester's on 6 November and Hyde Park Winter Wonderland on 19 November. On Evenitto the season runs from 5 November to 6 January 2027, Epiphany.

Christmas Eve is on Thursday 24 December and Christmas Day on Friday 25 December. Boxing Day is a Saturday, so the bank holiday is on Monday 28 December. New Year's Eve is on Thursday 31 December and New Year's Day on Friday 1 January 2027.

Most pantomimes open between late November and mid-December and run into January. The King's Theatre in Glasgow opens Aladdin on 21 November, Newcastle's Theatre Royal opens Jack and the Beanstalk on 24 November, and the London Palladium opens Cinderella on 5 December. Each theatre's page has its own dates and performances.

A pantomime is a British festive stage comedy for families: a well-known story such as Cinderella or Aladdin retold with songs, topical jokes and audience participation. Most theatres stage one between late November and January, and the recommended age is on the theatre's page.

A carol service is a church service of Christmas carols and readings, often by candlelight, that anyone can attend. Many churches and cathedrals hold them in December; some are free or by donation, others ticketed. Carol concerts by choirs and orchestras are listed with the concerts.

The Nutcracker is a ballet by Pyotr Tchaikovsky after E.T.A. Hoffmann's story 'The Nutcracker and the Mouse King', first staged in 1892 in Saint Petersburg. In December ballet companies and touring productions dance it in theatres; sometimes there is a concert version or a narrated programme for children.

No. For the UK Evenitto does not keep a calendar of the Christmas markets yet. Markets are here when they are announced with a date as an event. The dates and opening hours of the market in your city are with the city or the organiser.

Entry to many Christmas markets is free, and many churches, choirs and councils invite you to carol services and sing-alongs for free or by donation. Some events charge for entry, such as ticketed winter wonderlands and light trails. What Evenitto knows is on the Free page.

For pantomimes, Christmas concerts, The Nutcracker and light trails it is worth it: popular dates in the weeks before Christmas often sell out early. Every event's page links to the ticket sale.