Christmas Events in England

Posted by Mike Gerrard Nov 5, 2006

London’s biggest free annual event will take place December 15-17 on the banks of the River Thames. The Frost Fair is set against the backdrop of Shakespeare’s Globe and Tate Modern and will start with a lantern procession on the 15th at 4pm. Bankside will be transformed into a winter wonderland with stalls selling food and gifts, along with ice sculpting and entertainment.

Glenlivet Reindeer from The Crown Estate in Scotland, Santa’s grotto and a wreath making workshops are all part of the programme of events for the first Winter Woodland at the Savill Building in Windsor Great Park, starting at the end of November. The Savill Building contains a shop, gallery and restaurant and is situated within The Savill Garden, four miles from Windsor Castle (half an hour’s drive from London). Website: www.theroyallandscape.co.uk.

Follow in the footsteps of King Henry VIII, Queen Elizabeth I and Francis Drake at the Joust Christmas Gourmet Feast in the Great Hall of Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire. This realistic medieval banquet on December 14 is accompanied by jesters and fortune tellers and is an opportunity to see this historic castle (completed in 1153) as it might have been used. Tickets cost £90 (US$170). To book phone +00-44 (0)20 7482 0115 or visit the website at: www.joust.info.

London’s Oxford Street Christmas Lights will be illuminated on Thursday November 9 (until January 6) in a free event starting at 6pm. This famous shopping street, home to Selfridges department store and many more, will be transformed by three-dimensional chandeliers suspended between the 300 shops and restaurants. To find out more, visit www.oxfordstreet.co.uk.