Things To Do This Weekend In London: 7-8 December 2024

Things to do this weekend is sponsored by Paradox Museum.

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A VERY CROYDON CHRISTMAS: Three days of festive celebrations are unwrapped in south London, with A Very Croydon Christmas, featuring carol concerts from the London Mozart Players, dance workshops, neon light murals, a Mariachi band and plenty more. 6-8 December

FESTIVE FAYRE: Head to the first weekend of the Hampton Court Palace Festive Fayre for Christmas grub galore. Wander among the courtyards and grounds perusing artisan food stalls selling everything from Christmas pudding and brownies to chocolate, cheese, biltong, coffee and cakes — plus gallons of booze. 6-8 and 13-15 December. For a thoroughly festive day out, take a twirl on the palace's winter ice rink while you're there.

CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL: The Highgate International Chamber Music Festival brings together leading musicians from around the world to perform in unique combinations. Highlights this weekend include a performance of film scores on Saturday, and the gala closing concert on Sunday. Until 8 December

ART AND CRAFT TRAIL: Head out east to London Fields and surrounds for the E8 Art and Craft Trail, a chance to visit the homes and studios of artists and makers specialising in fine art, illustration, ceramics, jewellery and more. See the experts at work, with a chance to buy direct from the makers. 7-8 December

EEL PIE ISLAND: The secretive Eel Pie Island in west London holds one of its open weekends, inviting the public to cross the footbridge and step inside the artist studios. Browse and buy ceramics, oil paintings, jewellery and sculptures. Note that although the event is free as always, for the first time you need to book tickets in advance, giving you a two-hour timeslot on the island. FREE, 7-8 December

HOLLYSHORTS: Short film festival HollyShorts takes over Curzon Soho for a weekend of screenings. Tickets can be booked by category, with screenings for documentary, comedy, drama, coming-of-age and other genres. 7-8 December

ANIMAL TALES: Combine a Christmas visit to the Charles Dickens Museum with a family-friendly storytelling session for ages 5+. See the author's former home decked out in its festive finery, and become part of an interactive animal-themed tale, featuring some of the creatures from Dickens' own life. 7-8 December

VEGAN FAYRE: Kensington Town Hall hosts the London Vegan Fayre, chock-full of more than 100 stalls selling vegan food and drink, bodycare and cosmetics, clothing and gifts — ideal if you're vegan, vegan-curious, or are looking for a vegan Christmas gift for someone in your life. 7-8 December

ICE SKATING: Seasonal ice rinks have popped up all over town, with the rink at JW3 joining them from Sunday. We've written a guide to London's Christmas ice skating options (and we've tried a fair few of them ourselves) to help you navigate the rinks this winter.

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Illusion-fuelled fun for all the family at Paradox Museum

Fancy having your view of reality flipped (quite literally) upside-down this weekend? Head to Paradox Museum in Knightsbridge and wander through 50 interactive rooms, each of which showcase different multisensory illusions.

From rotating tunnels that'll leave you white-knuckling the handrails, to a 'zero-gravity' room that seemingly defies the laws of physics, this is about as hands-on as a museum can get, making it a great shout for festive family days out.

Guides are on hand to explain the science behind the illusions and snap group photos — ideal if you're after a unique set-up for this year's Christmas card (or just want to zhuzh up your Instagram grid!) Naturally, we'll be making a beeline for the upside-down Tube station, which right now has a festive twist courtesy of a certain red-nosed train driver…

You'll find Paradox Museum opposite Harrods on Brompton Road, and it's open seven days a week — so you can easily pair it with a visit to the luxury store's toy department, or a trip to the nearby Hyde Park Winter Wonderland if you really fancy spoiling the kids this December.

FESTIVE AFTERNOON TEA: In the market for a festive treat, post-shopping pick-me-up, or catch-up with friends or family? Loads of London venues are serving up Christmas afternoon teas, with seasonal flavours including cranberry, gingerbread and mince pie featuring heavily on the menus. Have a look at what's available and get booking.

CRAZY BOULES: Described as a 'neon playground', new venue Crazy Boules opens in Shoreditch, temporarily transforming a former church into a neon-lit boules arena. It's not your usual boules though — it's been combined with crazy golf, offering six different courses of varying shapes and angles on which to play. From 5 December

Saturday 7 December

HUMAN RIGHTS FESTIVAL: Amnesty International UK's first ever Human Rights Festival takes place at Woolwich Works, aiming to inspire people to fight for change through workshops, masterclasses and performances. It's a family-friendly day, with activities for visitors right down to toddlers. A concert brings things to a close in the evening. 11am

THINGS ARE LOOKING UP: Guildhall Library offers a guided walk beginning at Embankment station, showing you what can be seen when you look up in London, rather than keeping your eyes glued to the pavement. Pete Smith leads the way. 11am-1pm

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SILK ROAD BAZAAR: Here's a different way to do your Christmas shopping in London: at a Silk Road Bazaar. Tying in with its current Silk Roads exhibition, the British Library hosts artisans and craftspeople representing countries along the Silk Road stretching from Asia to the Mediterranean. Textiles and embroidery, handcrafted jewellery and exotic teas are among the products available. 11am-5pm

BERMONDSEY WINTER FAIR: The Blue Market Place in Bermondsey holds a Winter Fair, with a Christmas market, carol singers, craft workshops, face painting, an appearance from Father Christmas, and a circus show finale. 12pm-4pm

BEER MILE CHRISTMAS PARTY: The festive season gets underway on the Blackhorse Beer Mile, with a Christmas party at Big Penny Social in collaboration with Signature Brew, Pretty Decent, Exale, Beerblefish Brewing, Renegade, Hackney and Burnt Faith. Entry is free, with 20+ beers on tap and DJs and live music throughout the day. 12pm-1am

HOME ALONE IN CONCERT: Classic Christmas film Home Alone is shown on a large screen at the Royal Albert Hall, accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and Crouch End Festival Chorus performing the score live. 2.30pm/7.30pm. Find other festive film screenings in London this month.

LAUREL & HARDY SOCIETY: Meeting four times a year to celebrate the comedy double act, the Laurel & Hardy Society pops up at the Cinema Museum in Kennington for an afternoon of five of their films: Battle of the Century (1927), Scram! (1932), Their First Mistake (1932), Busy Bodies (1933), and Way Out West (1937). 3pm

COLERIDGE-TAYLOR OF FREETOWN: Watch a new, one-man play inspired by the life and music of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. Written and performed by Tayo Aluki, Coleridge-Taylor of Freetown showcases the Black British composer's music, as well as putting a spotlight on the historic abuse of the African continent and its diaspora throughout time. See it at the Courtyard Theatre in Shoreditch. 7.30pm-9pm

SCARED TO DANCE: Alternative club night Scared to Dance is back at the Victoria in Dalston, and this time poet laureate Simon Armitage takes to the decks as guest DJ. Expect to hear post-punk, indiepop, new wave and art rock music by the likes of Belle and Sebastian, Phoebe Bridgers, Wet Leg, Blondie, The Cure and others. 10pm

TERRY WOGAN: Comedian Benjamin Alborough takes on the role of the late chat show host in Late Night With Terry Wogan at Soho Theatre, which also sees a line-up of comedians being interviewed in character as various celebrities. See Bec Hill as Keanu Reeves, Alasdair Beckett-King as Patrick Stewart and Alwin Solanky as Jackie Kennedy — plus others. 10.30pm

Sunday 8 December

SANTA STAIR CLIMB: Fancy seeing the views from the top of One Canada Square, the pyramid-topped skyscraper in Canary Wharf? You can — you'll just need to climb all the steps to get there. The Santa Stair Climb is a charity event with volunteers walking up all 48 floors to raise money for London food poverty charity The Felix Project. You can sign up as an individual or as part of a team. 8 December (registration closes 5 December)

BABY GOSPEL: Woolwich Works hosts a family concert, with London's CK Gospel Choir performing soul and Motown hits by Marvin Gaye, Bob Marley, Adele, Jackie Wilson and more, as well as traditional gospel songs and nursery rhymes. Anyone's welcome to sing along, and the show is aimed at everyone from newborns to grandparents (although the former may not know all the words just yet). 11am

OH YES I AM!: Introduce the kids to the concept of panto at Oh Yes I Am! live on stage at Underbelly Boulevard Soho. Performers including Keavy Lynch (B*Witched), Holly Mallett (Moxy from Andy and the Odd Socks), and Don One (Late Night Lycett) help panto dame and Britain’s Got Talent semi-finalist Mama G bring her book Oh Yes I Am! to life on stage. It's the first time the scripted show has been performed, so in true panto fashion, anything could happen. Age 3+. 12pm

WINDMILL WINTER MARKET: Brixton Windmill hosts a winter market, with local makers selling their wares. Children are kept entertained with arts and craft activities and a Santa's grotto, while adults can take part in a wreath-making workshop. 12pm-3pm

UNCANNYCON: Supernatural BBC Radio 4 podcast and BBC TV series Uncanny comes to life on stage at Southbank Centre. Danny Robins hosts a selection of guests including experts and witnesses from the podcast and TV show, as they discuss Uncanny cases and delve into the world of the spooky. 2pm

FAMILY RAVE: Big Fish Little Fish bring one of their legendary family raves to The Goodness in Wood Green. Dance together at a Jingle Bell Ball themed event with bubbles, balloons and foam. Fancy dress is optional, and facepainters are on hand for on-the-spot transformations. 3pm-5pm

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BASEMENT ORCHESTRA: Lively 50-piece musical group The Basement Orchestra pitches up at Big Penny Social for two festive shows. The afternoon performance is family-friendly, while the evening show is for age 18+, but both feature classical Christmas favourites from the Nutcracker Suite as well as festive pop numbers, and plenty of singalong carols. 3.30pm/7pm

SUNDAY CONCERT: The Kyan Quartet take to the stage for this week's Sunday concert at Conway Hall, performing short works by Pulitzer prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw, as well as pieces by Schumann and Beethoven. The performance is preceded by a pre-concert talk. 5.30pm-8.30pm