Yes, Christmas is fun for adults. But it’s mostly fun for kids, for whom the combination of rampant gift giving, implied supernatural forces and general sparkliness is pretty much actual heaven on Earth.
I’m Andrzej, Time Out’s theatre editor and lead kids writer, and I can confirm that as far as my own two children are concerned, Christmas is the most magical time of year. It’s also one of the few holidays where you’re not necessarily desperately scrabbling to find things to do with your kids every day – hanging out with your family, opening presents and attempting to cook large birds tends to take up a fair chunk of the actual school holiday.
But really kids’ Christmas in London starts way before the schools break up: it’s pretty much go from when the big trees go up and the iconic lights are switched on. By the end of November you can easily meet Santa, go for an ice rink and take in a pantomime, all on a single day.
This list is a best of things to do with kids over the London Christmas period. There is, unabashedly, a lot of highlighting of classic activities: have you been to Christmas at Kew? Great! You should go again. But there are also a handful of entirely unfestive events because maybe come early January everyone might just want to check out a cool new exhibition.
We can can only really scratch the surface here, but if you wnat to get a bit deeper we have plenty other recommendations, from ice rinks and Santa’s grottos to dazzling Christmas lights and Christmas theatre shows. But here is our guide to the best festive activities for children in London this winter.
RECOMMENDED: Find more festive fun with our guide to Christmas in London.
