The best things to do on Christmas Day in London

You won’t find many people out and about on December 25 but the capital’s stunning Christmas lights will still be sparkling. Empty pavements and bus-free views will only make a tour of the capital’s best crimbo decorations all the more magical. If you live local to central London, it’s the perfect way to add some sparkle to your Christmas Day walk. 

London’s Chinatown is a great place to make tracks for on December 25 if you fancy a non-festive bite to eat. A few of the restaurants stay open as usual. Nothing like a Christmas bowl of dan dan noodles, is there?

Christmas Day cinema is a reasonably popular pasttime for our neighbours across the Atlantic, but it’s never really been a thing here in the UK. But if you’d rather spend December 25 catching the latest blockbusters than the King’s speech (very understandable) then there are a few options. Both the Odeon Luxe in Leicester Square and the Odeon West End will be open on the big day, with screenings of the latest Avatar film, Wicked: For Good, Zootropolis 2 and The Spongebob Movie on the bill, among other recent releases. We see your Christmas dinner, and raise you a large popcorn and a Tango Iceblast. 

Yes, it’s cold out. Yes, the trees are bare. But we’re lucky to have some truly amazing parks in the capital, and walking around them (as long as you live close by) is one of the nicest things to do in London on Christmas Day. So get out there and get braced by green space. 

There’s no better way to settle a gigantic dinner (or work up an appetite for one) than by taking a brisk stroll. Step outside this Christmas Day and soak up London’s most scenic walks, all perfect for a festive stretch of the legs.

Housing the private collection of Kim and Lionel Logchies Prins, Moco is a new three-story gallery in Marble Arch that opened its doors earlier this year. Assembled within the building’s freshly painted walls is a collection of some of the most commercial artists of modern times, from Warhol and Basquiat to YBAs Tracey Emin and Damien Hirst, to Banksy, Jeff Koons, Yayoi Kusama and Takashi Murakami. There’s also an entire room in the basement displaying NFTs (including an endless scroll of images by the genre’s biggest star, Beeple), plus an infinity mirror room and a zen garden. It might not be to everyone’s taste, but if you’d rather spend December 25 with a bunch of Chris Levine’s portraits of the Queen than your own relatives, then you’ll be pleased to know that Moco is open on Christmas Day, with tickets starting at £20.

Shake off that Christmas Eve hangover and work up an appetite worthy of Christmas lunch with a morning swim in one of several London lidos open on Christmas Day. As always, south west Londoners will be able to take a dip in (the mercifully heated) Hampton Pool on Christmas morning between 6am and 12.30pm, while other pools open this December 25 include Brockwell Lido (9am-10.30am), Parliament Hill Lido (7am-11am) and the Hampstead Heath ponds (7.30am to 10.30am for the Men’s Pond and to 11.30am for the Ladies’ Pond). You will of course need to book for all of these in advance of the day itself, and they’ll likely all sell out well in advance, so be quick about it. 

There are heaps of charities supporting the homeless, elderly and those with disabilities, and although they need extra hands all year round in order to support the brilliant work they do, they’re always looking for more volunteers over Christmas. 

You can forget about getting the tube on Christmas Day, but there are other ways to get around the city. Whizz along London’s deserted cycle lanes, parks and paths on a bike while the rest of the city lounges around on the sofa.