Aladdin pantomine pic: Carlos
The festive season is in full swing, so here’s our pick of the best Christmas days (and nights) out to get you well and truly in the spirit.
Thursday
Aladdin @ Fairfield Hall Croydon
Lady Beau Peep’s Extraordinary Christmas @ Brickhouse Hackney
Friday
Lost Letters to Santa Exhibition @ Rich Mix Tower Hamlets
Once Upon a Wintertime @ Hackney Downs Studios Hackney (also Saturday)
Christmas Concert @ Blackheath Halls Lewisham
Carol Service Weekend @ King’s Church Lewisham, (Also Saturday and Sunday)
Saturday
Hackney Homemade Christmas Market @ Churchyard Gardens Hackney (also Sunday)
Christmas Market @ Stour Space Hackney
Sunday
Sound of Music Singalong @ St Swithun’s Lewisham
Monday
Skeptics in the Pub: A Very Skeptical Xmas @ Hackney Attic Hackney
Tuesday
Evening Recital; Klimis Voskidis (piano) @ Deptford Town Hall Lewisham
Wednesday
Winter Exhibition @ Hoxton Art Gallery, Hackney
Santa Claus and the Christmas Adventure @ Fairfield Hall Croydon
Aladdin @ Fairfield Hall Thursday December 15, 7-9pm, Fairfield Hall, Park Lane, Croydon CR9 1DG
A Christmas classic starring Eastenders’ Larry Lamb as the baddie. A magical story, some slapstick laughs and plenty of booing and hissing in this old favourite about a boy, a lamp and a very special genie. Tickets £15, www.fairfield.co.uk to book.
Lady Beau Peep’s Extraordinary Christmas @ Brickhouse Thursday December 15, 6-9pm, The Brickhouse, 152c Brick Lane, Whitechapel E1 6RU
Not one for the kids. Lady Beau Peep presents a Christmas showcase of burlesque, aerialism, laughs, flames, songs and a hint of panto. Tickets £10, or £49.50/£69.50 with a meal. Go to www.thebrickhouse.co.uk for further details and to book.
Lost letters to Santa Exhibition @ Rich Mix Friday December 16 (til January 13) 10am til close, Rich Mix Cultural Foundation, 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, Bethnal Green E1 6LA
Ever wondered what happens to the hundreds of letters to Santa written by hopeful children each year in schools, supermarkets and by long-suffering parents? The ones that don’t make it to Lapland, that is.
This exhibition seeks to dig out and display all the missives to St. Nick which have been squirreled away by well meaning relatives in years gone by. You can even submit your own letters to be added to the collection; email snapshots@richmix.org.uk for details. Entry free.
Once Upon a Wintertime @Hackney Downs Studios Friday December 16 until Sunday December 18, Amhurst Terrace, London E8 2BT
Set in a post-industrial warehouse, this pop-up festival comprises an 80ft long medieval banquet table, an immersive woodland night market, a roller disco and bars aplenty. DJing are Duff Disco, Big in Japan and Electric Minds.
This big-scale bash is being put on to celebrate the transformation of an old printworks into a collaborative arts space and café. Tickets £15-£45, for one or two nights with some including food. Tickets here. [http://www.ticketarena.co.uk/london/hackney-downs-studios/once-upon-wintertime]Imagine a post industrial warehouse containing an 80ft long medieval feasting table, an immersive woodland nightmarket, a rollerdisco, your favourite DJ’s and fantastical curated pop-up bars. This is happening in deepest Hackney THIS WEEKEND.
Celebrating the launch of a hugely ambitious project to transform an old printworks into a living, breathing collaborative arts space we will be revelling for two days and we want our friends to be there.Imagine a post industrial warehouse containing an 80ft long medieval feasting table, an immersive woodland nightmarket, a rollerdisco, your favourite DJ’s and fantastical curated pop-up bars. This is happening in deepest Hackney THIS WEEKEND.
Celebrating the launch of a hugely ambitious project to transform an old printworks into a living, breathing collaborative arts space we will be revelling for two days and we want our friends to be there.
Christmas Concert @ Blackheath Halls Friday December 16, 7.30pm. Blackheath Halls, 23 Lee Road, SE3 9RQ.
Enjoy the spirit of Christmas in the grand setting of Blackheath Halls with this ever-popular concert. Local groups perform a variety of music in a magical setting – and you can join in with carols for all. Tickets £14; £12 concessions. A glass of wine and a mince pie are included in the ticket price. To book, go to www.trinitylaban.ac.uk.
Carol Service Weekend @ King’s Church Friday December 16 at 7.30pm, Saturday December 17 at 5pm and Sunday December 18 at 5pm and 7.30pm. All at King’s Church, Catford Hill, Catford SE6 4PS.
Four traditional carol services across the weekend for all the family, with readings, performances and a short talk. Entry is free of charge. Contact simon.allen@kingschurchlondon.org for details.
Hackney homemade Christmas market @ Churchyard Gardens Saturday December 17 and Sunday December 18, 10am-4pm. Free entry. St-John-at-Hackney Churchyard Gardens, Lower Clapton Road, E5 0PD.
Festive fare of all kinds will be on offer, including decorations, mulled wine, hot chocolate and handmade gifts. Christmas trees will also be on sale for the more last-minute ones amongst us. There will be a pop-up skating rink, and for the little ones there’s also a Santa’s grotto in St Augustine’s Tower from 11am-5pm, costing £2. For more information, or to book a stall (free of charge to charity groups) call Jane on 07956 934 768 or visit www.hackneyhomemade.com
Christmas Market @ Stour Space Saturday December 17, 12-6pm. 7 Roach Road, Hackney E3 2PA.
A younger and more alternative Christmas market packed with Christmas goodies from London’s top independent designers. Perfect for picking up really unusual gifts, and perhaps a glass or two of mulled wine along the way. A cheery alternative to battling the crowds on Oxford Street this weekend. See www.stourspace.co.uk for details.
Sound of Music Singalong @ St Swithun’s Sunday December 18, 6pm. St Swithun’s CofE Church, Hither Green Lane, Lee SE13 6QE.
Ok, so maybe this isn’t strictly Christmas-related, but festive fun all the same. Is there anyone who doesn’t know these songs? Get your Austrian kit on and yodel your way through this cult sing-along classic. Cost is £3, see www.hithergreenhall.org for details.
Skeptics in the pub: A very skeptical Christmas @ Hackney Attic Monday December 19, 6pm, Hackney Attic @ Hackney Picturehouse, 270 Mare Street, E8 1HE
A conversation and debate group for those who prefer their festive cheer with a side order of skepticism. In this Christmas special meeting, the skeptics will be casting a sardonic eye on the festivities and will be joined by a ‘very logical and practical guest speaker’. Merry Christmas? Maybe sherry Christmas. See here for details.
Evening Recital; Klimis Voskidis (piano) @ Deptford Town Hall Tuesday December 20, 7pm. Council Chamber, Deptford Town Hall building, New Cross Road SE14 5BA
PhD student Klimis Voskidis’s evening performance will include operatic transcriptions of Liszt and Thalberg and a selection from Mendelssohn’s Songs Without Words.
Hosted by the Department of Music at Goldsmiths, this series of concerts gives students an opportunity to perform their work in the grand surroundings of Deptford Town Hall. The performance is open to all staff and students at Goldsmiths, as well as members of the public. Entry free. Call 020 7919 7645 for details.
Winter Art Exhibiton @ Hoxton Art Gallery Wednesday December 21 (until January 19) from 11am-6pm, 64 Charlotte Road, Hoxton EC2A 3PE
Hoxton Art Gallery close their inaugural year with a winter-themed exhibition comprising work by the kind of intelligent young artists the gallery is becoming known for. Including work by Katie Sims, Lucy Wilson, Ha Young Kim and Guler Ates. Entry free.
Santa Claus and the Christmas Adventure @ Fairfield Hall Wednesday December 21 at 10.30am, 1.30pm and 4pm. Fairfield Hall, Park Lane, Croydon, CR9 1DG.
Do you believe in Santa Claus? Head down to Fairfield Hall for this brand new fun-filled show. The sleigh is packed full of presents on Christmas eve, with the reindeers ready to go, but then chaos strikes: Rudolph is missing and the elves are misbehaving. Will Santa ever get the presents to all the boys and girls before Christmas Day? Suitable for ages 3-7. Tickets £14.50 for adults and £12.50 for children. See www.fairfield.co.uk for further information and to book.
