Last Updated on 12/11/2024
Christmas is an expensive time of year, but what if I told you can enjoy a trip to London on a budget to save money for all the things you need to buy & maybe some pennies spare for Christmas cocktails too?! Psst – if so I’ve got the perfect London Christmas bar at the end of this post!
Check out my recommendations for the best free things to do in London at Christmas! Psst – many London activities run until January if you don’t get the opportunity to visit London before Christmas!
Free London Christmas Light Trails
Visiting London at Christmas is the perfect way to get in the Christmas spirit with so many Christmassy things to do for all the family.
Enjoy London’s magical Christmas lights trails for free, whilst stretching your legs (if you’re anything like me, you may need to after eating all the mince pies and chocolate…) whilst enjoying the London lights at night.
Here are some free London light trails to visit:
Winter Light Southbank Centre:
Part of Southbank’s Winter Festival, admire 10 illuminated artworks created by artists who creatively play with light and colour. The artworks explore themes of individuality, collective identity, environmental topics and modern technology. Southbank Centre Winter Light is free to visit and the 2023/2024 programme runs from 13th November – 7th January 2024. Why not combine with the Southbank Centre Winter Market.
Christmas Nightlights in Greenwich:
Enjoy a Christmas scavenger hunt in London at Christmas Nightlights in Greenwich, where you can follow a map, find books and solve clues to light the book in this interactive light trail. The trail takes just over an hour to solve and covers a 6km distance. Christmas Nightlights in Greenwich is free to visit and runs from 1st December – 1st January.
Sparkle in the Park:
Takes place at Greenwich’s Avery Hill Park, between 30th November – 3rd December 2023 and includes a fun fair, pop-up performances and a variety of food and drink stalls. Returning for its fourth year, The Royal You can also visit Greenwich Christmas Market too.
The Luminaze Wembley Park:
Get lost in a land of neon lights and art installations at The Luminaze, which runs from 2nd December 2023 – 2nd January 2024. Championing local artists, this brand-new bespoke art maze takes visitors through a visual story.
Winter Lights at Canary Wharf:
If Christmas is over and you’re still craving Christmas lights (I feel ya!), Canary Wharf is the place to visit! The Canary Wharf Winter Lights runs from 17th January – 27th January 2024 and promises 12 dazzling new installations lights to see for free alongside the popular permanent exhibition including:
- “Neuron” by Juan Fuentes (Spain), Riverside: an illuminated artwork inspired by the intricate network of neural connections in the human brain.
- “Submergence” by Squidsoup (UK), Montgomery Square: Following its popularity in previous years, this artwork returns to Montgomery Square. Comprising thousands of individual points of suspended lights to emphasise how virtual and physical worlds collide, this artwork resembles (for me, at least) the spirit tree in Avatar and an interactive light installation I saw at Motion Experience in Eindhoven.
- “Sign” by Vendel & De Wolf (Netherlands), Westferry Circus: This mesmerising artwork creates the illusion of stark bamboo canes engulfed in a flickering forest of flames. The flickering flames are both beautiful and frightening and offer admirers of the artwork contradictions between destruction and transformation.
Similar to this year’s Amsterdam Light Festival, Canary Wharf’s Winter Lights explores themes of technology, humans and nature.
London Snowman Christmas Trail
Raymond Briggs’s The Snowman brings so many childhood memories to life, and now you can relive them all by tracking down 12 Snowman sculptures dotted around London.
Each sculpture is individually created by an artist representing one of the 12 days of Christmas.
If you enjoyed following the Paddington Bear trail in London a few years back to find the Paddington sculptures, you will know what a fun way this is to explore London for free with little ones.
Find the Snowman sculptures until 5th January 2024.
Sing Christmas Carols in London
Fancy a sing-song in London and can’t cobble together enough coins to enjoy the Christmas carols at The Royal Albert Hall? Check out these options for free carol singing in London:
- A Celebration of Christmas at St Paul’s Cathedral
- Hay’s Galleria free choir performance
- Carols by Candlelight Union Chapel
Explore London’s Free Festive Museums
I love exploring all the free museums in London, and just when you think you’ve seen it all:
Natural History Museum:
Don’t miss seeing the Natural History Museum’s resident T-Rex in a Christmas jumper and Santa hat!
The Postal Museum:
There’s no doubt, that Christmas is the busiest time of year for the Post Office. The Postal Museum has a collection of special letters from children to Father Christmas and the first commercial Christmas card from 1843.
London Transport Museum:
A great option if you’re looking for free things to do in London with little ones. Climb aboard Santa’s sleigh, create some Christmas craft and help Santa’s elf on a family trail available until the 4th of January.
Visit the Ever After Garden Lights Grosvenor Square London
Honour loved ones’ past at the Ever After Garden, where you can see over 25,000 white roses lit up to remember absent loved ones at Christmas. You can dedicate a rose for a minimum donation of £10 to the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.
The garden is free to visit, but as a charity event, it’s well worth donating to this worthy cause.
London Christmas Markets
If you’re looking to buy gifts, enjoy some cheap eats in London, or simply enjoy the diverse range of Christmas markets in London, here are some of my favourites below:
- Christmas at Borough Market
- Winter By The River London Bridge
- Covent Garden Christmas Market
- Southbank Centre Winter Market
Find out more about the Best London Christmas Markets.
Admire Festive Christmas Trees in London
As you’ve probably gathered, London doesn’t do Christmas by halves! Here you will find the most spectacular Christmas trees that luckily you don’t have to decorate!
Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree:
The Trafalgar Square Christmas tree is one to be marvelled at, as well as holds a special meaning for the city of London. The large Norwegian spruce tree is donated by Norway each year in gratitude for the support provided by the British people in World War II and is overlooked by The National Gallery.
Claridges Christmas Tree:
The Claridges Christmas tree is one of London’s most eagerly awaiting tree reveals. With a different theme each year, Christmas at Claridge’s is well worth a visit, even if your budget can’t afford a stay here.
Covent Garden Christmas Tree:
The iconic Covent Garden tree is a London favourite year after year, and for good reason. If you visit in December you can also see snowfall in the square, which makes for the ultimate Christmas in London experience.
St Pancras Christmas Tree
St Pancras’ tree is spectacular this year! Created in collaboration with Hatchard’s, London’s oldest bookshop, the tree stands at 12 metres tall and features 3,800 hand-painted books, including classics “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe,” and even “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.”
Kings Cross Christmas Tree
Kings Cross is a popular London hotspot for Potterheads, with its very own Platform 9 ¾ photo spot you can visit for free. This year Kings Cross also has a Platform 9 ¾ theme Christmas tree and a pop-up Harry Potter shop, which reminded me of all the Harry Potter shops in York.
Enjoy a Christmas Lights Walking Tour of London
London is a walkable city with many of the magical Christmas lights located within close proximity of each other. Some of my favourites include:
- Regent Street Christmas Angels
- Carnaby Street Christmas
- Oxford Street Christmas lights
Nab my London Christmas lights walking route + map!
Christmas in London on a Budget
There are so many things to do in London for free at Christmas, from dazzling light trails, Christmas museums, carol-singing, markets, London lights displays and Christmas trees to admire.
I hope this post has encouraged you to enjoy the magic of London at Christmas!
Merry Christmas!
Jaz
You can also enter competitions to win luxury breaks on these posts:
Enjoyed this post? Check out these posts:
The most Christmassy London Christmas Bar
How to Enjoy the London Christmas Lights on Foot
Trafalgar Square Hotel Stay Review