The 2023 festive season in London is a magical symphony that offers you and your family a memorable experience. The atmosphere is filled with eagerly awaited Christmas cheers as the city awaits world-popular performers, enchanting tunes, and captivating sets to lift the Christmas mood.
But, to spend your festive period in London, you must first know the best events to attend, where they’ll take place, and how much the tickets cost. Below, we share several heart-warming Christmas musicals, plays, and soul-warming concerts you might attend and enjoy. So, let’s have a look!
London Christmas Shows 2023
Elf The Musical At The Dominion Theatre
This musical is a modification of the popular Christmas movie in ELF. The ELF musical at the Dominion Theatre comprises songs like “Nobody Cares About Santa”.
It tells an amusing and charming story of Buddy, who unintentionally creeps into Santa’s bag as a baby and is brought up as an ELF.
Buddy is exceptionally tall and doesn’t perform well at his job, making him the biggest misfit in the North Pole (something he knows). When Santa reveals the truth, Buddy journeys to New York to find his birth father.
After causing chaos in Manhattan, the young man finally learns about the gift of family and falls in love. Then, when Santa’s sleigh smashes in Central Park, Buddy unveils a way to save Christmas forever.
The cast includes Mathew Wolfenden (Buddy), Georgina Castle (Jovie), Tom Chambers (Walter Hobbs), and Rebecca Lock (Emily Hobbs).
The show runs for two and a half hours and is ideal for 4+ year-olds. Ticket prices start at £30. The play will be in Dominion Theatre from November 15th, 2023, to January 6th, 2024.
The Night Before Christmas – Polka Theatre
Amber is six years old and is obsessed with reindeer. Her grandad is tired, and it’s Christmas Eve; Amber’s favourite snow globe breaks.
However, an unexpected visitor turns her world upside down, and Amber begins a journey she’ll never forget. Join the little lady on an extraordinary Christmas journey. After all, anything is possible just the night before Christmas.
The play is inspired by Clement Clarke Moore’s famous poem ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’.
Like other holiday-themed events and games such as Holiday Charades, Sweet Bonanza, and White Elephant Gift Exchange, this musical brings Christmas Eve to life in an exciting and original production written by Hattie Naylor. The play comprises sweet tunes, masterful puppetry, and the right amount of festive magic.
Tickets are available from December 30th, 2023, to January 14th, 2024, starting at £16. The show is about 50 minutes.
Peter Pan Goes Wrong Happening At The Lyric Theatre, London
Peter Pan Goes Wrong and causes an uproar this Christmas. The producers of the multi-award winning shows sell-out “The Comedy About a Bank Robbery”, the BBC TV series “The Goes Wrong Show” and “The Play That Goes Wrong”.
The benevolent members of the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society are here to bring you the most accident-prone recreation of everyone’s most loved boy who never grew up. You can catch the cast members tackle technical glitches and actors’ attitudes as they try to relive J.M Barrie’s beloved story.
The show runs for two hours, including intervals, and is recommended for those over eight years. Tickets start at £15, and you can book them from November 23rd, 2023, to January 14th, 2024.
Horrible Christmas Raymond Gubbay Christmas Festival 2023
When Christmas comes under threat from a merry man dressed in red, it’s up to one young boy to save Christmas Day.
Featuring Victorian villains, Mediaeval monks, Tudor treats, and Puritan parties, join this nerve-wracking journey through Christmas histories with Charles Dickens, King Henry VIII, St Nicholas and Oliver Cromwell as they get together to save the festive season.
The performance takes about 70 minutes and is perfect for kids over four. Please beware that this show contains mist and some intermittent flashing lighting. Ticket prices start from £16.50, and it takes place on December 29th, 2023, at Barbican Hall, London.
Christmas Ballets in London 2023
The Nutcracker at The London Coliseum
Enjoy the show where more than 100 ballet dancers and musicians bring the classic Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker” to the London Coliseum stage.
On a sparkling Christmas Eve in a frost-kissed Edwardian London, Clara gets an enchanted nutcracker as a gift. Together, they unveil a magical world where she battles with the Mouse King and meets an attractive stranger. As the chills set in, Clara and her brave Nutcracker ride a hot air balloon across London to the lustrous land of snow, where a puppet theatre springs into action with dancers worldwide.
The performance takes place starting from December 14th, 2023, to January 7th, 2024. The ticket prices start from £50.
Edward Scissorhands – Matthew Bourne Is At Sadler’s Wells
The exceptional creation of Edward Scissorhands by Matthew Bourne comes back to Sadler’s Wells, having enthralled fans’ fantasies globally.
As you can guess, Matthew Bourne’s Edward Scissorhands is inspired by Tim Burton’s beloved film of the same title, this bewitching Christmas favourite promises a magical performance you wouldn’t want to miss.
Like the movie, the dance narrates the story of Edward, a special young gentleman with scissors in place of his hands.
This visually appealing gothic fantasy unveils an emotional and provocative romance as Edward strives to fit into the 1950s American suburbia. However, can his neighbours look past his strange exterior and embrace the compassionate and artistic soul behind the scissors?
Tim Burton inspired Edward’s character based on a drawing he made in his teens. The narrative displaying Burton’s isolating and quirky teenage years in Suburban California is considered the most customised of Burton’s projects.
The dance runs from December 5th, 2023, to January 20th, 2024, and ticket prices start at £56.
SEE YOU IN LONDON
Celebrating Christmas in London means many exciting concerts, Kew Gardens, and spectacular decorations everywhere. Plus, besides the larger smilers and brighter lights, there’s much more to explore and enjoy in London. We hope our list has given you various magical festivities to make your 2023 festive season memorable.
Let us know which 2023 London Christmas musicals you wish to visit.
