Christmas
Carol Services and Cathedral Christmases: Where to Hear Them
Photo: Tsung Ming C / Google
From King's College, Cambridge to cathedral cities across the country, how to actually get into the great Christmas carol services, and the quieter alternatives that need no ballot at all.
For many people, Christmas starts with a carol service. The most famous is the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at King's College, Cambridge, broadcast around the world every Christmas Eve, but nearly every cathedral in the country holds its own, and the best of them are a reason to plan a December weekend around a city.
At a glance
King's College: public places by online ballot; broadcast on Radio 4 at 3pm on Christmas Eve. Cathedrals: some services free but ticketed, some first come, first served. Best for: a weekend built around music.
King's College, Cambridge
How tickets work now
The old tradition of queuing from dawn on Christmas Eve for a seat has been replaced. Public places at the service are now allocated by an online ballot, with details published by the college in the autumn; check its website for any standby arrangements on the day. Apply as soon as it opens, and be prepared not to be lucky — demand far outstrips the seats.
If you do not get in
The service is broadcast live on BBC Radio 4 at 3pm on Christmas Eve, as it has been for nearly a century. Cambridge itself is well worth a December visit regardless: the college chapels hold other services and concerts through Advent, and the city centre is compact and walkable. Our Cambridge staycation guide has more.
Cathedral cities at Christmas
The Nine Lessons format actually began in a cathedral, at Truro in 1880, before King's adopted it, and cathedrals remain the best places to hear this music live.
Where to look
York Minster, Durham, Canterbury, Winchester, Wells and Salisbury all have outstanding choirs and full Advent programmes. Many also have Christmas markets or festive events nearby, which makes a weekend of it.
How tickets usually work
Arrangements vary by cathedral and by service. Some popular carol services are free but ticketed, released weeks in advance; others are unticketed and first come, first served, which means arriving well before the start. Midnight services on Christmas Eve are usually unticketed but fill early. Check each cathedral's website from October.
Smaller and quieter
Village churches, college chapels and town churches all hold carol services through December, often by candlelight and with no ticketing at all. If you are staying in the countryside over Christmas, the local church service can be the most memorable of the lot.
Planning a carol weekend
Carols from King's on television
Alongside the live radio service, the BBC broadcasts a separate televised service from King's, recorded earlier in December, on Christmas Eve. It is a different service from the radio one, which is why the carols vary between the two.
Book accommodation once you have a confirmed ticket or a firm plan. For more, see our guides to Christmas staycations and the Winchester Cathedral Christmas market.
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