Christmas at the Royal Albert Hall
Image courtesy of the Royal Albert Hall
December 2025 at the Royal Albert Hall offers a curated constellation of moments from 2–31 December, each one designed to warm, steady or delight us as the year folds into its final chapter.
The season opens on 2 December with Tony Hadley – The Christmas Big Band Tour, a night steeped in brass, nostalgia and the velvet charm of Hadley’s voice — Sinatra, Presley, Bennett, and the anthems we know by heart.
Image courtesy of the Royal Albert Hall
From there, the Hall shifts into the sacred. On 5 December, Glyndebourne brings Handel’s Messiah, performed by the Glyndebourne Chorus and Sinfonia under Aidan Oliver. It’s a work that needs no fanfare — only the stillness that comes when great choral writing fills a grand space.
The festive cinema tradition continues with Home Alone in Concert on 6 and 13 December, John Williams’ score played live to picture — a marriage of childhood memory and orchestral joy. And for younger adventurers, My Christmas Orchestral Adventure arrives on 7 December, inviting families into an imaginative world-spanning quest with the BBC Concert Orchestra.
Image courtesy of the Royal Albert Hall
Mid-December brings rhythm, soul and the warmth of communal sound. Trevor Nelson’s Soul Christmas on 11 December reimagines R&B favourites with the BBC Concert Orchestra. Jamie Cullum follows on 12 December with The Pianoman at Christmas, spinning jazz textures and festive sparkle with Kansas Smitty’s.
Then comes the heart of the Hall’s winter ritual: Carols at the Royal Albert Hall, running across 14, 20–21 and 22–24 December in 15 performances. Traditional, modern, choral and communal — a reminder that singing together is one of the simplest ways to experience community.
Image courtesy of the Royal Albert Hall
On 15 December, the Royal Choral Society continues a legacy unbroken since 1872, joined by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the British Imperial Military Band for an afternoon and evening of seasonal works. 16 December sees the return of the London Community Gospel Choir, whose annual Christmas celebration transforms the Hall into a house of harmony.
Jazz returns with force on 17 December for the 10th edition of Guy Barker’s Big Band Christmas, a night of swing, surprise and festive improvisation. And on 18 December, organist Anna Lapwood leads Anna Lapwood’s Christmas, joined by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and London Youth Choir for a radiant journey through the “Twelve Days of Christmas.”
Image courtesy of Andy Paradise
The story deepens on 19 December when Keith & Kristyn Getty – Home for Christmas brings British carols, Celtic heritage and Nashville colour together in one sweeping concert.
The month concludes in pure enchantment: Birmingham Royal Ballet’s The Nutcracker, from 29–31 December, created exclusively for the Hall — period costumes, immersive projections and Tchaikovsky’s timeless score closing the year in a flourish of magic.
Across its full offering, Christmas at the Hall — 2025 feels like a season of joy: a reminder that December’s beauty lies not only in tradition, but in the shared moments that carry us into a new year — together.
Image courtesy of Bill Cooper
Tickets are on sale now on the Royal Albert Hall website.
This is your invitation to experience the Hall at its most magical.
