Festive London Diary: Christmas events in the capital

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5 April 2012

Celebrate the season of goodwill with some of the best events in and around London...

BLUEWATER SHOPPING CENTRE
Nov 19
Bluewater promises to be a haven for children over the festive season.
CBeebies star Justin Fletcher will switch on the Christmas lights on Nov 19,
followed by a fireworks display. As well as the annual ice rink, there will be a Winter Wonderland with free Santa's grotto, funfair and a circus.
Greenhithe, Kent, DA9. Visit bluewater.co.uk

SEVEN DIALS
Nov 25
West End shopping village Seven Dials will be hosting a special discount night with many shops offering 20 per cent off purchases. Visit sevendials.co.uk/standard and register for your discount voucher ahead of the evening. The Two Brewers pub will hold a launch party, while the Adidas Originals store is inviting budding MCs to compete on their Def Jam Rapstar game.
Covent Garden, WC2. Visit sevendials.co.uk/standard

HOMEWORKS CHRISTMAS SALE
Nov 25-26
The 20th Century Theatre in Notting Hill is gearing up to host the third Homeworks Christmas sale. The event showcases original gifts such as Indian block printed children's clothes and Jamaican influenced textiles.
Exhibitors include Twisted Twee, Jo Gordon and Thornback and Peel.
Westbourne Grove, W11. Entrance fee £1. Visit thisishomeworks.blogspot.com

SANTA DASH
Nov 28
Christmas and charity go hand in hand, so why not spread some goodwill by donning your red hat and taking part in the annual Co-operative Santa Dash? The 5km fun run around Crystal
Palace Park raises money for charity Mencap. Sign up to enter online before
Nov 21.
Bromley, SE20. Race entry: £17, children £12. Visit mencap.org.uk

PETER JONES
From Dec 1
Combine shopping with a little "me time" at Peter Jones's Women's
Christmas Beauty Grotto. Take a break from pavement pounding and indulge in canapés and Champagne followed by a treatment, from as little as £14, in the store's beauty rooms.
Sloane Square, SW1W. Visit johnlewis.com

JINGLE BELL BALL
Dec 4-5
Head to the O2 Arena for Capital FM's annual festive pop extravaganza. Stars including Kylie Minogue and the Black Eyed Peas will take to the stage. Tickets have sold out but you can still win some by tuning into the radio station.
Peninsula Square, SE10. Visit capitalfm.com/jingle-bell-ball

CAROLS AT SOUTHWARK CATHEDRAL
Dec 7
Nothing is more magical at Christmas than the sound of angelic voices singing carols. The NSPCC will hold Carols By Candlelight at Southwark Cathedral in aid of the Child's Voice Appeal.
Celebrity friends of the charity, such as Sir David Frost, John Hurt and Esther Rantzen, will be doing readings.
London Bridge, SE1. Tickets: £25 to £65. Visit nspcc.org.uk/londoncarolsbycandlelight

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER
Out Dec 9
The Great Lion, Aslan, and King Caspian return for the third instalment of this magical saga. Edmund, his sister Lucy and their cousin Eustace are on board the ship, The Dawn Treader, for more adventure. Look out for the warrior mouse Reepicheep, voiced by Simon Pegg. Available in 3D.

THE LONDON DUNGEON
Dec 11-26
Sick of traditional festive spirit?
Then visit Satan's Grotto at London Dungeons. This twisted attraction will have songs from a rather different sort of choir — Satan's Carol Sinners, while children will be encouraged to admit the naughty things they've done this year to win a present.
Tooley Street, SE1. Tickets: £23, children £17. Visit thedungeons.com

KEW GARDENS
Dec 12-Jan 3
Now's the time to take a crisp winter walk and you'll be hard pushed to find a more scenic location than Kew
Gardens. Join a guided Winter Evergreen walk and visit Father Christmas in his grotto from Dec 12 to 23. Kids will love the carousel, or take that special someone on a romantic horse and
carriage ride (Dec 26 to Jan 3).
Kew, Richmond, TW9. Tickets: £13.50, concessions £11.50, under-17s free. Visit kew.org

TRON LEGACY OUT
Dec 17
The sequel to the 1982 cult sci-fi hit sees Jeff Bridges return as Kevin Flynn — the video game developer who was pulled into the digital world. Now, 25 years later, his son Sam (Garrett Hedlund) decides to investigate what happened to his father in this visually striking movie. Available in 3D.

BURLESQUE OUT
Dec 17
Christina Aguilera makes her film debut alongside Cher in this flick which sees Ali (Aguilera) move to Los Angeles in a bid to make it big on the stage of the Burlesque Lounge. But first she'll have to impress the theatre's owner Tess (Cher).

THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY
Dec 17-18
For a spot of stargazing on a dark
winter's night, take a trip to The Royal Observatory in Greenwich. On Dec 17 and 18 the venue will host a Christmas Star Party, where you can look at the moon through a gigantic 28-inch
telescope.
Blackheath Avenue, Greenwich, SE10. Tickets: £20. Visit nmm.ac.uk

SEA LIFE LONDON AQUARIUM
Dec 20-Jan 3
Treat the kids to a fun day out at the Aquarium's "12 Days of Fish-Mas". There will be a festive fish trail, where children can claim a reward if they solve clues. Santa divers will be taking regular dives into the tanks.
County Hall, Westminster Bridge Rd, SE1. Tickets: £18, children £12.50. Visit visitsealife.com/London

THE RAILWAY CHILDREN
Until Jan 2
A trip to Waterloo Station has never been so exciting for youngsters. Walk along the former Eurostar Terminal and be transported back to Victorian England by a theatre production of The Railway Children. There will be extra performances over the festive period.
Waterloo Station, SE1.
Tickets: £20.50-£49.50. Visit railwaychildrenwaterloo.com

THE LONDON EYE
Until Jan 5
Take a bird's eye view of the capital at Christmas by climbing aboard one of the pods on the London Eye.
Once back on solid ground, grab some skates and head to the Eye's very own ice rink.
Tickets for a 45-minute skating session are available when booking flights on the London Eye.
South Bank, SE1. Tickets: From £10.50 for skating. Visit londoneye.com

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM
Until Jan 9
The Natural History Museum gets into the Christmas spirit with its annual outdoor ice rink. If skating tires you out, head to the rink's Café Bar where you can sit on the balcony and watch the skating action with a cup of spiced winter red tea or mulled wine.
Cromwell Road, SW7. Tickets: £13 peak, £11.50 off peak, children (12 and under) £8.50 peak, £8 off peak. Visit nhm.ac.uk

THE SANCTUARY
For an alternative Christmas night out with the girls, take a trip to Covent Garden's women-only spa, The Sanctuary, where a Winter Sanctuary Spa Day includes full use of the facilities, a 50-minute treatment and a free retreat bag.
Or why not treat someone special to Time For You Gift Voucher, which includes a treatment, lunch and a glass of Champagne, plus a Sanctuary Heroes Christmas Gift worth £20.
Floral Street, WC2E. Winter Sanctuary Spa Day package: £109 when booked in advance.
Gift voucher: £180. Visit thesanctuary.co.uk

COVENT GARDEN
Share a romantic moment in the heart of Covent Garden and light up a Christmas tree. The 50-foot "Kissmas" tree, by designer Paul Cocksedge, is activated when a couple smooch under the mistletoe. But Covent Garden isn't just for lovers: there's music, crafts, and real reindeer petting for children every Saturday in the lead up to Christmas.
Visit coventgardenlife.com

Festive London Diary: Christmas events in the capital

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