WHAT’S ON
CHRISTMAS IN THE NOTSWOLDS
From carol concerts and creative workshops to visits with Santa and festive light switch-ons, there are plenty of ways to celebrate Christmas across the Notswolds. Plan your festive season here.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at Curve
A new Curve production of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory brings the chocolate factory to the stage for Christmas.
21 November 2026 – 16 January 2027 · Leicester, Leicestershire
Handel’s Messiah at Lincoln Cathedral
Lincoln Cathedral Choir, musicians and soloists perform Handel’s Messiah in the soaring nave of Lincoln Cathedral.
21 November 2026, 7.30pm · Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Mountain Rose live at Curious Magpie
Mountain Rose brings an evening of Americana-inspired live music to Curious Magpie, raising funds for LOROS.
27 November 2026, 7–10pm · Mountsorrel, Leicestershire
What the Ladybird Heard at Christmas at Royal & Derngate
Julia Donaldson’s mischievous farmyard story has its world-premiere stage adaptation at Royal & Derngate.
28 November – 31 December 2026, selected performances · Northampton, Northamptonshire
Daisy and the Trouble with Christmas at Curve
Kes Gray’s Daisy comes to Curve in a lively Christmas show full of mischief, mayhem and unexpected surprises.
30 November 2026 – 3 January 2027 · Leicester, Leicestershire
The Christmas Orchestra at Lincoln Cathedral
A sixteen-piece chamber orchestra plays Christmas film music and seasonal classics in Lincoln Cathedral.
1 December 2026, 7.15pm or 9.15pm · Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Christmas concert and carols with Hambleton Hall
Choral music and carols at St Andrew’s Church, with an optional black-tie dinner at Hambleton Hall.
2 December 2026 · Hambleton, Rutland
Mosaic in Concert at Rockingham Castle
Six unaccompanied voices fill Rockingham Castle’s Great Hall with Christmas music from across the centuries.
3 December 2026, doors 6.30pm, concert 7.30pm · Rockingham, Northamptonshire
Christmas with the Rat Pack at Kilworth House
Christmas swing and Rat Pack standards come to the Orangery at Kilworth House for a festive theatre evening.
4 December 2026 – 3 January 2027, selected performances · North Kilworth, Leicestershire
Christmas music by candlelight at Curve
Ex Cathedra brings its much-loved Christmas Music by Candlelight concert to Curve for an atmospheric December evening.
7 December 2026 · Leicester, Leicestershire
A Christmas Carol in the Cellars at Delapré Abbey
Dickens’s Christmas ghost story is performed in the atmospheric cellars beneath Delapré Abbey.
7 and 20 December 2026, evening performances · Northampton, Northamptonshire
Carols by Candlelight at Lincoln Cathedral
Traditional Christmas carols by candlelight in the extraordinary setting of Lincoln Cathedral.
7–8 December 2026, 7pm · Lincoln, Lincolnshire
A Christmas Carol at Norwood Park
The Three Inch Fools perform Dickens’s ghostly Christmas story in the candlelit atmosphere of Norwood Park’s Long Gallery.
11–12 December 2026, doors 7pm, performance 7.30pm · Southwell, Nottinghamshire
Christmas concert with Rutland Voices at Uppingham School Chapel
Traditional carols and seasonal music from Rutland Voices in Uppingham School Chapel.
12 December 2026 · Uppingham, Rutland
Christmas Magic at Peterborough Cathedral
Seasonal music fills Peterborough Cathedral at its Christmas Magic concert.
12 December 2026, 2.30pm · Peterborough, Cambridgeshire
The Snowman with live orchestra at Lincoln Cathedral
A screening of The Snowman with live orchestral accompaniment, beneath the soaring arches of Lincoln Cathedral.
12–13 December 2026 · Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Christmas Chapel Concert at Burghley
The Cantus Choir and a string quartet perform traditional Christmas music in Burghley’s intimate family chapel.
13 December 2026, 6–8.30pm · Stamford, Lincolnshire
Service of Nine Lessons and Carols at Grimsthorpe Castle
Readings, carols and Stamford Brass Band fill Grimsthorpe’s decorated Vanbrugh Hall for a rare winter evening at the castle.
13 December 2026 · near Bourne, Lincolnshire
Christmas Classics at Grimsthorpe Castle
An afternoon or evening of festive choral and instrumental music within the decorated rooms of Grimsthorpe Castle.
15 December 2026 · near Bourne, Lincolnshire
Ghost Stories for Christmas at Lamport Hall
An afternoon or evening of Christmas ghost stories in the historic setting of Lamport Hall.
18 December 2026, 2pm and 7.30pm · Lamport, Northamptonshire