There are various reasons that you may choose to stay in London as a student, whether it’s to focus on your studies or this is just where you want to stay! As we know, London is a very busy city with lots on... So much so that it can be hard to keep track of what fun things you can get up to during this festive period! The following article will share all the things you need to know so that you can make the most of spending Christmas in the winter wonderland that is London!
What is happening on campus?
A lot of our Students’ Union outlets will be closed over the festive break: for the full list of our opening hours, please click here. However, our libraries on the Mile End and Whitechapel campuses will still be open with a reduced opening schedule, so if you still wish to study on campus, you can do so there! Our Mile End Library also has Prayer and Contemplation Rooms that you can use while the Students’ Union Hub is closed (including our Multi-Faith Centre). For more information and updates on library opening times, please visit their page here.
If you are living in Queen Mary Residences, the Residential Life Team are hosting events to make sure you still feel at home during the festive period and University closure. For more information on this, please visit the Residential Life’s website here.
Many societies and clubs will be running events on the run up to the Christmas break, with various festive themes. Just because the semester is nearing the end, doesn’t mean it’s too late to explore our student groups, make new friends and discover hidden hobbies! From Aerospace Medicine Society’s cookie decorating social and a collaborative ice-skating trip between Maths Society and Gaming Society to ELSA’s Winter Ball and BL Music’s Christmas carol service – there's tons of choice for things to do with your fellow students!
Support and staying in touch
At the Students’ Union, we have also set up a Facebook group for students who are staying either in Queen Mary Residences or in London. The aim for the group is to help people meet each other and make plans over the festive period. To join this Facebook group, please click here.
While the University may be closed, there are still ways for you to get support during the Christmas holiday, including emotional wellbeing, help in a crisis, and study and stress management. The University has collated a list of links to the various services that you can access, here.
London transport changes
There will be no public transport running on 25 December and limited transport on 26 December, which may make it difficult to explore around London on these days. However, Santander Cycles will still be available – you can get 24 hours of unlimited 30-minute rides from £3 with a Day Pass. There are more than 12,000 bikes are around at 800 docking stations, and it’s a great way to take in the London sights while getting to your location.
Have a festive feast
Most shops and restaurants may also be closed on 25 December, but if you fancy a classic British roast dinner, some pubs may be open and serving Christmas dinners. You can find a list of pubs that will be open on Christmas Day here. One remarkable pub that embodies the festive spirit is the Churchill Arms in Notting Hill, with its heavily decorated exterior and interior. Be sure to call up the pubs to check their opening times and/or book in advance to avoid disappointment.
However, having Christmas dinner at a restaurant may be an expense that you’re not willing to spend as a student. Therefore, you may choose to cook your roast dinner from home and band together with some fellow Christmas Londoners (who you may have met on our Facebook group!) to put on your chef hats for the day. Save the Student has put together a great, student-friendly Christmas dinner recipe that will cost you less than £2.75 per person – which means even more money to splurge on Christmas treats! Give the recipe a read here.
A roast dinner not really your thing? There are plenty of Chinese restaurants open in Chinatown on Christmas Day. This could be a great opportunity to combine seeing some of the Christmas lights in Central London with grabbing a bite to eat and having a unique Christmas Day! Look in advance on Chinatown’s directory here or just have a leisurely stroll on the day and pick whatever takes your fancy!
Christmas at your Students’ Union
We have Get Active sessions running at your Students’ Union until 12 December, where you can pay as you go per sport session. Each session is only £2 and it’s a great way to practice or learn a new sport, make new friends and stay active. From archery to cheerleading, table tennis to football, there’s truly something for everyone. To find out more about Get Active sessions, click here – they'll restart in the new semester, too!
Plus, if you want to celebrate the end of semester with us, we have lots of events at The Griff and Drapers, such as Griffmas Dinner and Hail Merry! To discover what’s going on at the Students’ Union, visit our ‘What’s On’ page.
The festive period is also a great time to give back to your local community and support those in need. Our Volunteering Team at the Students’ Union has lots of volunteering opportunities over the winter break! Plus, you can log the hours you spent volunteering which will go towards a Volunteering Award at the end of the academic year. Festive opportunities include Holiday Activity Camps with Spring Community Hub and Christmas Holiday Projects with Solidarity Sports. Alternatively, you can provide people with warm, nutritious meals with The Felix Project, Family Action FOOD Club, FoodCycle, City Harvest, Providence Row and many more! For the full list of volunteering opportunities available, please visit our Volunteering webpage here.
What (and where) to watch
London is setting for so many iconic Christmas films like ‘Love Actually’, which means if you’ve made the decision to stay here for the festive period, you’re in a great place to feel all the Christmas emotions!
Speaking of movies, cinemas are the perfect activity for the festive season because they’re cosy and a great way to relax, either on your own or with friends. This will be a great chance to visit your local, independent cinema, like Genesis Cinema (just down the road from our Mile End campus) or Prince Charles Cinema, who has a Christmas film programme featuring festive favourites like ‘The Muppet Christmas Carol’, ‘Die Hard’, ‘Home Alone’ and ‘The Holiday’ -- there’s truly something for everyone!
Watching a theatre show at the West End is always a great thing to do, regardless of the time of year. It’s especially a great activity to do at Christmas time – look to see what shows are running over the festive period here. The Old Vic’s much-loved production of Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’ will return to London this winter, if you’d rather watch a live performance rather than the film edition. Plus, the English National Ballet brings the classic ballet ‘Nutcracker’ will be running at the London Coliseum for a month, with tickets from £15!
Christmas markets and carols
Another classic festive activity is to attend Christmas markets, and there’s lots of choice to pick from in London. Take a stroll down the Thames and look at some vendors in traditional alpine-style chalets at the Southbank Centre’s Winter Market. Grab some mulled wine in Kingston-Upon-Thames at their European-style Christmas Market. Most Londoners’ favourite Christmas market can be found at Covent Garden, with a world-famous festive installation, 60ft Christmas tree and even Santa’s sleigh for the perfect photo opportunity. And if you find yourself in Central London, you absolutely must visit Christmas in Leicester Square, under warm Christmas lights with great food and drink – and even a live show that you can buy tickets for!
If you’re loving the sound of these Christmas markets, then you will love Hyde Park Winter Wonderland: an incredibly popular festive fair that is now a London classic. It features everything you could want during the Christmas season, from ice rinks and ice bars to a Bavarian Village and circus tent. There are even various theme park rides for the thrill-seekers out there! While the activities there may be on the pricier side, it’s bound to get you in the festive spirit and will tick off something from your London bucket list. Plus, if you book well in advance, you can grab off-peak entry tickets for FREE!
In a similar tone to Christmas markets, a classic festive activity is to attend Christmas carols! From the Royal Albert Hall to Battersea Dogs Home, there is truly a Christmas carols event for anyone. Visit London has curated a list of the best carol events happening this season in London, please click here and find your dream carols event. Plus, if you want to combine markets and carols: Greenwich Market has both, for all your shopping and singing needs.
Spending time outside
A great (and free!) way to get in the festive spirit is to look at the Christmas lights throughout the city. While you can take a bus tour to ensure you can see all that the London lights have to offer, you can also follow self-guided walking tours for free; there are lots of route options online, like this one from Anywhere We Roam. Popular Christmas light spots that we recommend include Regent Street, Oxford Street, Carnaby Street, Covent Garden, Bond Street and Trafalgar Square!
If you love to get your steps in, there are lots of great parks that you can take wintery walks in. Wrap up warm, take a flask of hot chocolate and spend some time in the crisp, fresh air! Take a circular walk around Hampstead Heath (find detailed directions here, so that you don’t get lost!) Or, spend some time looking at our London skyline in Greenwich Park. While Richmond Park is a home to deer, birds and various other forms of wildlife, so you can reconnect with nature without venturing too far from the London we all know. And if you fancy a walk a bit closer to home (aka our Mile End campus), Victoria Park is always a classic East London stroll with its lake, Chinese pavilion and lots of dogs being walked!
Want to do something unique on Christmas Day? Every year since 1864, the Serpentine Swimming Club has held a Christmas Day race, in which the winner receives a Peter Pan Cup – a tradition started by the author J. M. Barrie. This is a great event to watch and to feel part of a community on that festive day!
Everyone at the Students’ Union wishes you a very happy holiday season, and we look forward to seeing you back on campus in January for Semester 2!