Have a jolly old Christmas in England

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When it comes to Christmas markets and holiday festivities, England is not the first country that comes to mind. But, in fact, many cities and towns across England go all out to celebrate the season.

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In addition to hundreds of Christmas markets, many stately homes put on their best Christmas finery and host holiday events of their own. This year there’s an extra frisson of excitement as many places are holding their first fully open events since pandemic restrictions were lifted.

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Here are a few places that do it up in a big way:

LONDON

The capital, of course, is holiday central. Many major streets are a-twinkle with festive lights — Regent, Bond, Oxford and Carnaby streets have some of the best — and many storefronts have elaborate decorations. Ice rinks and Christmas markets — large and small — are sprinkled throughout the city.

The Hyde Park Winter Wonderland is the biggest event. Celebrating its 15th year, it’s part Christmas market — with 100 traditional wooden chalets — and part carnival with rides ranging from mild to wild, including rollercoasters, drop towers, a giant Ferris wheel, two circuses, a street food village and a carousel bar. Ice is a prominent theme at the Magical Ice Kingdom, ice bar, ice slide, ice mountain and Winter Wonderland Ice Rink. New this year is a Canadian Mounties Funhouse.

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Other, more traditional, markets can be found at Covent Garden, Leicester Square, London Bridge, Kings Cross and Trafalgar Square. An artisan Christmas market and global foodie event takes place along the Thames during the Southbank Centre’s Winter Festival.

See visitlondon.com/things-to-do/whats-on/christmas/best-christmas-markets-in-london for dates and other details.

BIRMINGHAM

England’s second-largest city hosts five Christmas markets. The annual Frankfurt Christmas Market is not only the largest and most well known, but also the biggest authentic Christmas market outside of Germany or Austria. Stalls along Victoria Square and New Street sell traditional hand-crafted goods and gifts — wooden decorations, toys, leather goods, jewelry and more. Shoppers can take a spin on the carousel, fuel up at food stalls serving pretzels, schnitzel, bratwurst, stollen, roasted almonds, etc., and warm up on gluhwein, wheat beer and hot chocolate. Musicians from Germany and Birmingham entertain throughout the day on weekends, and during lunch times and evenings on weekdays. See thebfcm.co.uk.

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Birmingham’s second largest market — Christmas in Cathedral Square — is nearby. It offers live music from local artists, traditional crafts, ornaments and gifts from independent businesses as well as pop-up food and drink vendors.

Ice Skate Birmingham and the Big Wheel are other popular city-centre activities. For a full line up, see visitbirmingham.com/whats-on.

CHATSWORTH HOUSE AND GARDENS

Christmas at Chatsworth is a very big deal — so big that TV specials have been made about the sumptuous Derbyshire estate’s annual celebrations.

This year’s theme — Deep Midwinter: A Nordic Christmas at Chatsworth — evokes the folklore and traditions of the Nordic and Arctic regions while also emphasizing sustainability and nature. Inside the majestic home, a series of immersive “roomscapes” feature sculpted “ice” walls, tranquil pine forests, handmade decorations and foliage foraged from the estate’s woodlands. The mischievous Norse god Loki entertains with stories, music and magic tricks.

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The Nordic theme continues outdoors, where an illuminated trail leads to the “northern lights” over the Canal Pond, and the large yew maze is illuminated and filled with festive music.

Tickets are required. See chatworth.org.

With an estimated one million visitors per year, Chatsworth is one of England’s grandest and most popular country estates but it’s not the only one hosting fabulous Christmas events this year. For a list of others, including Blenheim Palace, Howard Castle and Belvoir Castle, go to visitengland.com/christmas-2022-events-in-stately-homes.

IF YOU GO

— For tourism information, see visitbritain.ca.

— In London, Brown’s Hotel has a long and storied history dating back to 1837. See roccofortehotels.com/hotels-and-resorts/brown-s-hotel.

— In Birmingham, Aloft Birmingham Eastside has spacious modern rooms. See marriott.co.uk.

— In Derbyshire, Callow Hall offers both a relaxed country house experience and woodland accommodations in two “Treehouses” and 11 “Hives.” The Sunday Times named it Hotel of the Year 2022. See wildhive.uk.

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