In Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, the Victorian novelist recalled London’s ‘Little Ice Age’, when Frost Fairs were held on a frozen Thames. You can’t do your Christmas shopping on the river – the last Frost Fair was in 1814 – but you can still enjoy the season’s magic beside it.
The river’s southern stretch between icy-blue Tower Bridge and London Bridge becomes a maze of fairylit chalets selling festive wares for Winter by the River (11 Nov-4 Jan). Wrap up for a stroll around the market and enjoy hands-on experiences including wreath making, gingerbread decorating and cocktail classes. Go hungry for the street food – a salt beef sandwich with a slug of sloe gin, anyone?
Continue west, via the enticing aromas of Borough Market, towards the Southbank Centre. This Brutalist landmark, which is celebrating its 75th birthday next year, is lit up for its Winter festival (3 Nov-11 Jan). As well as the free outdoor illuminations, browse the market (3 Nov-4 Jan) and catch a show. The stage version of Top Hat (12 Dec-17 Jan) should put you in a sparkling mood, while Bluey’s Big Play (18 Dec-11 Jan) will hopefully distract little ones from asking how many sleeps are left until Christmas.
Seconds away, you’ll find Between the Bridges, a pop-up near Jubilee Gardens. If you’ve a few gifts left to buy, visit SoLo Craft Fair, which will be doing a roaring trade in independent presents every Sunday (16 Nov-14 Dec). You can catch the fair in Leadenhall Market and St Martin-in-the Fields, too.
Battersea Power Station is another must-visit. After you’ve seen the shops and market, whirl around London’s only riverside ice rink, Glide (7 Nov-4 Jan). With a new Skate Trail, it’s overlooked by a towering Christmas tree, fairground rides and bars. And if the mulled wine doesn’t perk you up, Drip – a sauna and ice-bath experience suspended above the river – certainly will (to 31 Dec).
Finally, you may have bought a snow globe as a stocking filler, but you can step into a real one at Up at The O2 in Greenwich. Brave a guided Snow Globe Climb over the iconic roof, then get cosy in the UK’s highest snow globe (21 Nov-4 Jan). At 52 metres high, you may even spot Father Christmas soaring through the sky.
