Christmas Celebrations Across Hammersmith


Festive music, arts sessions for kids and a chance to join a 'wrap battle'

Celebrations in Hammersmith continue in the run-up to Christmas, with festive shows, concerts and carol singing, storytelling sessions for kids and a chance to join a 'wrap battle' at Kings Mall.

At the Eventim Apollo, the festive fun begins with Nativity! a stage show based on the popular Christmas film, with singalong songs, dancing and lots of comedy. The show runs from 13 to 17 December, at various times. Find out more and book tickets here.

Nativity at Hammersmith's Eventim Apollo

It is followed by the Christmasaurus, with the debut novel from McFly star and bestselling children's author Tom Fletcher coming to Hammersmith for a special Christmas spectacular from December 21 to 28, with two shows at 1pm and 7pm on most days. The show is suitable for all the family and will feature music, animation, magic and some very special guests.

Christmasaurus

The Christmasaurus is proving very popular, with extra shows added to meet demand. Find out more and book tickets here.

In Shepherd's Bush, at the Bush Theatre on Thursday 14 December, join Hammersmith’s very own inclusive choir, The Magic Sparks, performing some pop Christmas classics, guilty pleasures and a couple of surprises along the way to get you in the Christmas spirit.

Magic Sparks Choir from Hammersmith

For this one off festive extravaganza, The Magic Sparks will be performing alongside Brixton’s premier acappella women’s choir, The Electric Belles, as well as a special guest appearance from Eleanor Fanyinka.

The choir will be accompanied on the piano by novelist and musician extraordinaire, Chris Russell. So come along for a song and a mince pie to brighten your holiday season.

The fun begins at 6.30pm in the reading room. Admission is free and no booking is necessary.

On Saturday 16 December, the Bush Theatre hosts a Storystock Christmas, a magical day of interactive storytelling, craft, drama and comedy sessions for all the family.

The programme for the day is:

Odd the Troll & a Christmas Grotto 10am
Hortense & The Shadow 11:30am
The School of Christmas Comedy 1pm
Franklin’s Flying Christmas Bookshop 2:30pm
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas 4pm

The Night Before Christmas - part of Storystock at the Bush Theatre

Find out more and book tickets for Storystock here.

At Westfield, Santa's Snowflake Grotto is open for young visitors until 24 December, and there are also daily festivities at KidZania.

Holy Innocents Church in Paddenswick Road is hosting a series of festive fundraising concerts as follows:

Friday 15 December 7.30pm
South West Brass, Clariphonics, and friends
Admission free, with a collection for West London Action for Children

Sunday 17 December, 4pm
Chiswick Baroque presents
‘Music for Advent’

£12 (£10), under 16s FREE.
Tickets can be purchased on Ticketsource or on the door. Proceeds to The Stroke Association.

Tuesday 19 December 
Chiswick Baroque presents Carol Singing in Hammersmith 
Chiswick Baroque will be taking to the streets of Hammersmith for their annual carol singing, ending up in the Haweli restaurant on the corner of Black Lion Lane around 9pm.
Collecting for West London Action for Children.

Find out more and book tickets here.

Barons Court Theatre is celebrating the festive season with Improvised Pantomimes, running nightly till 16 December at 7.30pm.

Improvised Pantomimes at Barons Court Theatre

The theatre says the show is "An early Christmas present for all the family! Laughter, laughter and more laughter. If you like pantomimes – and who doesn't – come along to Barons Court and Very Serious People Theatre will make up a pantomime for you! The show is extremely inventive; highly original; and extremely entertaining. Christmas starts early at Barons Court – make sure you're part of it!"

Tickets, priced £12 or £10 concessions now on sale from the box office on 020 8932 4747 or Send details of performance and number of tickets required to londontheatre@gmail.com. Then pay for them, in cash, when you come to the performance.

The Bhavan

The Bhavan, in nearby Castletown Road, W14 celebrates Christmas on Sunday 17 December at 1pm with a group of students singing carols led by by James Marr. 

Everyone is welcome to this highly colourful festival and entry is free. Find out more at The Bhavan.

At the Irish Cultural Centre in Blacks Road is hosting a Celtic-Carribean Crossings Christmas Extravaganze on Saturday 16 December at 7.30pm.

The internationally acclaimed Caribbean, jazz and Guyanese musician, Keith Waithe, will take to the stage with gifted Irish musician Jacqueline Hynes, both phenomenal flute players and multi-instrumentalists. Together with a host of Irish and Afro-Caribbean musicians, they will bring you a night of amazing Afro-Celtic music fusion.

The organisers are promising the event will be one of the best foot-stomping Christmas extravaganza parties in London! Find more details, including ticket information here.

In Lyric Square, HammersmithLondon's Christmas Cabin is back until 23 December. Buy your gifts in local Hammersmith shops and Santa’s elves will happily wrap them for you While visiting the cabin, you can also have your photo take the free festive photo scene. You shop, they wrap and everyone is merry!

You can also share your festive selfies for a chance to win prizes ranging from a Hammersmith London bag, to VIP tickets for the Club de Fromage New Year’s Eve Spectacular at the Eventim Apollo.

Simply send your photos to  @hammersmithbid Twitter or  #w6christmas on Instagram or  the most fun, festive and fabulous photos win a prize.

Christmas in Hammersmith

Various local schools will also be visiting the square and making lunchtimes jollier by singing by the Christmas tree.

The Hammersmith Privilege Card offers exclusive yuletide offers and fantastic money off deals at Hammersmith’s wide array of shops, restaurants and pubs. Find out more on exclusive offers and how to apply.

Local residents can also use the new  Hammersmith.clickcollect.london service, letting you order your shopping online, and collect it somewhere convenient to you near home. It’s easy and affordable.

In Kings Mall, Hammersmith's shoppers can also take part in a wrap-tastic Christmas offer. From 8 December, they will not only be able to get their hands on a sheet of personalised wrapping paper from renowned designer Abigail Warner, but can also have all their Christmas gifts wrapped in return for a donation to help Hammersmith & Fulham Foodbank.

“This is a really exciting time for us here at Kings Mall, with all the massive developments underway ready for an amazing start to the new year,” said Andrew Proctor, Kings Mall Centre Manager.

“With so much work underway to make the improvements to the centre, we wanted to treat our shoppers to something special to thank them for their patience,” said Andrew. “We’re working with top designer Abigail Warner, and anyone who spends £30 across any of the shops at Kings Mall can claim a free, personalised sheet of wrapping paper."

"All the money donated to our wrapping station will go to help the charity provide emergency food parcels, as well as giving practical help and advice to those in our area who need it.

The It’s a Wrap station, which can be found in the heart of Kings Mall, near WHSmith, will be open until Friday 22 December and will also give visitors the chance to win festive prizes by taking part in  a 'wrap battle' testing their skills tackling hard to wrap items - anything from a golf club to a ukelele!

If you haven't yet bought your Christmas tree, locally based company Shoots and Leaves, with sites including the south east corner of Fulham's Eel Brook Common, plus Little Brook Green and outside St Paul's Church is donating £5 for every one of its Nordmann Fire Trees sold to schools in Hammersith and Fulham.

"We are the only real local supplier operating in the borough year round," says Shoots and Leaves founder Hew Stevenson. "So it’s only right that we try and return something to the area.We employ a large number of people who live in H&F and we are very proud of the local credentials we’ve built up over the past 18 years."

Find out more at Shoot and Leaves.

Hammersmith's markets are open to shoppers in the days before Christmas. In Lyric Square, Hammersmith Market is open on Thursday and the World Food Market on Friday and at Addington Primary School, Brook Green Market and Kitchen is inviting people to join its Christmas celebrations on Saturday 16 and 23 December.

If you have a festive event you would like to see listed here email the details to: editor@hammersmithtoday.co.uk.

December 14, 2017