What's On Over Christmas & New Year

Hogmanay, New Year

We take a look at some of the biggest and most unusual events taking place.

All over the UK special events are taking place to celebrate Christmas and New Year. Here we take a look at a selection of what's on offer.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve Carol Service, King's College Chapel, Cambridge

The Christmas Eve Carol service held at King's College Chapel in Cambridge known as the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols has become one of the most famous carol services in the world. And it's all down to the BBC.

Tolling The Devil's Knell, Dewsbury

An old custom observed every Christmas Eve in Dewsbury, this rite has carried on for 700 years, with only a short break during the war years. The tenor bell, known as 'Black Tom', is tolled once for every year since the birth of Christ, to remind the town's people of the defeat of the devil. The final stroke is timed to ring exactly at midnight, after which the first communion of Christmas is celebrated.

Christmas Day

Traditionally a day to stay at home with family, there are very few events taking place on Christmas Day.

Annual Christmas Day Swim In The Serpentine, Hyde Park, London

Members of the “Serpentine Swimming Club” who have met in London’s Hyde Park, winter and summer since 1864 swim their traditional 100 yards annual Christmas day swim. The race is only open to members and is raced on a handicap system. The icy Serpentine waters have a winter temperature temperature of below 4 degrees Celsius.

Boxing Day

A Feast Of Sport

Catch a match in your area on Boxing Day. Sport doesn't stop over the festive period and the football season includes a full list of fixtures up and down the country. Horseracing and rugby is also popular whilst you can catch up with some cricket on satelitte television.

Check the listings in your area to see which sporting events are taking place.

Marshfield Paper Boys

Every Boxing Day at 11:00am increasing numbers of visitors come to the village to see the performance of the celebrated Marshfield Mummers or "The old time paper boys." Seven figures, led by the Town Crier with his handbell, dressed in costumes made from strips of newsprint and coloured paper, perform their play several times along the high street. The final performance is outside of one of the local public houses where the landlord delivers a tot of whisky for the "Boys".

Mummer’s Day, Padstow

On Boxing Day and New Year's Day, it is a tradition for some residents to don blackface and parade through Padstow singing 'minstrel' songs.

New Year’s Eve

All the UK's pubs and bars will be in full swing, and people gather in town squares to celebrate the New Year together. Traditionally, two of the biggest gatherings take place in London’s Tralafgar Square and Edinburgh.

Hogmanay, Edinburgh

Edinburgh's Hogmanay has announced its line-up for this year's festivities, with Groove Armada set to headline the Concert in the Gardens alongside other big names. This year it will be bigger than ever with four live stages, a laser and light-show and partying with stages live from 9pm - 1am

Trafalgar Square, London

Traditionally Trafalgar Square has been the focal point of seeing in the New Year in LondonFrom the Square the crowd listens to Big Ben count down the new year and then the traditional cheer goes up as midnight hits and the new year dawns. A free-to-view firework display is held at the London Eye which is visible over huge parts of London. In Trafalgar Square the event is relayed on giant screens.

Are you going to any festive events over the Christmas and New Year period? Are you going out or staying in on New Year's Eve? Are there any events that we don't know about?

If so, let us know by leaving a comment in the box below or share your ideas with other readers in the 50connect forums.