Come and browse Canterbury School of Visual Arts' gorgeous Christmas Market on Friday 3 December. The market is being held at the CSVA Gallery at the College on New Dover Road where guests will be offered festive refreshments from 2.30-4pm, and be able to to browse and to buy a selection of works made by current Art students.
More information will follow nearer the time! Watch this space...
The festive man of the moment Santa spares an afternoon to share his magic in Canterbury -at Houdini's Magic Bar in St Peter's Street. Bring the family or your friends, grab a cocktail and sit back while Santa sprinkles his magic dust and mixes things up with a bag of tricks and delights to keep you entertained -and well watered. Great afternoon of Live Magic, Festive fun, games and a visit from the Big Man himself but you must book first. Book now on 0333 006 4151 bar@houdinis.co.uk
Canterbury Christmas Barket welcomes your four-legged friends to Santa Paws to visit Father Christmas, who absolutely adores all animals – obviously! Each visit includes an opportunity for your dog to tell Father Christmas how well behaved they’ve been, a Christmas gift for your dog and plenty of opportunities to take photos. This will take place in Santa’s grotto in the Marlowe Arcade. 1 dog and up to 2 human friends per booking. 7th December and 8th December only 12 noon until 6 pm. Sessions last up to 5 minutes. £4.00 per dog per booking. Well behaved dogs only, please. Dogs must be kept on a lead at all times. All dogs must be accompanied by a responsible adult. Human friends to wear a face mask if possible, please. Click here to book
Enter the wonderful world of ephemera at the Canterbury Postcard and Collectors Fair. Buy and sell postcards, stamps, militaria, coins, cigarette cards, antiques, toys, books, and much more, all at a social distance in our fully Covid-secure venue. Browse dozens of stalls. Saturday 11 December 8.30am Doors open (£2 entry) From 10am free entry Plus enjoy takeaway hot and cold drinks and snacks from our pop-up cafe.
The Safer Streets Team (Kent Police in partnership with Canterbury City Council) will be in the city centre on Saturday 11 December, with a pop-up hub outside Barclays Bank to share safety messages and marking bicycles against theft etc.
The Choir of Clare College, Cambridge and conductor Graham Ross make their debut at Colyer Fergusson Hall with ‘What sweeter music’, a joyous and ravishing programme of festive choral masterpieces old and new. “What sweeter music” Hieronymus Praetorius’s Christmas Magnificat and Palestrina’s ‘Surge, illuminare’ sit alongside two exquisite Hymns to the Virgin by Pierre Villette and Benjamin Britten, James Long’s invigorating ‘Vigilate’, motets by Messiaen, Tavener, Will Todd, and John Rutter, and a beautiful selection of arrangements that tell us that Christmas has truly begun. Click HERE to book tickets
Wine Dinner - Christmas Wines Monday 13th December, 7.00pm Join luxury hotel The ABode for an exclusive menu and paired wine flight. Fine wines, from some of the world's leading boutique wineries, have been expertly selected by award-winning importer Hallgarten Wines. Served in our 3 AA Rosette restaurant to the backdrop of our own wine cellar, enjoy exquisite dishes alongside a selection of wines presented by our expert. Just in time for Christmas, taste a selection of wines that pair perfectly with your Christmas roast and other festive dishes. This event includes: Four or five-course menu - SAMPLE MENU Paired wine flight Wines presented for each course by our expert from Hallgarten Wines £49 per person
Feel the festive cheer with the brass ensemble of the Philharmonia Orchestra. From glittering fanfares to gentle carols, nothing captures the spirit of the festive season like the warm sound of a brass ensemble at Christmas. Marking their long-awaited return to their Canterbury residency here at The Marlowe, members of the Philharmonia Orchestra’s brass section present a specially-chosen selection of concert favourites and Christmas classics. With stunning versions of Coventry Carol, Ding Dong Merrily On High, Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite and many more, including a medley of your favourite carols in Festive Cheer. Join the Philharmonia brass for an evening of joy, excitement, and enough tunes to leave you humming all the way to Christmas Day.
Canterbury's popular Street Food Market returns for a festive offering of mulled wine, spirits, cocktails and beers. Also on offer is a wonderful diverse mix of street food served outside in Canterbury's Guildlhall Street, set beneath the Christmas lights with tables, chairs and mini bar tables for you to enjoy you food and drinks on. The perfect place to meet friends, or take a break from your Christmas shopping. Find out more HERE
Join Kent Wildlife Trust, Wildwood Trust and the RSPB at West Blean Woods, on Saturday 18th December for a wonderful Winter Fayre. A selection of stalls, crafts, activities and games for all ages will be available, including a mini-safari with their fantastic safari guides. They are also running a free shuttle bus from Sturry Park & Ride to help cut down on congestion. Find out more and book tickets HERE
Now as much an essential part of the build up to Christmas as the local Village Christmas Bazaar or the pre-cooking of the sprouts! The Albion Christmas Show is a very popular show appealing to all ages. The tour sells out all over the country for the two weeks leading up to Christmas every year. Described in the Guardian as “the perfect antidote to the corporate Christmas”. Expect an evening of traditional English Christmas music, humourous stories and beautiful, spine-tingling Christmas carols and ballads sung by Kellie While and Simon Nicol. After weeks of the usual Christmas shopping playlists, we can guarantee no mention of Wham, Mariah or Slade! Founding member and bassist Ashley Hutchings is joined by fellow original bandmates – Fairport Convention’s own Simon Nicol on acoustic guitar and vocals, Simon Care on melodeons, and the ‘honey drenched’ divine vocals of one of the UK’s best folk singers, Kellie While.
