GET INTO THE FESTIVE SPIRIT WITH OUR PICK OF THE BEST SEASONAL ATTRACTIONS

ELF THE MUSICAL A joyous stage version of the beloved film, with Buddy’s journey to New York full of laughs, singing and festive magic. ✣ Tickets from £39.50; elflondon.com. 28 October 2025-3 January

(and some you might not have thought about)

Winter has a way of slowing life down in the gentlest of ways, setting in like a quiet spell or a morning’s frost. Days feel softer and nights longer, the darkness illuminated by the warm glow of ligh

It calls itself the ‘capital of Christmas’, and this city in north-east France has hosted a festive market for 450 years – so it could be right! The markets spread out across the centre of the town, f

14 November to 4 January (selected evenings) London’s most enchanting after-dark walk returns: a mile-long trail through the Royal Botanic Gardens that shimmers with light tunnels (right), fire garden