Yes, throughout December, regular daytime opening hours and service times may vary. Please check our  What’s on  calendar and Service Schedule for details of services and sightseeing opening times. 

Doors for all special services and events open one hour before the listed start time. 

For services for which you have a ticket, please arrive in good time and make sure you are seated more than 15-minutes before the service or event to guarantee your seats. 

Yes, for some of our Advent and Christmas services and events, queues may develop outside prior to the Cathedral doors opening. For this reason, we advise you to dress for the weather, including warm/waterproof clothing and bringing umbrellas.

We understand that you may wish to save seats for friends and family, but to ensure seating is fair for everyone, we ask that groups attending together enter the Cathedral at the same time as seats cannot be reserved.

Yes, toilet facilities will be available. Please ask a member of staff or a volunteer, who will signpost you to the nearest available facilities.

If you wish to keep your pram or buggy nearby during the service, we recommend sitting close to a pillar. Please do not place buggies or prams in an aisle where they could block an exit.

For those with access needs and their carers our accessible entrance is via the North Transept. If you or someone in your group will be attending in a wheelchair, please tell us when you book tickets.

Find out more on our Accessibility page. 

For those who use walking aids or rollators, please sit near to the closest pillar where there is room to keep your walking aid nearby. Please do not store walking aids in an aisle where they could block an exit.

If you or someone in your group will be attending in a wheelchair, please tell us when you book tickets.

Find out more on our Accessibility page. 

There are no cloakroom facilities at the Cathedral. We kindly ask that you do not bring bags unless necessary, and to keep all personal belongings to a minimum, as you will need to keep these with you at all times.

If you do need to bring a bag with you, please be aware that the maximum size permitted is 450 x 300 x 250mm.

The safety and security of all our worshippers, visitors, staff and volunteers is of the utmost importance to us. 

We have a variety of security measures in place to keep you safe and work closely with the City of London police and other security partners. Security screening and bag checking will be in operation at all times. Our friendly and approachable staff will be on hand to help you during your visit.

Find out more on our safety and security page.

For copyright reasons, and to protect the privacy of others, filming and photography are not permitted during any of our services and events.

We kindly ask that you do not bring opened food and drink to the service or event. 

Our in-house ticketed events in 2026 are Handel's Messiah on 2nd December, A Celebration of Christmas on 10th December, Family Carols on 19th December, and the Christmas Carol Services at 4pm on 23rd and 24th December. 

Please note that seating is unreserved for all these events. All other Advent and Christmas services and events are un-ticketed and free of charge. 

Tickets for Handel’s Messiah and Celebration of Christmas will be announced in October.

Tickets for Family Carols on 19th December, and the Christmas Carol Services at 4pm on 23rd and 24th December, will be distributed through a ballot system. 

Anyone can enter the ballot which will distribute tickets at random. Successful ballot entries will be notified by emailed and given the opportunity to claim their tickets. Any unclaimed tickets will be released for members of the public to book. The ballot will open in November. 

Sign up to our mailing list to be the first to hear when tickets go on sale and the ballot opens.

Over the past few years, our Christmas services have grown in popularity. In 2023, there was unprecedented demand for tickets, and, based on feedback from members of the public, we launched a ballot system last year to make attending our Christmas ticketed events fairer for all. 

For our 2026 ticketed Christmas services: Family Carols on 19th December, and the Christmas Carol Services at 4pm on 23rd and 24th December, we are once again opening a free ticket ballot to distribute tickets more fairly. The ballot system will allow anyone to enter and will choose successful entries at random, no matter when you entered.

We hope this will give everyone who enters a fairer opportunity to attend one of our ticketed Christmas events this year.

Sign up to our mailing list to be the first to hear when tickets go on sale and the ballot opens.

If your child is under two years old and will sit on a lap, they do not need a ticket. Children over two years old will need a ticket.

Links to enter the ballot can be found on each balloted event listing on our Advent and Christmas page once the ballot opens. You may enter once per balloted event.

The ballot is not yet open. Sign up to our mailing list to be the first to hear when it opens.

The randomly selected ballot winners will be able to book two tickets for the event they have been successful in the ballot for. 
 

As a Friend, you’ll receive a 50% discount on Celebration of Christmas on 10th December, and reserved seating at the Advent Carols service on Sunday 29th November.

Friends also enjoy a 48-hour priority booking window ahead of the general ballot, subject to availability and membership allocation.

Please note, you must hold an active membership at the time of the event you are booking.

Become a Friend today.