Traditional date
Fire tradition · England
Burning the Clocks
Brighton, East Sussex
A winter solstice lantern parade through Brighton that ends with lanterns burned on the beach.
21 December 2026
ROUND-UP GUIDE · 6 EVENTS
Christmas, but stranger.
Some places spend Christmas on the sofa. Others eat stargazy pie in a Cornish harbour, play a mass ball game through the streets of Kirkwall, swim a race in the Serpentine on Christmas morning or charge into the sea at Tenby in fancy dress.
Remember that trains barely run on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, so these are best done from a base nearby.
At a glance
- Burning the Clocks 21 December 2026 · Brighton, East Sussex Stay nearby ↗
- Tom Bawcock’s Eve 23 December 2026 · Mousehole, Cornwall Stay nearby ↗
- Kirkwall Ba’ Game 25 December 2026 · Kirkwall, Orkney Stay nearby ↗
- Peter Pan Cup Christmas Day Swim 25 December 2026 · Hyde Park, London Stay nearby ↗
- Marshfield Mummers (Old Time Paper Boys) 26 December 2026 · Marshfield, Gloucestershire Stay nearby ↗
- Tenby Boxing Day Swim 26 December 2026 · Tenby, Pembrokeshire Stay nearby ↗
Traditional date
Folk tradition · England
Tom Bawcock’s Eve
Mousehole, Cornwall
Mousehole remembers a heroic fisherman with lanterns, harbour lights and stargazy pie.
23 December 2026
Traditional date
Traditional games · Scotland
Kirkwall Ba’ Game
Kirkwall, Orkney
Uppies and Doonies scrum through Kirkwall's streets for a cork-filled leather ba'.
25 December 2026
Traditional date
Festive swim · England
Peter Pan Cup Christmas Day Swim
Hyde Park, London
Serpentine Swimming Club members race 100 yards in the cold lake on Christmas morning.
25 December 2026
Traditional date
Folk tradition · England
Marshfield Mummers (Old Time Paper Boys)
Marshfield, Gloucestershire
Mummers in costumes of paper strips perform their Boxing Day play along the High Street.
26 December 2026
Traditional date
Festive swim · Wales
Tenby Boxing Day Swim
Tenby, Pembrokeshire
A festive sea-swimming event.
26 December 2026
“Stay nearby” links go to Booking.com, and each event guide also has train links. These are affiliate links — what that means.