The most festive winter pop-ups London has to offer

Igloos at Somerset House

There'll be no glittering ice rink in the courtyard of Somerset House this year, but all hope is not lost for soaking up some Christmas cheer in front of the breathtaking venue. Somerset House is hosting a smattering of igloos, available to hire for private dining. Open to groups of four to six guests, the igloos are a chance to enjoy a festive lunch, afternoon tea or dinner from fine dining experts Alison Price & Co.

Miracle at the Henrietta Hotel, Covent Garden

Voyaging across the Atlantic for the third winter running is Miracle: a Christmas-themed pop-up originally from New York, hosted by Experimental Group. Hidden away on the mezzanine floor of the Henrietta Hotel in Covent Garden, Miracle is a homage to 70s festive décor (stockings hung, fairy lights strung), offering a nostalgia-fuelled space to bubble up and escape the troubling world outside.

The bar serves an array of festive concoctions, each made interesting with a decadent and unusual twist – be it a rogue ingredient or novelty glassware. Look forward to returning favourites including Bad Santa served hot: mulled red wine, tawny port, orange liqueur and Christmas spices, and new creations including the Fruitcake Flip (brandy, Jamaican Overproof Rum, Amaretto, fruitcake, cherry bitters and egg). And to soak it all up? There’s a range of small plates on offer courtesy of the Italian Supper Club, a new venture that's taken up residence in the hotel kitchen below.

The Great Christmas Feast, London Bridge

Back by popular demand, The Great Christmas Feast is a night of Dickensian cocktails, theatre, live music and, of course, a multi-course dinner. The experience comes from The Lost Estate, whose work you might be familiar with from 2019's sell-out experience The Lost Love Speakeasy, a 1920s theatrical concert infused with a smoky Southern feast.

The Snow Kingdom by Backyard Cinema, Wandsworth

With its Winter Night Garden already in full swing across the way, Backyard Cinema is enticing guests into a second immersive auditorium – this one a glittering, snow-swept wonderland. Hidden deep inside Dr Portelli's Curiosity Shop (itself worthy of a browse) is a secret entrance to The Snow Kingdom, an enchanting lair showing back-to-back festive flicks all winter. Grab a glass of something warming from the bar, perhaps some street food too, and kick back on a beanbag to watch a title of your choice. Home Alone, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Love Actually and The Holiday are among the offering of Christmas classics.

The Winter Night Garden by Backyard Cinema, Wandsworth

Immersive cinema extraordinaires Backyard Cinema have made a post-quarantine comeback with the Winter Night Garden, bringing the best of pop-up cinema to their permanent home of Capital Studios. Audiences enter through a Narnia-esque wardrobe and wander through a forest twinkling with fairy lights before taking their seats in the auditorium.The blockbuster-heavy line-up caters for all tastes, with screenings of festive family favourites including Elf, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, Love Actually and It’s a Wonderful Life on the roster this winter.

Refuel at the all-day bar, where there's cocktails on tap, craft beers and delicious street food (Honest Burgers have been known to make a regular appearance). Or, take advantage of the station inviting guests to create their own boozy hot chocolate.

Winterland, Fulham Alpine Club

Neverland in Fulham has once again swapped its beach for Nordic hot tubs and its palm trees for pines this winter. Guests can cosy up by fire pits, in fur-lined cabins or festive igloos, then play a round of shuffle board, beer pong or table tennis. Chilly? Duck into the Moose Bar for a mulled wine, hot gin or boozy hot chocolate, and if you find you have a bit of fire in you yet, stick around for DJ sets. There’s plenty of delicious street food to tuck into, from fondues and burgers to macaroni cheese and sourdough pizzas from a wood-fired oven.

Christmas at Kew Gardens

Now in its eighth year, Christmas at Kew is an annual fixture for some, loved for its laser show and fire garden. This winter, expect a glittering tunnel of bells, enormous illuminated seed heads and trees wrapped in ribbons of lights, as well as a treetop waterfall light show with an overhead aerial dance.

Jimmy Garcia’s winter pop-up, Southbank

London's Southbank once again plays home to its very own Alpine-themed ski lodge this winter, courtesy of pop-up entrepreneur Jimmy Garcia. Situated on the river along the Queen's Walk, the lodge boasts an upstairs dining room called The Refuge, a wooden cabin overlooking the river with a fondue and steak-heavy set menu. Downstairs, the Alpine Bar is serving up winter warmer cocktails and mulled wine, alongside the Chalet Snack Bar, where visitors can sample festive street food including raclette burgers and venison hot dogs. The Lodge also boasts its own hireable Igloos, kitted out in full Alpine fashion, in which diners can enjoy their own playlist and breathtaking views of the Thames.

Winterfest at Wembley Park

Returning for the second year running, Wembley Park is hosting a Winterfest light festival. Wander along an immersive trail of interactive light and sound installations, which last year included the Sonic Runway first seen at Burning Man and the tallest LED Christmas tree ever built in London. With this year's theme of United in Light, expect warm, uplifting light displays offering a little bit of hope to round off the tough year.

Skylight winter season, Tobacco Dock

Wapping's highest party playground is being frozen over once again this winter as Skylight brings back its rooftop ice rink and becomes an 'urban après-skate bar'. Get competitive in an ice hockey shoot-out or snuggle up under the heated pergola or with a blanket in the Snug bar (on level 9) – all while soaking up the best festive view in town.

Christmas at the Drive In, Stratford

They saved 2020’s summer entertainment, but the great thing about drive-in cinemas is that they can be enjoyed all year round – and are perhaps even more appealing in winter (with the heating cranked up, of course). @TheDriveIn is returning to Pudding Mill Lane Car Park in east London this festive season with a spruced-up offering of domes and alpine chalets. Look forward to a line-up of family favourites, from Elf and Love Actually to Home Alone and It’s a Wonderful Life. Tickets cost £30 per car or £15pp for chalets.