My family and I are visiting London in December. We would like to see a Christmas Show. Is it worth seeing a concert at St. Martins in the Fields? Or should we do the Christmas Carols at the Royal Albert Hall?
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
14574 posts
Oh my...I'd probably choose the Christmas Carols at the Royal Albert Hall! That should be wonderful. NOT that the program at St Martin in the Field is not good but the whole Christmas feeling may be stronger at Royal Albert Hall!!
Posted by
Vancouver, BC
656 posts
We did the Royal Albert Hall Christmas concert in December 2019 and it was quite spectacular.
Posted by
Chicago
601 posts
To me, two different experiences....
RAH is large and cavernous. But the sightlines are good and the acoustics as well,
although you are more likely to be farther away from the stage. Whereas SMITF is
a working church, relatively small.
There are probably more obstructed seats at St Martin's and more faraway seats at
Royal Albert.
Posted by
OP
13 posts
Great! Thank you all for the responses! This will definitely help me as we have a shortened schedule in London.
Posted by
Land of La
9101 posts
If you have the time watch Hitchcock’s The Man Who Knew Too Much with Jimmy Stewart and Doris Day.
Why?
Because the finale takes place in the Royal Albert Hall. The Hall hasn’t changed.
I too vote for RAH. Great place to enjoy music.
Over the years I’ve loved listening to the Classical Spectacular 3 times there. The memories of the 1812 Overture complete with cannons still makes me smile. That and the cascading balloons as God Save The Queen was played as the finale.
St Martins is fine but the RAH is glorious
2021 Classical Spectacular:
Watch till the end.
Posted by
Bristol, UK
1291 posts
Have you thought about going to see a pantomime? These are a very popular Christmas family entertainment and there are several on in London each year. They are full on theatre shows with singing, dancing, celebrities and comedy acts based loosely around a traditional tale like Snow White or Aladdin. Kind of have to be seen as quite impossible to really explain the appeal. We always go to the one shown local to us and it’s quite a tradition for many British families.
Posted by
Tennessee
432 posts
I attended a BBC Proms classical music concert at the Royal Albert Hall in August 2023. I immensely enjoyed the experience of being in RAH, including arriving an hour before the concert to walk around the building some. I vote for the RAH concert.