The big one this year is Home Alone in Concert at the Royal Albert Hall on 5 and 6 December, followed by Home Alone 2: Lost in New York in Concert in the same hall on 12 December. The Muppet Christmas Carol is touring 13 UK cities with a live orchestra from 28 November to 17 December, and The Snowman is playing to picture in London, Manchester, Birmingham and Nottingham. In cinemas, Arthur Christmas comes back on 20 November and It's a Wonderful Life returns for its 80th anniversary on 11 December.
We checked every date below against the venue's or promoter's own listing on 27 September 2026.
Films with a live orchestra
A film in concert works like this: the film plays on a big screen with the dialogue and effects intact, and an orchestra in front of it plays the whole score live, in sync. It sounds like a gimmick until the first big cue lands. Then it doesn't.
Home Alone in Concert, London
The Royal Albert Hall runs it on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December, two performances a day, with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and the Crouch End Festival Chorus under Anthony Gabriele. John Williams's score has a choir in it, and a choir in that room is the reason to go. The film scores 88/100 Festive Factor with us, which is about what you'd expect from something built entirely out of Christmas. Certificate PG: fine for most children from about 7, and the slapstick is the point.
Home Alone · Film guide →Home Alone 2 in Concert, London
Same hall, same orchestra, Saturday 12 December, afternoon and evening. Also PG.
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York · Film guide →Home Alone in Concert, Manchester
The Bridgewater Hall has it on 2 and 3 December, with orchestra and choir.
The Muppet Christmas Carol in Concert, UK tour
Fifteen performances in 13 cities, run by Disney Tickets UK: London (Eventim Apollo, 28 November), Poole (29 November), Bradford (1 December), Glasgow (2 December), Edinburgh (3 December), Nottingham (4 December), Southend (5 December), Manchester (Bridgewater Hall, 7 and 17 December), Birmingham (Symphony Hall, 8 and 9 December), Sheffield (10 December), Bath (11 December), Brighton (13 December) and Portsmouth (14 December). Miles Goodman's score and Paul Williams's songs with a proper orchestra behind them is as good an argument for leaving the house in December as we know. It's a U, and it sits at 96/100 Festive Factor on our scale. The promoter says under-14s must be with an adult and some venues won't admit under-3s, so check before you book the toddler.
The Muppet Christmas Carol · Film guide →The Snowman with a live orchestra
Four confirmed so far:
- Birmingham: the Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Sunday 6 December, with a shorter family programme at lunchtime and a longer one mid-afternoon.
- Manchester: the Bridgewater Hall, 6 December.
- Nottingham: Carrot Productions at the Royal Concert Hall, Sunday 13 December, 11am and 1.30pm.
- London: the Mozart Symphony Orchestra at Cadogan Hall, Sunday 20 December, 1.30pm and 4.30pm, with a second children's piece in the first half.
Certificate U, about half an hour of film and no dialogue at all, which makes it the best first concert for a 4-year-old. Howard Blake's score does all the talking. Carrot Productions usually tours more widely than this, but its own page doesn't list 2026 dates yet.
The Snowman · Film guide →The Holiday and Love Actually in Concert, Manchester
The Bridgewater Hall has The Holiday on 9 and 11 December and Love Actually on 15 December. These are the grown-ups' nights: The Holiday is a 12A and Love Actually is a 15.
The Holiday · Film guide → Love Actually · Film guide →Not announced for the UK yet: Elf in Concert, The Polar Express in Concert and It's a Wonderful Life with a live score. If a UK hall picks any of them up, they go here.
Outdoor and rooftop screenings
Nothing to report yet, and we'd rather tell you that than recycle last year's dates. Rooftop Cinema Club (formerly Rooftop Film Club) runs its UK screens in Peckham and Stratford from May to October, and its current listings stop well short of Christmas. The Luna Cinema's website wasn't loading when we checked, so its winter season is unconfirmed. We'll update this section when either announces a 2026 programme.
Back in cinemas
Arthur Christmas, from 20 November
Park Circus is re-releasing it in UK cinemas, 15 years after it first came out. Aardman's best Christmas film, and we don't think that's a contested view. Certificate PG, easy for most children from about 5.
Arthur Christmas · Film guide →It's a Wonderful Life, from 11 December
Paramount is putting out a restored 80th anniversary version. Tyneside Cinema in Newcastle is showing it from 11 to 24 December, the Coliseum in Aberdare has a matinee on 22 December, and Liverpool Philharmonic Hall screens it on 20 and 24 December (film only, no orchestra, despite the venue). More cinemas will list it nearer the date. Certificate U, though it's a slow-burning two hours and ten minutes, so it suits children who can sit through a long film; under-8s tend to drift off before the good bit.
It's a Wonderful Life · Film guide →How to choose
- Under 5: The Snowman. Short and wordless. Nobody minds a bit of noise.
- 5 to 10: The Muppet Christmas Carol on tour, or Arthur Christmas at the cinema. Both U or PG, both funny for adults too.
- 7 and up: Home Alone at the Royal Albert Hall. A loud PG, and the hall is half the outing.
- Adults, or teenagers you're happy to sit beside: The Holiday (12A) or Love Actually (15) in Manchester.
- Anyone who cries at films and would like to do it in public: It's a Wonderful Life on the big screen.
FAQ
Is Home Alone in Concert suitable for children? It's a PG. Most 7-year-olds are fine, because the peril is all played for laughs.
Is Elf in Concert on in the UK in 2026? Not that we can find. No UK venue has announced it as of 27 September 2026.
When is It's a Wonderful Life back in cinemas? From Friday 11 December 2026, as a restored 80th anniversary release.
Are there rooftop Christmas screenings in 2026? None announced yet. We'll update this page when they are.
