Start with the river: South Bank and the London Eye
Walk east from Waterloo along the Thames and the South Bank Christmas Market is still in swing, its Alpine-style chalets strung along the water selling street food, drinks and crafts through the festive period. The cold comes off the river in a way that makes a mulled drink feel less like a treat and more like logistics. When you've had enough of the stalls, the London Eye runs 10am–8.30pm on 26 December, which puts a slow rotation over the city squarely in the middle of your day.
Sport and spectacle: the Boxing Day fixture list
Boxing Day sport in Britain goes back to the 18th century, when the day belonged to aristocratic hunting, shooting and horse racing. The racing survives in the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase at Kempton Park, west of London near Hampton Court, run on 26 December. Football fills the rest of the afternoon, with Premier League fixtures at Selhurst Park (Arsenal v Crystal Palace), Craven Cottage (Fulham v Brighton) and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (Spurs v Bournemouth). If you want a ticket, treat the fixture list as your starting point and work backwards.
Ice, illuminations and animals
- Winter Wonderland, Hyde Park — ice skating, an ice kingdom built from 500 tonnes of ice, an ice slide, ice sculpting and an ice bar.
- Kew Gardens — the Christmas illuminations are open on Boxing Day.
- Ice rinks — Somerset House, Battersea Power Station, Queen's House Greenwich and Hampton Court.
- London Zoo, Regent's Park — closed only on Christmas Day and back open on Boxing Day, typically quieter than usual.
Note the pattern before you plan: many London museums, galleries and major attractions shut on both Christmas Day and Boxing Day, and opening hours shift across the festive period, so check before you set out.
Pantomime, carols and a Christmas Carol
The Christmas pantomime is a centuries-old British tradition, and London theatres stage them across the city — productions this season include Sleeping Beauty, Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella and Robin Hood. For something less boisterous, A Christmas Carol plays at The Old Vic, and A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong at the Apollo Theatre. Book ahead; these are the shows that fill the days either side of Christmas.
Sales, snacks and a slower afternoon
Shops, restaurants and cafés do open on Boxing Day, and the sales opening times vary by store — some doors open at 7–8am, others at 10–11am, with online sales sometimes starting as early as Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. For indoor shopping, Westfield London and Westfield Stratford City keep you out of the weather; Regent Street and Oxford Street give you the crowds; Bond Street and Covent Garden give you the luxury end. When you need to sit down, afternoon tea is on at The Rosewood on High Holborn (the Mirror Room) and at Café Royal on Regent Street, where the theme is Nutcracker. Historic pubs worth building a walk around include The Mayflower in Rotherhithe, The Spaniards Inn in Hampstead and The George in Southwark.
Green space, and where to go when the city empties
If you'd rather walk than queue, St James's Park and Green Park give you the Buckingham Palace views, and Greenwich Park layers Roman remains, Henry VIII's birthplace and Queen Caroline's bath into one visit. Bear in mind that public transport runs a reduced service on the day, so check TfL before you travel. And if you'd like the day to mean something more than shopping, Whitechapel Mission, Crisis and Trussell Trust food banks all take volunteers over the festive period.
Boxing Day in London rewards a plan made in advance: pick your sport or your pantomime, book it, then let the markets, the ice and the river fill the hours around it. Check opening times and TfL closures in the days before you go, and you'll spend 26 December doing things rather than working out whether they're open.