Magical Christmas Show
As the evenings get colder and winter draws ever closer, we at Boo Productions are always heartened by the towering Christmas trees and festive cheer of the Christmas season in London. There is no better place to see brilliant baubles and festive window dressings on a family day out in December. Whether you live in London or have family scattered across the UK, it’s a great place to meet and find a way to see Father Christmas, if you can find his hiding spot…
We know that the pennies can soon add up over the seasonal period and so you’ll want to find a way to meet Santa in London, that doesn’t break the bank and is fun for the whole family. Well, you don’t need to look for very long or go very far, as we have it on good authority, where you can find a family ticket for the newest and most magical Christmas show in town!
In partnership with the National Gallery, we have created a brand-new musical “Picture Perfect Christmas” based on Hendrick Avercamp’s painting “A Winter Scene with Skaters near a Castle”. This is a scene of families and friends enjoying each other’s company atop a frozen lake and is entirely relatable to the way we spend time together enjoying nature, all these hundreds of years later. The National Gallery is passionate about making art accessible and this image is a great window into this wonderful world.
Avercamp’s iconic painting has come to life in our brand-new musical, and you are invited into this exquisite scene to meet Maaike & Frederick our two brave children who have been trapped in an endless winter by a tricksy ice sprite. You will be whisked off into an exciting adventure to defeat a frosty foe, along the way meeting many wonderful woodland creatures who will need your help to find Father Christmas, save the day and return the children safely to their homes for the Feast of Sinterklaas (Santa to you and me!). You can book tickets to the hottest new London Christmas Show at a fabulous ticket price, designed to ensure festive families can come and celebrate with us and discovering the secret life that lives in art on various dates through November and December.
However, it doesn’t have to end or begin there, why not make a day of it? After you have had a chance to see Santa in our spectacular Christmas show, why not explore the free National Gallery collection? Maybe even enjoy a mince pie or some mulled wine at the very merry Muriel’s café in the National Gallery. If you are looking for a full-on feast you can arrange that tasty treat and relax in the sumptuous surrounds, of the cosy yet classy, Ochre restaurant, also within the National Gallery itself.
If you still want a little more action in your fun filled festive day out, then here are a few of our favourite ways to enjoy London with the family at this time of year:
1.) Go and visit the world renowned bright seasonal lights in central London. You can wander round Regent Street, Oxford Street, Covent Garden, Carnaby and other areas in the dark to see London at its twinkliest and best. You can tie this into the rest of your plans day and really make a day of it.
2.) Take a super selfie in front of one of the landmark festive firs that tower above those below. Adorned with festoons of lights and a range of delightful decorations these charming Christmas Trees make the perfect backdrop for the front image of next years personalised cards. If you plan and plot a course, you could start one side of London and stop at all the Christmas trees along the way to the National Gallery.
3.) As in the amazing painting by Avercamp, many of us still love to take to the ice and glide across, even if we don’t always stay on our feet. It is a tonne of fun for all the family to done a pair of skates and give it your best Torvill and Dean impression and there is no better place to do so than Somerset House.
4.) If you love the London Marathon, then you will simply adore one of the wackiest races there is around. Called the Great Christmas Pudding Race 2022, this amazing charity event takes place on Saturday 10 December, so you can watch “Picture perfect Christmas” at the National Gallery and pop along to support the runners. This annual tradition has teams dressed up in festive costumes (elves, reindeer and the like) racing around an obstacle course in the Piazza and competing in challenges, all while balancing a Christmas pudding on a tray. You may even see a few London Santa’s eating a few pre-race mince pies!
5.) If you’re a last-minute present buyer, what better way to remember to get those gifts for under the tree, than stopping by one of the many extravagant and joyful Christmas markets that London has on offer. You can find anything from ornaments for the tree all the way to some super fragrant handmade soap for a family member who loves bathroom bits. Whether you buy or browse the myriad of markets on offer will certainly get you into the Christmas spirit and find Santa’s perfect gift for under the tree.
Whatever you do this Christmas, make sure you get a chance to keep the magic of art and the theatre alive by taking your children and their young at heart relatives to see the most original and festive show in town. Just follow this link to book and get ready to make some merry memories in London and the National Gallery this Christmas.
