Christmas 2026 · Edinburgh
Carol services and Christmas concerts in Edinburgh, 2026
Edinburgh keeps Christmas in stone and song: candlelight under the crown spire of St Giles’, the great Gothic nave of St Mary’s in the West End, and the Usher Hall full for carols. Here is every carol service and Christmas concert for 2026 that we could confirm on the churches’ and venues’ own pages on 12 November 2026.
Updated October 2026
St Giles’ Cathedral on the Royal Mile
The High Kirk of Edinburgh begins the season on Friday 4 December at 7pm with a Christmas Celebration by St Martin’s Voices, an evening of carols directed by Andrew Earis. On Saturday 12 December the St Giles’ Cathedral Choir sings Christmas with St Giles’, festive favourites with carols for everyone, twice, at 6pm and 8pm; both concerts are ticketed.
The Christmas Carol Service is on Sunday 20 December at 6pm. On Christmas Eve, Thursday 24 December, there is a Christingle Service at 4pm, the Christmas Eve Service at 7pm and the Watchnight Service at 11.30pm; on Christmas Day, Communion at 9.30am and the Christmas Day Morning Service at 11am.
On Hogmanay, 31 December, the Cathedral Choir and St Giles’ Camerata give a Candlelit Concert of Bach and Brahms at 6pm, ticketed through Edinburgh’s Hogmanay (from £28.50). Candlelit concerts of Vivaldi, the Nutcracker and Moonlight Sonata also fill the December evenings.
Our advice: the Watchnight Service is the most atmospheric of all; arrive early, as the cathedral fills well before 11.30pm.
St Giles’ Cathedral: events St Giles’ Cathedral: worship and Christmas services Edinburgh’s Hogmanay: Candlelit Concert at St Giles’
St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, Palmerston Place
St Mary’s, the three-spired cathedral of the West End, has Edinburgh’s fullest Christmas programme. Its Choir sings Christmas at the Cathedral, carols, readings and poems with mulled wine beforehand, on Sunday 13 December at 7.30pm (£25, concessions £20 and £10). Community Christmas Carols round the piano follow on Saturday 19 December at 2pm, with mulled wine and no ticket needed.
The Service of Nine Lessons and Carols is on Tuesday 22 December at 7.30pm (doors about 6.45pm). Midnight Mass, sung by the Cathedral Choir, begins at 11.30pm on Christmas Eve (doors about 11pm), and the Christmas Day Eucharist, broadcast live on BBC One, is likely to start at about 10am, with final entry 30 minutes before.
All three services must be booked ahead through the cathedral’s website, with a recommended donation (Nine Lessons £17.50; Midnight Mass and Christmas Day £10, with reduced rates); you may give any amount, and seating is unreserved, with some seats unsighted.
Our advice: book Nine Lessons and Carols as soon as you can; it is the cathedral’s most sought-after service of the year.
St Mary’s Cathedral: Christmas at the Cathedral St Mary’s Cathedral: Community Christmas Carols St Mary’s Cathedral: Nine Lessons and Carols St Mary’s Cathedral: Midnight Mass St Mary’s Cathedral: Christmas Day Eucharist
Christmas at the Usher Hall
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Ham · CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia CommonsOn Monday 14 December at 7.30pm the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge brings On Christmas Night to the Usher Hall, with tickets from £21.50 to £42. On Sunday 20 December at 2.30pm the Royal Scottish National Orchestra gives its Christmas Concert, with the RSNO Chorus, sing-along carols and The Snowman on the big screen, narrated by Hugh Dennis (£20–£52).
Earlier in the month, on Monday 7 December at 1.10pm, Get Organised offers a lunchtime choir and organ Christmas special.
Our advice: the RSNO concert is the one for families, with carols for everyone to sing; book early for the Sunday matinée.
Usher Hall: The Choir of King’s College, Cambridge RSNO: Christmas Concert featuring The Snowman Usher Hall: Get Organised Christmas Special
Still to come
When we checked, Canongate Kirk on the Royal Mile had not yet published its 2026 Christmas services; we will add them when it does. For the markets, lights and the rest of the season, see our Christmas in Edinburgh page.
Our advice: Edinburgh’s churches fill quickly in Christmas week; book wherever booking is offered, and arrive early wherever it is not.
Questions and answers
When is the St Giles’ Cathedral carol service in 2026?
The Christmas Carol Service at St Giles’ Cathedral is on Sunday 20 December 2026 at 6pm. On Christmas Eve there is a Christingle Service at 4pm, a Christmas Eve Service at 7pm and a Watchnight Service at 11.30pm.
Do I need a ticket for Nine Lessons and Carols at St Mary’s Cathedral, Edinburgh?
Yes. The service on Tuesday 22 December 2026 at 7.30pm must be booked through the cathedral’s website, with a recommended donation of £17.50 (less for concessions); you may give any amount. Seating is unreserved.
Where is Midnight Mass in Edinburgh on Christmas Eve 2026?
St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral holds Midnight Mass at 11.30pm on Thursday 24 December, sung by the Cathedral Choir and booked ahead; St Giles’ Cathedral holds its Watchnight Service at 11.30pm the same night.
Every service and concert from the church’s or venue’s own page (stgilescathedral.org.uk, cathedral.net, cultureedinburgh.com for the Usher Hall, rsno.org.uk, edwinterfest.com), checked 12 November 2026. St Giles’ worship page gives weekdays without a year; they match 2026. Check before you go.