Planning your visit? Remember to check our opening times and upcoming closures.
Planned closure: 13th - 15th January 2025
The Cathedral, Cathedral Lodge and Shop will be closed from Monday 13th - Wednesday 15th January 2025 for our Cathedral Staff Conference.
Morning and Evening Worship will take place as usual, and St Augustine’s Chapel will be available during the day for private prayer. Check service times
Advent and Christmas at Canterbury Cathedral
Journeying to Christmas
This Christmastide, we will be highlighting and remembering all the journeys in the birth of Jesus, but also all the journeys we all take at this time, not least moving from one year to the next.
All are welcome to join us for our traditional services and carols, brand new services and events, child-friendly activities, beautiful trees and decorations.
Essential information Christmas Opening Hours Watch again Special services and events A FRIENDly Christmas Shop Christmas Advent & Christmas 2024 What's On Guide (PDF)
All our seasonal services are free to attend, with retiring collections to help cover our costs.
Donations given at our two traditional Carol Services, and all our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services will - after deduction of costs - be shared equally between the Cathedral and this year’s chosen partner charity, The Social Justice Network. www.thesocialjusticenetwork.org
Essential information
Accessibility
If you or a member of your party require additional arrangements to attend any of our Advent and Christmas services - such as a wheelchair space or space for an assistance animal, please email our Events Office at events@canterbury-cathedral.org.
All requests must be received at least four working days before the service date.
Only assistance dogs are permitted at services. Other animals will not be allowed access.
Please note, due to the nature of the building and the demand for places at our major services, we have limited capacity and can only offer up to three companion spaces for each person who requires additional arrangements.
Parking
Please note, there is no onsite parking for any of our Christmas services or events.
You can find local car parks, including park & ride and free disabled parking, here: Find somewhere to park | Canterbury City Council.
Getting here
Watch our latest live streamed services
Many of our Advent and Christmas services are live streamed on YouTube and available to watch afterwards.
Life-size crib
Our beautiful life-size nativity scene - as well as our Advent Wreath, Christmas tree in the Trinity Chapel and large star in the Quire - will be on display until Sunday 26 January, as we continue to reflect on the wonder of the incarnation through the Epiphany season.
Free to view with a valid Cathedral Admission Ticket, Cathedral Pass or Friends’ Card. Children aged 17 and under go free (T&Cs apply).
This liturgical season comes to a close when we ‘turn from the crib to the cross’ to celebrate The Presentation of Christ in the Temple (Candlemas.)
All are welcome to join us on Sunday 2 February at 11am - in person or live on YouTube - for our Candlemas Eucharist.
We invite 5–11* year olds, to join us for Children's Church on Sunday 2 February, 10:30-12:15 in the Community Studio, where we will be making christingles, before processing them into the Cathedral as part of the main Sunday Eucharist at 11:00.
Find out more
*Under 5s must be accompanied by a parent/carer.
Special services and events
Traditional and brand new services for this year, a variety of carol services, tours, talks and more.
A quiet service of Said Evening Prayer will also take place each Sunday in December, at 16:00 in the Crypt.
† Live streamed on our YouTube Channel.
Between 5 - 12 January 2025
Epiphany Services
Solemn Evensong of the Epiphany †
Sun 5 January 2025, 17:30
Sung Eucharist for Epiphany †
Mon 6 January 2025, 17:30
Epiphany Carol Service †
Sun 12 January 2025, 17:30
If you require additional arrangements to attend please email our Events Office in advance at events@canterbury-cathedral.org
All requests must be received at least four working days before the service date.
Only assistance dogs are permitted at services. Other animals will not be allowed access.
Please read essential information here before attending.
Christmas trees and decorations
Our illuminated Christmas trees will return across the Cathedral and Precincts; and inspired by this year’s theme of journeys, the Three Kings will make an appearance; hundreds of stars will fill the Cathedral; and look out for the giant star suspended in the Quire!
The Friends of Canterbury Cathedral
The Friends are the Cathedral’s fan club!
They are a community who work together to help support this magnificent place.
Friends also benefit from free entry to the Cathedral and its Precincts, access to exclusive trips and events, e-newsletters, a 10% discount in the Cathedral Shop and Cathedral Lodge (some exclusions apply), an annual Friends’ Day, Friends’ Carol Service, and a special welcome event in the summer.
Friends’ Carol Service
This service took place on Wednesday 18 December
Organised by and in support of The Friends of Canterbury Cathedral
Hear the Cathedral bells ring out to greet you as you arrive at our FRIENDly traditional service, with readings and music by our Cathedral girl choristers.
This was a fundraising event in support of The Friends of Canterbury Cathedral.
The Cathedral Shop
Shop Christmas at the Cathedral
Discover our beautiful collection of Christmas cards, our Official 2025 Canterbury Cathedral Calendar, Advent candles, Christmas decorations and more!
All profits go towards the upkeep of Canterbury Cathedral.
Don't know what to give?
Treat someone special to a Cathedral Shop gift voucher.
Christmas Opening Hours
Saturday 21 December
General visiting 09:00-17:00 (last admission 16.00)
08:00 Holy Communion
09:15 Morning Prayer
12:30 Shoppers’ Carols
17:30 Choral Evensong
Sunday 22 December – The Fourth Sunday of Advent
General visiting 12:30-17:00 (last admission 16.00)
08:00 Holy Communion
09:15 Morning Prayer
11:00 Sung Eucharist
16:00 Said Evening Prayer
17:30 Candlelit Reflection with Organ Meditation
Monday 23 December – (Christmas Eve Eve)
General Visiting 09:00-15:30 (Last Entry 14:30)
07:30 Morning Prayer
08:00 Holy Communion
14:30 Last Admission to Cathedral
15:30 Cathedral Closed for Visiting
17:30 Cathedral Carol Service (doors open at 16:30)
Tuesday 24 December – Christmas Eve
General visiting 09:00-15:30* (last admission 14.30)
*Nave, Martyrdom, Pulpit and South Transept closed until 11:00
07:30 Morning Prayer
08:00 Holy Communion
09:00 Quire and Crypt only open for Visiting
09:30 Doors open for Crib Service
10:00-10:45 Crib Service
11:00 Nave Open for Visiting
14:30 Last Admission to the Cathedral
15:30 Cathedral Closed for Visiting
17:30 Cathedral Carol Service (doors open at 16:30)
23:00 Midnight Mass
Wednesday 25 December – Christmas Day
Cathedral Closed for Visiting All Day; open for services only. Precincts are open for visiting free of charge
08:00 Holy Communion
09:15 Morning Prayer
11:00 Christmas Day Eucharist
15:00 Evensong with Carols
Thursday 26 December
General visiting 10:00-17:00 (last admission 16:00)
08:00 Holy Communion
09:15 Morning Prayer
17:30 Said Evening Prayer
Friday 27 December
General visiting 9:00-17:00 (last admission 16:00)
08:00 Holy Communion
09:15 Morning Prayer
17:30 Said Evening Prayer
Saturday 28 December
General visiting 09:00-17:00 (last admission 16:00)
08:00 Holy Communion
09:15 Morning Prayer
17:30 Choral Evensong
Sunday 29 December
General visiting 12:30-17:00 (last admission 16:00)
08:00 Holy Communion
09:15 Morning Prayer
11:00 Sung Eucharist
17:30 Memorial Service for Martyrdom of St Thomas
Monday 30 December
General visiting 9:00-17:00 (last admission 16:00)
08:00 Holy Communion
09:15 Morning Prayer
17:30 Choral Evensong
Tuesday 31 December
General visiting 09:00-17:00 (last admission 16:00)
08:00 Holy Communion
09:15 Morning Prayer
17:30 Choral Evensong
Wednesday 1 January
General visiting 09:00-17:00 (last admission 16:00)
08:00 Holy Communion
09:15 Morning Prayer
17:30 Choral Evensong
Watch again
Recordings of our streamed services are available to watch online.
St Nicholas Family Service
This service took place on Sunday 8 December
Join us and over 200 local school children - involved with our Schools Music Outreach Programme - as we celebrate the story of St Nicholas.
This joyful, short service is aimed at children, but is suitable for all ages to enjoy!
Friends’ Carol Service
This service took place on Wednesday 18 December
Organised by and in support of The Friends of Canterbury Cathedral
Hear the Cathedral bells ring out to greet you as you arrive at our FRIENDly traditional service, with readings and music by our Cathedral girl choristers.
This was a fundraising event in support of The Friends of Canterbury Cathedral.
Candlelit Reflection with Organ Meditation
This service took place on Sunday 22 December
A reflective service with scripture and poetry on the last Sunday before Christmas, led by Dean David, with La Nativité du Seigneur (The Birth of the Saviour) by Olivier Messiaen, played on organ by Jamie Rogers, Assistant Director of Music.
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