St Albans Cathedral Christmas 2026: Advent Procession 29 Nov, Carols on the Hour 12 Dec, Lessons and Carols 21 and 22 Dec, Crib Services and Midnight Mass.
St Albans Cathedral has published its Christmas 2026 services. The season opens with the Advent Procession on Sunday 29 November at 6pm, the busiest day is Carols on the Hour on Saturday 12 December, every hour from 11am, the candlelit Lessons and Carols services are on Monday 21 and Tuesday 22 December at 7.30pm, and Christmas Eve runs from the Crib Services from 11am to Midnight Mass at 11pm. The cathedral is the district’s biggest winter attraction and is open daily from 9am to 5pm.
The quick answer
- Carols on the Hour: Saturday 12 December 2026, services on the hour, every hour from 11am, last at 5pm, the cathedral’s most popular festive event (Advent and Christmas services, St Albans Cathedral)
- Lessons and Carols: Monday 21 and Tuesday 22 December, 7.30pm to 9pm, candlelit, with the Cathedral Choir (same source)
- Christmas Eve: Crib Services from 11am to 2.45pm, Choral Evensong at 5pm, Midnight Mass at 11pm. Carols on Boxing Day at 4pm (same source)
Every published date
All times are from the cathedral’s own Advent and Christmas listing, checked on 25 September 2026.
| Date | Service or event | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday 29 November | Advent Procession | 6pm to 7.30pm |
| Saturday 5 December | St Albans Bach Choir Carol Concerts, with brass and organ (ticketed) | 3pm and 7pm |
| Saturday 12 December | Carols on the Hour | On the hour, 11am to 5pm |
| Sunday 13 December | Parish Eucharist with Nativity | 9.30am to 11am |
| Sunday 13 December | Christingle | 2pm to 3pm |
| Monday 21 December | Lessons and Carols (candlelit) | 7.30pm to 9pm |
| Tuesday 22 December | Lessons and Carols (candlelit) | 7.30pm to 9pm |
| Thursday 24 December | Crib Services | 11am to 2.45pm |
| Thursday 24 December | Choral Evensong on Christmas Eve | 5pm to 6pm |
| Thursday 24 December | Midnight Mass | 11pm |
| Saturday 26 December | Carols on Boxing Day | 4pm to 5pm |
The Bach Choir concerts are the one ticketed item in the list (St Albans Bach Choir Carol Concerts, St Albans Cathedral). Carols on the Hour is a series of short services rather than a concert; the cathedral describes it as “services take place on the hour, every hour from 11am”, and its event page says no tickets are needed (Carols on the Hour, St Albans Cathedral). Arrive early for the mid-afternoon slots, which fill first.
The Crib Services on Christmas Eve are the ones for young children and run as a sequence across the early afternoon; the cathedral lists them as a block from 11am to 2.45pm and will confirm the individual start times nearer the day.
Christmas Day and what is not yet listed
The cathedral’s listing runs from Midnight Mass straight to Carols on Boxing Day. The Christmas Day morning services, normally a said Eucharist early and a choral Eucharist mid-morning, were not on the published list when we checked. The cathedral’s monthly service and music list for December is where they will appear (Monthly service and music list); we will add the times.
Visiting in winter
The cathedral is open daily from 9am to 5pm, with entrance through the Welcome Centre in Sumpter Yard; the West End door is closed during visiting hours (Visit, St Albans Cathedral). Planned closures for services and events are listed on the same page, and on the big days above the nave is given over to the service, so a sightseeing visit is better made on a weekday morning in December.
Before the Christmas season, the cathedral runs the St Albans Fireworks Spectacular on Saturday 7 November in Verulamium Park, its annual fundraiser for Isabel Hospice and the Herts Domestic Abuse Helpline; times and prices are on our fireworks page.
Getting there
The cathedral is a ten-minute walk downhill from the city centre car parks and about 20 minutes from St Albans City station. Sunday parking in the council’s car parks is on the Sunday tariff; our parking page has the rates, and for the Cracker weekend on 22 November five city centre roads close (Christmas Cracker).
What is still to be confirmed
- Christmas Day service times. Expected in the December service list, published late November.
- Individual Crib Service start times on Christmas Eve. Expected early December.
- Whether any of the Advent and carol services move to ticketed entry. Last checked 25 September.
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