All Your Christmases At Once

Our selection of the prettiest, sparkliest, Christmassy-est events is guaranteed to delight your inner child

FESTIVE FOREST

This spectacular family-focused light-filled trail through the deep dark woods has bags of atmosphere, places to play and lots to see and do. Toast your own marshmallows before visiting Santa’s grotto for a story.

• Beecraigs Country Park, near Linlithgow, Friday 2–Friday 23 December.

SQUARE EYES CINEMA CLUB: ELF

Taste What You See presents a special showing of Christmas classic Elf. All the food groups (candy, candy canes, candy corn and syrup) will be represented alongside the film, in the gorgeous neoclassical setting of Glasgow’s Citation venue.

• Citation, Glasgow, Sunday 18 December.

ONCE UPON A SNOWSTORM

Based on Richard Johnson’s beautiful book, this gentle winter tale is aimed at younger children and their families. When a howling snowstorm separates a son from his father, are the woodland creatures his friends or foes?

• Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, Friday 9–Friday 23 December.

CASTLE OF LIGHT

See Edinburgh Castle transformed into a kingdom of colours, as immersive illuminations guide you through your journey and help you discover Scotland’s stories along the way, with magical views both of the castle and the city below.

• Edinburgh Castle, Friday 18 November–Friday 30 December.

RSNO CHRISTMAS CONCERT FEATURING THE SNOWMAN

We’re walking in the air: your actual Aled Jones narrates this screening of the definitive Christmas film, bookended by singalong carols and festive songs in a family-friendly concert that’s sure to hit the Christmas sweet spot.

• Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Saturday 17 December; Usher Hall, Edinburgh, Sunday 18 December.

SLEEPING BEAUTY

The team behind Mother Goose Fae Easterhoose unleash their latest creation on the world. Sleeping Beauty takes place in Mattress World Kingdom, where B has everything sorted until she finds out about an evil curse.

• Platform, Glasgow, Tuesday 6–Friday 23 December.

VIENNESE CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR

Strauss, Tchaikovsky and Brahms are all present and correct in the London Concertante’s magical celebration of the music of Vienna. Elegantly festive in beautiful settings, with instantly recognisable excerpts from The Nutcracker Suite and Sleeping Beauty.

• Paisley Abbey, Wednesday 30 November; St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh, Friday 9, Friday 16 December.

Hot tickets

Cash to burn in exchange for brownie points come Christmas morning? Try our run-down of 2023’s most sought-after tickets

Turn up the music, turn down the lights: it’s about damn time. Lizzo, queen of crossover and three-time Grammy Award-winner is on fire right now. ’Nuff said (OVO Hydro, Wednesday 8 March). There’s nothing like a long hot summer to make you optimistic for more long hot summers, even in Glasgow, and Bellahouston Park is the setting for some cracking (and hopefully sunny) openair gigs come June. Muse bring their Will Of The People tour (Friday 23 June) with Arctic Monkeys ending the weekend (Sunday 25 June). Got teens in your life? Want to be the cool auntie or uncle, if only for a few moments between TikToks? Sell your granny for Harry Styles tickets. The feather boawearing popster brings his 'Watermelon Sugar' to BT Murrayfield in the spring (Friday 26 & Saturday 27 May). Finally, Elton John is hanging up his specs, bless him. As well as selling out a frankly astonishing run at the O2 in London in April, he’ll be calling into the OVO Hydro in Glasgow (Saturday 17 & Sunday 18 June).