Carol Concerts in Cardiff 2026
By Laura Brookes · Published · Updated Published · Updated
Ready for a sing-song? Belting out a festive banger is one of our favourite Christmas traditions and we've learnt over the years it goes down a lot better when we're being drowned-out by lots of other people enthusiastically trying to remember the words too.
If you're looking for carols in Cardiff this year, Llandaff Cathedral is your best bet, with a free family Crib Service on Sunday 20th December and free Nine Lessons and Carols on 23rd and 24th December (no tickets this year, so get there early),
For little ones who can't sit still for an hour, National Museum Cardiff has free 30 minute choir slots on December weekends. Fancy a proper night out? Llandaff's candlelit concerts and The Christmas Orchestra have you covered. We've checked every date with the organisers, and added ages, prices and some other important things if you're heading out with the kids.
Quick picks
Best for small children: Llandaff Cathedral Crib Service, Sun 20 Dec, free, costumes welcome.
Best free drop-in: Festive Music at National Museum Cardiff, short sets on December weekends, no booking.
Best big night out: Llandaff Cathedral Choir Christmas Concert, Sat 19 Dec, £20 or £10.
Llandaff Carol Concerts
Crib Service, Llandaff Cathedral
The nativity, retold for families, and the kids are invited to turn up dressed as a shepherd, an angel or a slightly bemused donkey. Honestly the cutest hour of December.
When: Sunday 20 December 2026, 4pm
Price: Free (no booking info given)
Ages: Aimed at families and children
Book: No booking mentioned, just turn up
Good to know: Children and adults can come in costume as a character or animal from the Christmas story.
Find out more: Llandaff Cathedral
A Service of Nine Lessons and Carols, Llandaff Cathedral
The classic, done properly, in one of the loveliest buildings in Wales. Big change for 2026: no tickets, so it's first come, first served.
When: Wednesday 23 and Thursday 24 December 2026, 4pm (doors 3.15pm)
Price: Free
Ages: All welcome; best for children who can sit through a full service
Book: No tickets. Seats are given out on the day
Good to know: Entry is via Prebendal House. Arrive early, and come in together, because places can't be saved for latecomers.
Find out more: Llandaff Cathedral
Llandaff Cathedral Choir Christmas Concert
The full cathedral choir doing carols and festive favourites, with a few chances for everyone to join in. Proper goosebumps territory.
When: Saturday 19 December 2026, 7pm
Price: £20 or £10 (plus booking fee)
Ages: No age guidance given; an evening concert, so best for school-age children
Good to know: Ticketed, so book early. Wrap up, cathedrals are chilly in December.
A Christmas Sequence, Llandaff Cathedral
Quiet, reflective and very beautiful: Britten's carol arrangements sung by the Girl Choristers and Altos, with harp. One for calmer kids (or a calm parent's escape).
When: Sunday 6 December 2026, 4pm
Price: Not stated for 2026 (free in 2025)
Ages: All welcome
Good to know: Harpist Bethan Semmens joins the choir.
Advent Procession, Llandaff Cathedral
A candlelit procession that kicks off the season. Lights low, voices soaring, and a good one to start your Christmas list early.
When: Sunday 29 November 2026, 5.30pm
Price: Not stated for 2026 (free in 2025)
Ages: All welcome
Good to know: The cathedral's Winter Fair is a few days earlier, Wednesday 25 November, 4pm to 8pm, with stalls, music and mulled wine.
Find out more: Llandaff Cathedral
The Christmas Orchestra, Llandaff Cathedral
A 16 piece orchestra playing carols plus the film tunes your kids actually know (Home Alone, Elf), with a light show. Carols for people who think they don't like carols.
When: Monday 23 November and Wednesday 2 December 2026. On 2 December there are two shows, 7pm and 9pm
Price: From £19
Book: Via The Christmas Orchestra
Good to know: Shows run 60 to 90 minutes. Seating is unreserved, so arrive early if you want to sit together. Pick the 7pm show with kids.
Candlelit Christmas concerts, Llandaff Cathedral
Candles everywhere, live musicians, and the cathedral at its most magical. Pricier, but a lovely treat with older children.
When: The Music of Christmas, Monday 14 December 2026, 6.40pm to 7.55pm or 8.45pm to 10pm. Christmas at the Movies by Candlelight, Friday 11 December 2026, 7.30pm to 9.30pm
Price: The Music of Christmas: £22 to £49 including booking fee. Christmas at the Movies: see Eventbrite
Ages: Christmas at the Movies is listed as all ages; The Music of Christmas doesn't say
Book: The Music of Christmas (Xperience Live); Christmas at the Movies (Eventbrite)
Good to know: The cheapest "restricted/screen view" seats at The Music of Christmas are a useful budget option. Christmas at the Movies is non-refundable. Xperience Live also runs Motown at Christmas here on Monday 30 November.
Find out more: Xperience Live, Eventbrite
Jazz Harp at Christmas, Insole Court (Llandaff)
Not carols in the traditional sense, but festive tunes on jazz harp in a gorgeous Victorian house, on a Sunday afternoon. Very civilised, and done by teatime.
When: Sunday 20 December 2026, 4pm to 5.30pm (doors 3.30pm)
Price: See Eventbrite (cheaper tickets for under 12s)
Ages: All ages
Book: Eventbrite
Good to know: Free parking, a short interval and a bar. Previous concerts have sold out.
Find out more: Eventbrite
Carol concerts in Cardiff City centre, Cardiff Bay and Canton
Festive Music Performances, National Museum Cardiff (Cathays Park)
Free, short and nobody minds a wriggler. Local choirs and bands in the grand main hall, then off to see the dinosaurs.
When: Sat 28 Nov (Allegra Choir), Sat 5 Dec (Cardiff Stage Choir), Sun 6 Dec (City of Newport Symphony Orchestra), Sat 12 Dec (South Wales Gay Men's Chorus), Sun 13 Dec (Superchoir), Sat 19 Dec (Cathays Brass Band): 11.30am to 12pm and 1pm to 1.30pm. Thu 17 Dec, sing-along with the Museum Choir, 1pm to 2pm. Sun 20 Dec, Capital Youth Music, 2pm to 3pm
Price: Free
Ages: All; under 16s must be with an adult
Book: No need to book
Good to know: Only a few seats, so bring a sling rather than relying on a chair. Café in the main hall. Museum closed Mondays; car park off Museum Avenue is £6.50.
Find out more: Amgueddfa Cymru, Festive Music Performances
BBC NOW: Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker, BBC Hoddinott Hall (Cardiff Bay)
A festive family concert from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, with a narrator and Britten's Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra. Basically music lessons, but sneaky and Christmassy.
When: Thursday 3 December 2026, 7.30pm
Price: See WMC website
Ages: No under 2s; under 16s must sit with an adult aged 18 or over
Book: Wales Millennium Centre
Good to know: There's an interval. Free carer tickets through the Hynt scheme.
Christmas with Cambrensis, City Church Cardiff (Canton)
A choir and orchestra doing carols old and new, plus songs from young local singer songwriter Isaac Dunn. Friendly, local and good value.
When: Saturday 5 December 2026, 7.30pm to 10pm
Price: See Eventbrite
Ages: Not stated
Book: Eventbrite
Good to know: City Church is at 39 to 47 Cowbridge Road East, CF11 9AD. A long evening, so better for older kids.
Carol Concerts North Cardiff
Age Cymru Christmas Carol Concert, Rhiwbina Baptist Church
A proper community carol concert for a good cause, with family tickets. Grandparents will love it.
When: Thursday 10 December, 7.30pm
Price: £15; family tickets available
Ages: Not stated
Book: Via the Age Cymru page (Eventbrite) or call 02920 431544
Good to know: Parking just across the road.
Outside Cardiff but worth the drive
Christmas Classical by Candlelight, All Saints Church, Porthcawl
A drive west along the M4, and only an hour long, which is the magic number for children's attention spans. Add a blustery seafront walk and you've got a day.
When: Friday 18 December 2026, 6pm to 7pm (doors 5.30pm) or 8pm to 9pm (doors 7.30pm)
Price: Shown when you pick a time on Tickettailor
Ages: All ages
Book: Tickettailor (Solas)
Good to know: 29 Victoria Avenue, Porthcawl CF36 3HD.
Watch this space: not announced yet
These were on last year but 2026 details weren't out when we checked. We'll update as soon as they are.
RNLI Barry Dock Festival of Christmas Praise: 2026 details not yet announced (last year: Fri 5 Dec 2025, 7pm, All Saints Church Penarth, free).
Barry Mayor's Carol Service: 2026 details not yet announced (last listing we found: St Mary's Church, Holton Road, free).
St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Carol Concert: 2026 details not yet announced (last year: Wed 10 Dec 2025, 7pm, St John the Baptist City Parish Church, £5).
Plygain at St Fagans (Welsh language): 2027 details not yet announced (last held Sun 11 Jan 2026, 2pm, St Teilo's Church, free, all ages).
What about St David's Hall?
St David's Hall has been closed since September 2023 while its roof is replaced. Academy Music Group is taking over running it, and the latest reports we found (March 2026) say work is continuing with no confirmed reopening date. We couldn't find any carol concerts listed there for Christmas 2026, so plan on Llandaff and the venues above instead.
Tips for carols with kids
Services are more forgiving than concerts. Free church services tend to have more coming and going. For anything ticketed, grab aisle seats near the back so a quick exit is easy.
Go early. Llandaff's Nine Lessons and Carols has no tickets this year, and doors open at 3.15pm.
Layer up. Big old churches are cold. Hats, blankets and a flask are your friends.
Pick the early show. Most candlelit concerts run two sittings. The first is kinder on bedtimes.
Bring snacks that don't crinkle. Trust us.
Welsh-language carols: Llandaff Cathedral publishes its programme bilingually, and St Fagans holds a Welsh-language Plygain service in January. Ask your local chapel too.
FAQs
Are there free carol concerts in Cardiff?
Yes. Llandaff Cathedral's Crib Service (20 Dec) and Nine Lessons and Carols (23 and 24 Dec) are free, and National Museum Cardiff has free festive choir performances on December weekends.
Do I need tickets for Nine Lessons and Carols at Llandaff Cathedral?
Not in 2026. Seats are first come, first served on the day, with doors at 3.15pm for the 4pm service.
Is St David's Hall open for Christmas 2026?
Not as far as we can tell. It has been closed for roof works since 2023 and we found no Christmas 2026 concerts listed there.
Can I take a baby to a carol concert?
For under 2s, free services and the museum's short drop-in sets are the easiest. The BBC NOW Nutcracker concert doesn't admit under 2s, and many ticketed shows don't state a policy, so check before you book.
When is the Llandaff Cathedral Choir Christmas Concert 2026?
Saturday 19 December 2026 at 7pm, with tickets at £20 or £10 through Ticketsource.
More festive fun in Cardiff
Holiday clubs in Cardiff (for those Christmas holiday work days)
