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This festive season, our foyers have been transformed into a winter forest, featuring magical creatures, fairies and characters from ballet and opera among the trees. Can you find Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother watching over her, the Sugar Plum Fairy from The Nutcracker, the Lilac Fairy with her magic wand that protects Princess Aurora, and many more? Join us for a unique experience that the whole family can enjoy. 

Across the month, the Royal Opera House will be serving festive drinks and whipping up seasonal sweet treats to get you in the holiday spirit. From Monday 5 December to Saturday 31 December, visit us at our Piazza Terrace Bar and Linbury Bar for a cup of mulled wine or cranberry and ginger mocktail. Desserts and delicacies will also be available at the Royal Opera House Café, Linbury Bar, Paul Hamlyn Hall Champagne Bar, Level 5 Bar, and Piazza Terrace Bar, with prices ranging from £3 to £6.

In addition, from Monday 28 November to Friday 23 December, our newly relaunched Piazza restaurant will serve its first ever Christmas menu. Costing £65, it will include modern British dishes with a festive twist: celeriac soup with winter truffle and hazelnuts; Seven & Wye hot smoked salmon rillette with winter leaves; heritage beetroot salad with toasted pine nuts and pomegranate; bronze roast turkey with duck fat potatoes, glazed carrots, parsnips, pigs in blankets, creamed sprouts and cranberry; and much more.  Christmas cocktails will also be available in the Piazza restaurant from Monday 5 December to Saturday 31 December, and groups of 8 or more should pre-order to ensure their table is ready upon arrival. 

No need to leave all the holiday fun to the chefs! Join us on Thursday 22 December and Friday 23 December, during the school holidays, for our Christmas tree biscuit-decorating workshops. These will be ticketed events held in the Royal Opera House Café, with sessions starting at 12noon, 12.30pm, and 1pm. 

And, for those looking to immerse themselves in the artistic work of the Royal Opera House this winter, we are offering two brand-new tours. Our 45-minute Family Nutcracker Tours, specifically designed for children aged 5–8, will unveil the origins of this beloved festive ballet, taking you and your children to see the costumes up close, experience the magic of theatre and learn how we make it snow on stage. Our 1-hour Behind the Scenes: The Nutcracker Tours, on the other hand, are designed for adults only, and are perfect for anyone who wants to know how to make a Christmas tree magically grow on stage, or what fake snow feels like. Tickets for the adults only tour cost £26 and include a complimentary glass of mulled wine or £10 off dinner in the Piazza restaurant.  

No Royal Opera House Christmas would be complete without actually seeing The Nutcracker. This year, you can experience the production on stage from Tuesday 6 December to Saturday 14 January, and in one of over 900 cinemas worldwide on Thursday 8 December. Tickets are on sale now.