Six Bromley churches hold carol services on 20 December, with Christingles on 13 and 24 December and choirs at Crystal Palace Park. Updated November 2026.
Six churches in Bromley borough hold their main carol service on Sunday 20 December 2026, five of them at 6.30pm. The one ticketed service is The Maypole Project’s carol service at St Nicholas, Orpington, on Sunday 13 December at 5.30pm, at £10 a head. On Christmas Eve, five churches hold Christingle or crib services at 4pm.
Every date comes from the church’s or organiser’s own listing, read on 12 November 2026.
Sunday 20 December: the big carol night
The Sunday before Christmas is when most of the borough’s parish churches hold their candlelit services. None of the church listings asks for a ticket or a booking.
| Time | Church | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| 6pm | St Barnabas Cray, Rushet Road, Orpington BR5 2PU | Carols by Candlelight, a family sing-along with readings, then mince pies in the hall |
| 6.30pm | St George’s, High Street, Beckenham BR3 1AX | Candlelit carol service with tableaux and procession, then mulled wine and mince pies |
| 6.30pm | St Mary, Kingswood Road, Shortlands BR2 0HG | Nine Lessons and Carols, starting in candlelight |
| 6.30pm | St John’s, Park Road, Bromley BR1 3HJ | Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols with the church choir |
| 6.30pm | Keston Parish Church, Church Road, Keston BR2 6HT | Carol service |
| 6.30pm | St Martin of Tours, Church Road, Chelsfield BR6 7SN | Candlelit Nine Lessons and Carols with a robed choir |
Shortlands says its service “is very popular” and advises arriving early for a seat (St Mary, Shortlands). Beckenham’s is the most theatrical of the six, with tableaux of the nativity story and a procession (Beckenham St George).
The same morning, Holy Trinity with St John’s in Penge holds a “Connect Nativity” at 10.30am at St John’s, 2 St John’s Road, SE20 7EQ. The church calls it an interactive, instant nativity for all ages (Holy Trinity with St John’s).
Sunday 29 November: Advent carols
Three churches start the season on Advent Sunday:
- St Mark’s, Main Road, Biggin Hill, Advent carol service at 3.30pm. The church’s Christmas Tree Festival runs the same weekend, 10am to 4pm on Saturday 28 November, with a Christmas fair that morning, and from 11.45am on the Sunday (St Mark’s Biggin Hill).
- St George’s, Beckenham, a service of lessons and carols at 5.30pm.
- St Martin of Tours, Chelsfield, choral evensong with Advent carols at 6.30pm (Chelsfield).
Holy Trinity with St John’s, Penge, also holds its Messy Christingle that afternoon, 3pm to 5pm at St John’s, with crafts, games and the candle lighting.
Christingle and nativity services
Christingle services, with the orange, the candle and the red ribbon, are aimed at families with young children.
- Sunday 6 December, 10am: Christingle at Keston Parish Church (Keston).
- Sunday 13 December, 4pm: Christingle at St Mary, Shortlands. For a short time the Christingle candles are the only light in the church.
- Sunday 13 December, 4pm: Christingle with the Sunday School nativity play at St John’s, Park Road, Bromley (St John’s Bromley).
- Sunday 20 December, 10.30am: Connect Nativity at St John’s, Penge.
The Maypole Project carol service, Sunday 13 December
The Maypole Project holds its fundraising carol service at St Nicholas Church, Leamington Avenue, Orpington BR6 9QB on Sunday 13 December. Doors open at 5pm for a 5.30pm start.
- Tickets £10 a person, under-5s free, bought online from the charity.
- If you cannot go, the same page takes donations (The Maypole Project).
Choirs at Crystal Palace Park
Crystal Palace Park has free, drop-in music at its Visitor Centre on the two weekends of its Winter Makers Market (Crystal Palace Park):
- Saturday 5 December: Panash Steel Orchestra, the youth orchestra at 2pm and the main band at 3pm
- Sunday 6 December: Crib Notes, 3pm
- Saturday 12 December: Palace and Beckenham Acappella Small Ensemble, 3pm
- Sunday 13 December: Real Voices, 2pm
The market itself, and the borough’s other Christmas markets, are on our Bromley Christmas markets page.
For a quieter service
Holy Trinity with St John’s, Penge, holds a Blue Christmas service on Saturday 19 December at 11.15am, at the Holy Trinity site on Lennard Road, SE20 7LX. It is for people who find the season hard, and is led with Living Well Bromley (Holy Trinity with St John’s).
Christmas Eve: crib services at 4pm
Christmas Eve is a Thursday this year. Six churches have a family service in the afternoon:
| Time | Church | Service |
|---|---|---|
| 3pm | St Barnabas Cray, Orpington | Christmas Eve Messy Church, with crafts and a shared meal |
| 4pm | St George’s, Beckenham | Christingle, with the Christmas story and carols |
| 4pm | St Mary, Shortlands | Crib service; children can come dressed as nativity characters, with spare costumes |
| 4pm | St John’s, Bromley | Carols around the Crib, Christmas jumpers welcome, music from the church band |
| 4pm | Keston Parish Church | Crib service |
| 4pm | St Martin of Tours, Chelsfield | Christingle |
Then midnight services start at 11.30pm at St George’s Beckenham, St Mary Shortlands, St John’s Bromley, Keston and Chelsfield. St George’s blesses the crib during its procession.
Christmas morning
- 9.30am: Festal Sung Eucharist, St George’s, Beckenham
- 10am: Family Communion with carols, St John’s, Bromley
- 10am: Family service, Keston Parish Church
- 10am: Holy Communion, St Martin of Tours, Chelsfield
- 10.30am: Family Communion, St Mary, Shortlands
Christmas Day is a Friday, and no trains or buses run, so most people will walk or drive. Our Christmas Day in Bromley page has the pubs and restaurants open for lunch afterwards.
Not yet announced
Several of the borough’s biggest churches had no 2026 carol dates on 12 November, including Bromley Parish Church (St Peter and St Paul), St Nicholas in Chislehurst and Christ Church Bromley. The RAF Chapel at Biggin Hill could not be read on 12 November. We will add them when they publish.
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