Twelve December dates: choir carols at QMC on 9 December (£10), Milestones' candlelit carols on 18 December, Philharmonia Brass, folk and ABBA at the Haymarket.
Basingstoke’s December concert calendar is mostly at the Anvil’s smaller theatre, the Haymarket on Wote Street, which has a Christmas show almost every other night from 1 to 21 December. The two carol evenings that are not theatre shows are Basingstoke Choral Society’s Carols for a Cause at Queen Mary’s College on Wednesday 9 December (£10) and Carols by Candlelight at Milestones Museum on Friday 18 December (£9.50). The Mayor’s Carol Service has not been announced yet.
The quick answer
- Cheapest carols: Milestones’ Carols by Candlelight, Friday 18 December, 6pm, £9.50, under 5s free; Basingstoke Choral Society, Wednesday 9 December, 7.30pm, £10, under 18s £2.50.
- Classical brass: Philharmonia Brass, Thursday 17 December, 7.30pm, the Haymarket, £34, under 25s £12.
- For small children: Dear Santa Live, 2 to 6 December, the Haymarket, £20, under 16s £18.
- Still to come: the Mayor’s Carol Service. The council’s page says details will be released “in early autumn 2026”.
Everything below comes from the organisers’ own pages and box offices, checked on 12 October 2026.
Every date, in order
| Date | Show | Venue | Tickets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 1 Dec, 7.30pm | Step Into Christmas | The Anvil | £30 to £38 |
| Wed 2 to Sun 6 Dec | Dear Santa Live | The Haymarket | £20, under 16s £18 |
| Tue 8 Dec, 7.30pm | A Winter Union | The Haymarket | £26, under 25s £22 |
| Wed 9 Dec, 7.30pm | Carols for a Cause | Queen Mary’s College | £10, under 18s £2.50 |
| Wed 9 Dec, 7.30pm | The Snow Queen (ballet) | The Haymarket | £23.50, concessions £22.50 |
| Fri 11 and Sat 12 Dec | A Christmas Carol | The Haymarket | £26, under 18s £20 |
| Wed 16 Dec, 7.30pm | Holly at Christmas | The Haymarket | £26 |
| Thu 17 Dec, 7.30pm | Philharmonia Brass | The Haymarket | £34, under 25s £12 |
| Fri 18 Dec, 6pm | Carols by Candlelight | Milestones Museum | £9.50, under 5s free |
| Sat 19 Dec, 7.30pm | Cara Dillon: Upon A Winter’s Night | The Haymarket | £34 |
| Sun 20 Dec, 7.30pm | ABBA: Merry Christmas | The Haymarket | £36 |
| Mon 21 Dec, 7.30pm | The Albion Christmas Band | The Haymarket | £28.50 |
The Anvil’s own pantomime, Beauty and the Beast, runs from 10 December to 3 January; it has its own page, Basingstoke panto.
Carol concerts you can sing at
Carols for a Cause, Wednesday 9 December
Basingstoke Choral Society holds its second annual carol concert at Queen Mary’s College, Cliddesden Road, RG21 3HF, at 7.30pm. The society’s booking page promises carols “and the chance to lift your voice and sing along with us”. Tickets are £10, or £2.50 for under 18s, plus a booking fee (£10.78 and £2.70 in total), through the society’s TicketSource page. A retiring collection goes to Forever Singing, a volunteer-led memory choir.
The choir is also at the Anvil a month earlier, singing Haydn’s Nelson Mass on 15 November; that is on our monthly What’s On page.
Carols by Candlelight at Milestones, Friday 18 December
Milestones Museum holds a Victorian-style carol evening in its cobbled streets at 6pm, £9.50 a person, under 5s free. In September the museum listed two nights, 18 and 19 December; it now lists only the Friday. Milestones’ other December dates, including its Christmas market, are on our Milestones Museum at Christmas page.
The Mayor’s Carol Service: not yet announced
The Mayor of Basingstoke and Deane holds a Christmas carol service, listed among the Mayor’s annual events. For 2026 the council’s Mayor’s Carol Service page still says “More details to be released in early autumn 2026”. We will add the date when it appears.
Christmas concerts at the Anvil and the Haymarket
All of these are sold by Anvil Arts, on 01256 844244. Prices are the box office’s own.
- Step Into Christmas, Tuesday 1 December, 7.30pm, The Anvil. A concert of festive hits with a live band, “back by popular demand”. £30, £36 and £38 (Anvil Arts).
- Dear Santa Live, Wednesday 2 to Sunday 6 December, the Haymarket. The stage show of the picture book by the author of Dear Zoo. Performances at 10.30am and 1.30pm each day, plus 4pm on Saturday 5 December. £20, under 16s £18 (Anvil Arts).
- A Winter Union, Tuesday 8 December, 7.30pm, the Haymarket. Five British folk musicians, Katriona Gilmore, Jamie Roberts, Hannah Sanders, Ben Savage and Jade Rhiannon, with new songs and arrangements of traditional carols. £26, under 25s £22 (Anvil Arts).
- The Snow Queen, Wednesday 9 December, 7.30pm, the Haymarket. Ballet Theatre UK’s version of the Hans Christian Andersen story. £23.50, over 65s and under 16s £22.50 (Anvil Arts). It clashes with the choral society’s carols the same night.
- A Christmas Carol, Friday 11 December at 7.30pm and Saturday 12 December at 2pm and 7.30pm, the Haymarket. Operation Moonlight’s family staging of Dickens. £26, under 18s £20 (Anvil Arts).
- Holly at Christmas, Wednesday 16 December, 7.30pm, the Haymarket. Buddy Holly and The Cricketers’ rock and roll Christmas show, with songs by Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis and the Everly Brothers. £26 (Anvil Arts).
- Philharmonia Brass, Thursday 17 December, 7.30pm, the Haymarket. Christmas brass from players of the Philharmonia Orchestra, introduced from the stage by trombonist Philip White. £34, under 25s and full-time students £12 (Anvil Arts).
- Cara Dillon: Upon A Winter’s Night, Saturday 19 December, 7.30pm, the Haymarket. The Irish folk singer and her band in a programme of winter songs. £34 (Anvil Arts).
- ABBA: Merry Christmas, Sunday 20 December, 7.30pm, the Haymarket. A tribute show with a live band and some Christmas songs. £36 (Anvil Arts).
- The Albion Christmas Band, Monday 21 December, 7.30pm, the Haymarket. The folk band’s 27th Christmas tour, with Kellie While and Simon Nicol. £28.50 (Anvil Arts).
Getting there and parking
The Anvil is on Churchill Way, RG21 7QR, and the Haymarket is at the top of Wote Street, RG21 7NW; both are a short walk from the station. Queen Mary’s College is on Cliddesden Road, south of the town centre, and Milestones is on the Leisure Park off Churchill Way West, RG22 6PG. Car parks and evening tariffs are on our parking in Basingstoke page, and any December road closures are on roadworks and travel.
Still to be confirmed
- The Mayor’s Carol Service: date and venue, expected on the council’s page this autumn.
- Church carol services, which parishes usually publish in late November.
We will add both when they are published.
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