The Best Winter Pop-Ups in London This Christmas
Christmas is coming so cosy up with a hot cocktail and festive grub at the best winter pop-ups in London. From outdoor igloos to rooftop bars decked out with all the Christmas trimmings, London is never short of somewhere for some festive fun. Year-round venues get Christmas makeovers, with lots of twinkly lights, blankets and festive food and drink, and then a whole host of seasonal spots pop up across town too.
The US’s renowned Miracle bar is coming back to London just in time for Christmas, popping up on the Henrietta Hotel’s mezzanine with kitsch cocktails in tow. Want to indulge in a little friendly competition? Curling is the name of the game. You can show off your sweeping skills on the ice with Club Curling in Coal Drops Yard or over in Vinegar Yard at The Curling Club.
The Southbank really is the place to be this winter as Christmas dive bar Humbug is returning in Waterloo and Jimmy Garcia is back in the area, serving up an alpine-inspired menu.
London's Kitsch Christmas Bar Is Getting Even Bigger
The US’s renowned Miracle bar is back in London for the 2025 festive season and this time, it’s bigger and better than ever. Now popping up in larger Covent Garden location, Miracle promises an even bigger dose of kitsch Christmas magic, spreading cheer from 10th November to 23rd December. Expect an over-the-top winter wonderland packed with twinkling fairy lights, candy canes, and retro holiday décor. Alongside its famously playful Christmas cocktails, including the Snowball Old Fashioned, the Christmasaurus and the Christmapolitan, guests can enjoy festive snacks in a space that feels like stepping straight into a nostalgic Christmas movie.
Shop for Gifts That'll Make a Difference at the Choose Love Pop-Up Shop
Humanitarian aid charity Choose Love will be popping up again this year with a shop in the heart of London for the festive season. Opening on Regent Street on Tues 18th November, the Choose Love Shop will be ‘the ultimate charity shop’, stocked with essential supplies and life-saving interventions for refugees and displaced people around the world – everything from a warm coat to emergency response bundles. Designed by Misty Buckley, the two-floor shop will also feature Choose Love merchandise, including t-shirts, tote bags, baubles and wrapping paper, as well as a Choose Gifts section (open from 26th November), filled with discounted new, pre-loved and past-season fashion and beauty items curated by celeb stylists Aimee Croysdill, Holly Eva White and Felicity Kay. This year there’ll also be a Choose Love coffee shop, with beans and cups donated by Allpress, where all profits from coffee sales will go to support the charity’s work with refugees.
Sweep Your Way to Glory at The Curling Club
Indulge in a little friendly competition and sweep your way to glory this festive season at The Curling Club in Chelsea (from 26th November) and Vinegar Yard (1st November). You’ll be able to get on the curling sheets and show off your skills, using the same granite stones as top curlers worldwide do. And there’ll be winter cocktails, street food, and music to keep the party going after the games have finished.
Jimmy Garcia Is Bringing Fire & Fromage to the Southbank
Jimmy Garcia is taking over the South Bank this winter with Fire & Fromage. The alpine-inspired pop-up will feature weather-proof cabanas where you can indulge in cheese fondue, served with new potatoes, freshly baked bread, salad and cornichons, with mini chocolate doughnuts for pud. Or you can gather round one of the fire pits and tuck into raclette burgers, cheese hot dogs, chicken schnitzels, brie bites, toasted marshmallows and mulled wine.
Curl the Night Away at Club Curling in Coal Drop's Yard
Club Curling is back at Coal Drops Yard for some winter sports action and this year, it’s taking inspo from vintage Italian ski culture. You can curl the night away on one of the six lanes in teams of up to six, and children under 12 play for free when accompanied by an adult. There’ll be a pop-up lounge bar on site so you can have a festive tipple while you curl.
Hang With Santa at Humbug
What do you think Santa does after a long hard day at his workshop? He hits the bar of course, and now you can too as Humbug is popping up at the Vaults in Waterloo. Santa’s a bit low on Christmas spirit so Humbug is going to town on the festive entertainment – as well as cabaret performances, live music, games, festive sing-a-longs, dazzling Christmas lights, and holiday memorabilia galore, there’s Santa’s grotto, a themed beer can bowling alley and a shrine dedicated to Christmas queen Mariah Carey to explore. It’s not a bar without cocktails and Humbug is well equipped on that front too, with a Naughty or Nice drinks menu and festive street food from Bang Bang Burger.
Courchevel has come to the City as Coq d’Argent has popped festive Lodge d’Argent chalets on the rooftop. The huts are kitted out with faux-fur blankets and fairy lights, and you can cosy up with cocktails and alpine-inspired small plates.
Give Winter Sports a Go at Big Penny Social's Curling Emporium
Walthamstow’s Big Penny Social is bringing back its curling experience this winter, so grab your mates, grab some stones and slide your way to winter sports glory. Stay warm in between games by hitting the bar for spiced mulled wine and boozy hot chocolates.
Feast Off-Piste at The Berkeley
The Berkeley’s rooftop is getting a winter makeover, transforming into an alpine winter wonderland this festive season. Cosy up inside one of the ski gondolas amongst the snow-dusted trees and twinkling lights, and tuck into a menu of raclette, tartiflette with fresh truffle, milk chocolate fondue, and gingerbread s’mores. You can toast to Christmas with winter cocktails like Dark Chocolate Old Fashioneds, Burnt Marshmallow Mezcalitas, and Wild Blackberry Picantes, and there are even ‘ring from Champagne’ bells inside each gondola.
