When to book Christmas entertainment
A choir can only be in one place on a given evening. That one fact governs everything else about booking live music for Christmas. From the last week of November onwards, offices, hotels, livery halls, and charities all want the same few evenings, and the diary fills in the order the enquiries arrive. This guide explains how December works from the performer’s side of the desk: which dates fill first, why last-minute Christmas bookings are still welcome, and what The London Choral Service needs from you to hold a date.
Eight of our singers performing It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year. Hear more recordings.
How December works for live performers
The pressure in December is not spread evenly across the month. It concentrates on the first three weeks; within those weeks on Thursday and Friday; and within those days on the early evening, when guests arrive and the drinks go round. A choir of eight can sing one of those slots. If two clients want the same Thursday at six, one of them moves to another date, another time, or another ensemble.
There is a limit to how many ensembles we can field on the same evening. The singers we work with are professionals with their own December commitments in cathedrals, concert halls, and recording studios, and this is their busiest month too. When we tell you a date has gone, it means the singers for it are committed elsewhere.
The rest of the year this is a much easier conversation. A wedding in June or a corporate dinner in March can usually be covered at a few weeks’ notice, at any size. December is the one month where the date decides what is possible.
The date that matters: mid-September
Most years the first three weeks of December start to fill by the middle of September. That is the pattern in our own diary, and it is the same figure we give event managers when they ask about lead times — see our information for event managers for how that sits alongside the rest of the year.
Last-minute Christmas bookings are welcome. An enquiry in October, November, or December itself gets the same attention as one in July: send us the date and the venue, and we will tell you within one working day what we can do.
Month by month
Summer to early September
Everything is open. You choose the date first and the format second, which is the right way round. A Small Choir of four, a sextet, a full choir of eight, and a chorus of twelve are all available for the same evening at this stage, unaccompanied or with an organist. If your event has a fixed date — a board dinner, a carol service in a church you have already booked — this is the moment to lock it in.
Late September to October
October is a comfortable month to book. The Thursday and Friday evenings of early December are the most requested of the year, so if your event falls on one of them, send it over early.
November
November enquiries are welcome. Send us the date and the venue and we will come back within one working day with the ensembles we can offer and a written quote. Please do not assume a date has gone before you have asked us.
December itself
Last-minute Christmas bookings are welcome in December too. Send the date over, however close it is, and we will confirm availability within one working day.
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
We sing on both, including carols by candlelight on the 24th. Those two dates carry a premium, typically around 25 per cent, confirmed in the written quote before you commit to anything. They are also the first dates to go each year, ahead of everything in the first fortnight of December, so ask as early as you can.
What booking early gets you
Booking in the summer buys choice, not a lower price. Three things in particular:
- The ensemble you wanted. A chorus of twelve for a church that seats four hundred, or a Small Choir of four that can move through a lobby without blocking it. Book early and every size is open.
- The time slot you wanted. Six o’clock on a Thursday in the first fortnight is the most requested hour of our year. In August it is still free.
- Time to plan the programme. Luca finalises the repertoire and coordinates arrival, positioning, and technical requirements with your venue. Booked in September, that work has weeks rather than days: readings placed between the carols, a piece for a soloist, a descant on the last verse of O Come, All Ye Faithful, a rehearsal with your chosen readers if the running order is complicated.
Late bookings get the same care. Luca plans the programme and agrees the arrangements with your venue whatever the notice.
What we need to confirm a date
Three details are enough to check availability: the date, the venue, and a rough sense of the format — carol service, drinks reception, office party, or a set during dinner. Headcount and a preferred ensemble size help, but they are not needed to start.
Send those and we come back with a proposal within one working day: ensemble options, a programme outline, and a written quote. If your date is tight, say so in the first email and we will check that date before anything else. If you would rather talk it through, call 07356 042468.
Prices do not rise at Christmas
There is no seasonal uplift. A Small Choir of four is £1,150 in December as in June, a sextet £1,600, a full choir of eight £2,000, and a chorus of twelve £3,000, inclusive of all taxes, fees, and travel within Greater London. An organist or pianist starts at £250. A standard Christmas booking runs up to two hours including breaks, or the length of a church service; longer bookings carry a premium, quoted upfront. The two exceptions to the standard rates are Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Full figures are on our pricing page.
A last-minute booking costs exactly what an early one does.
Frequently asked questions
When should you book Christmas party entertainment?
For a December date, book by early September. At The London Choral Service the first three weeks of December start to fill by the middle of September most years, and Thursday and Friday evenings in the first fortnight go before anything else. Booking over the summer gives you the widest choice of dates and ensemble sizes.
Is it too late to book carol singers in November or December?
No. Last-minute Christmas bookings are welcome, in November and in December itself. Send us the date and the venue and we will confirm availability within one working day, then follow with ensemble options and a written quote.
Is it cheaper to book Christmas entertainment early?
No. Our prices are the same in December as in June, with no seasonal uplift, and we do not discount for booking early. A Small Choir of four is £1,150 and a chorus of twelve £3,000, inclusive of all taxes, fees, and travel within Greater London. Booking early buys choice of date and ensemble size rather than a lower fee. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are the exception: those two dates carry a premium, typically around 25 per cent, confirmed in the written quote.
Which December dates get booked first?
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day go first, then Thursday and Friday early evenings in the first two full weeks of December. Whatever your date, and however close it is, send it to us: late enquiries are welcome.
Text us on WhatsApp for the fastest reply, or call us on 07356 042468.