🎄 The Final Festive Fling! 🎅

Well hello there, lovely Harpenden! This is it – our grand finale newsletter of the year, absolutely bursting with carol services galore, festive concerts, Christmas parties, pool parties (yes, really!), pantomimes, quiz nights, and even some yoga and ballet to balance out all those mince pies! 🥧

After this bumper edition, we're off to mull everything (wine, cider, thoughts about 2025...) and enjoy some well-earned festive downtime. A massive thank you to all our wonderful subscribers for being part of the Harpenden Highlights community this year – you've made it an absolute joy! We'll be back refreshed, recharged and ready to go on Thursday 8th January 2026.

Until then, have the most magical Christmas, stay merry and bright, and we'll see you in the New Year! 🎆

Now, let's dive into this week's spectacular festive lineup... 🎄✨

Thursday 18th December

10am - 10:30am (and 11:30am - 12pm): 👶 Baby Rhyme Time at Harpenden Library kicks off with two sessions, and donations are very welcome.

4pm – 5pm: The little bookworms can discover the magic at Harpenden Library's Page One Book Hour – Rainbow Magic reading all about Daisy Meadow's Christmas Fairies. That's £4.40 per child for some festive fairy fun! 🧚

Saturday 6 – Tuesday 30 December, 2025: Over at the EMC, you can catch Polka Dot Pantomimes' Jack and the Beanstalk – it's the pantomime you've all BEAN waiting for! 😄 (We’ve seen it, it’s brilliant!)

7:30pm: St. John's Church hosts the FestiveLea Christmas Concert – an evening of uplifting singing and popular carols with a pay-what-you-can ticket model. They're suggesting £18 for adults and £10 for under-18s and students, which includes mulled wine (or soft drink) and a mince pie. Now that's the spirit! 🎶

8pm: ChristChurch at Vaughan Road offers Blue Christmas – a reflective service for those finding this season difficult. It's a short, open service that might bring comfort to anyone who needs it. 💙

8pm: Also, it's Quiz Night at The Harpenden Arms! Get your team of up to six together for some serious brain-teasing action. 🧠

8pm: And here's something special – Beer & Carols at The Engineer with St John's Church! It's carols, it's beer, it's festive fun for the over 18s only. What a brilliant way to combine two of life's greatest pleasures! 🍺🎶

8-11pm: And if you fancy some live tunes, Mik & Anne are doing their open mic duo thing at The Plough & Harrow! 🎸

Friday 19th December

1pm – 1:30pm: St Nicholas Church serves up Soup and Carols – take a break from work or shopping for half an hour of carols and readings reflecting on the Christmas story. Warm soup AND festive tunes? Yes please! 🍲

8:30pm: The Gibraltar Castle presents The Christmas Crooners – Frank Gib and Dean Batford are here to entertain with fabulous Christmas songs old and new around the Christmas tree! 🎤

Evening: There are also DJ Sessions at The Old Cock Inn to get you in the party mood! 🎧

8pm: The Plough & Harrow is throwing a free Xmas Party with loads of seating and a dancefloor. Bring your dancing shoes – you're gonna need them! 🕺

Saturday 20th December

9am - 12pm: Here's something different! The Two Wheel Centre is hosting a Christmas Coffee Morning with FREE tea, coffee and cakes! But here's the really exciting bit – the first 20 people through the door can grab an envelope off the Christmas tree and could win £150 in cash (donated by ERT Motorcycle Training), £50 in cash (donated by the shop), Oxford Products, bottles of wine, or a voucher for Emma's Cafe! Come down and enjoy a bit of Christmas cheer – what a way to start your Saturday! 🏍️☕🎄

10:30am – 12pm: Start with Outdoor Carols at St Nicholas Church – bundle up and sing your heart out! ⛪

12pm – 3pm: Then splash into the Harpenden Leisure Centre Christmas Pool Party! Adults are £7, children over 2 are £3.50, and under 2s are £2.10 (swimming lesson members swim free!). 🏊

2:30pm & 7:30pm: Wheathampstead Memorial Hall hosts A Night at the Musicals featuring Olivier award-winner David Thaxton (Phantom, Les Mis and more!) and Laura Pick (Elphaba from Wicked!). That's proper West End talent right there! 🌟

9pm: Carnegies Christmas takes over The Swan in Wheathampstead to close out their 2025 schedule. Christmas attire is compulsory, and you know what to expect – groovy tunes, sing-along anthems, and a sprinkling of Christmas choons! 🎅

9:30pm – midnight: Meanwhile at The Plough & Harrow, Big In Brazil (a fab 5-piece covers band) will be rocking the house! 🎸

Sunday 21st December

10am – 2pm: The Christmas Farmers' Market brings exceptional quality produce, unique gifts, street food and drinks – everything you need for a very happy Christmas, all available locally with added sparkle! ✨

10:30am: High Street Methodist Church hosts their Nativity Service where the Children's Church and youth groups retell the original Christmas story. 🌟

1pm: St John's Church presents the Sonorité Saxophone Quartet for their Noël Album Launch – a warm and atmospheric lunchtime concert featuring sparkling new arrangements of festive classics, elegant seasonal chorales, and cinematic winter music for saxophone quartet, piano and voice. How lovely! 🎷

5pm: Nine Lessons and Carols at St John's Church invites everyone for a traditional service of readings, music and singing. 📖

6pm: There's an Evening Carol Service at High Street Methodist Church to warm your soul! 🎶

6pm: Carols by Candlelit at Our Lady of Lourdes Church with carols for choir and audience followed by mulled wine and mince pies in the undercroft afterwards! 🕯️

6pm: A Carol Service at St Mary's Church awaits! ⛪

6:30pm: You can catch the Candlelit Carol Service at the United Reform Church where the congregation comes together to sing carols under candlelight on the last Sunday before Christmas! 🕯️

6:30pm: OR head to St Nicholas Church for their Nine Lessons & Carols service – a beautiful evening of tradition! 📖

6:30pm: And if that wasn't enough, All Saints Church hosts their Candlelit Carol Service too – a beautiful service of readings and music followed by free mulled wine and mince pies! Talk about being spoiled for choice! 🎄

Monday 22nd December

9:15am onwards: Get those little monkeys moving with Monkey Music Holiday workshops for all the family at The EMC – various classes throughout the morning! 🐵

10:30am - 12pm: The regular Harpenden Library Coffee Morning is on too – pop in for a cuppa and a chat! ☕

3pm – 8pm: The Children's Christmas Party at Aldwickbury Park! Get ready for exciting activities, delicious treats, an adult and child friendly buffet, gingerbread decorating, Christmas crafts, a disco, an ice cream stand, AND a special visit from Santa! 🎅🍦

3:45pm - 4:45pm: LEGO Club at Harpenden Library offers fun challenges that build problem solving, spatial awareness and creative thinking. That's £4.40 per session, and children under 8 must be accompanied by an adult. Places are limited so please book! 🧱

Tuesday 23rd December

1:15pm – 2:15pm: Harpenden Library presents Cinderella & Scruff the Dog! – an interactive children's musical where you can sing, dance and sparkle your way to the ball! That's £7 per ticket. Book online or in the library! 👗✨

2:15pm - 2:45pm: Then it's StoryTime at Harpenden Library – all welcome, donations appreciated! 📖

9pm: It's the Weekly Quiz at The Engineer – max 6 per team, £1 entry with cash prizes up for grabs! 🧠

Wednesday 24th December – Christmas Eve! 🎄

10am - 12pm: St Nicholas Church invites you to Visit the Crib, enjoy the Café and hear Outdoor Carols. What a lovely way to spend your Christmas Eve morning! ☕⛪

11am: St John's hosts their Crib Service – a family friendly retelling of the Christmas story! 🌟

5pm: St Nicholas Church has a Christmas Crib Service – perfect for families! 🌟

6pm - 7pm: The highlight of Christmas Eve has to be Carols on the Common! The Harpenden Trust hosts this wonderful community event welcoming residents of all ages to come and sing carols and Christmas songs together. It's free, on Harpenden Common (beside the Harpenden Arms), and takes place early in the evening so everyone can join in. There'll be an opportunity to donate to the Harpenden Trust Christmas Appeal too! 🎶

11pm: And for the traditionalists, St Nicholas Church has Midnight Holy Communion to ring in Christmas Day! ⛪

Ongoing Festive Fun! 🎁

Don't miss the Harpenden Lights Twinkle Trail – a free outdoor activity following the trail from Frosty the giant snowman on the Common all the way to Santa and Teddy in the Sensory Gardens! Stop for a hot drink or bite to eat or do your Christmas gift buying at one of the great local shops along the route. Can you find all the stops on the way? Download the trail leaflet or pick up a hard copy from Town Hall. ❄️

Wednesdays to Sundays, 10am - 5pm until 21st December: The Barn by Sarah Collins at Lamer Lane in Wheathampstead is a seasonal treasure trove of wonderful gifts, paintings, jewellery, accessories and more – perfect for those special Christmas presents! 🎁✨

Mon – Sat 10am – 4pm until 19th Dec: The Charity Christmas Card & Gift Shop at United Reform Church on Vaughan Road is your one-stop shop for cards and gifts that give back! 💝

That's quite the festive lineup, Harpenden! Get out there and enjoy every magical moment! 🎄✨

Coming Up! 🎉

Tuesday 30th December, 3pm – 4:30pm: Craftea with Sally returns to Harpenden Library – bring your own craft project! 🧶

31st Dec, 9:30pm – 12:30am: Looking ahead to New Year's Eve, On The Rox (a pop/rock/funk 5-piece) will be at The Plough & Harrow to see out the year in style! 🎊

31st Dec: The White Horse is pulling out all the stops with a special NYE Set Menu – think proper decadent plates to see out the year! They'll be shaking up all the usual suspects behind the bar (boozy or not), and it wouldn't be New Year's without a glass of fizz at midnight. Their DJ will crank up the crooners before the big countdown to 2026! What a way to welcome in the new year! 🥂✨

Friday 2nd January, 10am – 12pm: Join Harpenden Writers for a spotlight on writing for children! Award-winning local author Camilla Chester will talk about her journey to publishing 'Call Me Lion' and 'Project Pony'. Meetings held first Friday of the month at 12 Southdown Road. Email [email protected] to join this meeting. ✍️📚

Saturday 10th January, 7–9pm: Join Emma of Haelan Hands and Sital (local author of Sacred Reflections) for Sacred Reflections & Soundbath. A soothing evening of ceremony and sound at the Methodist Church on Harpenden High Street. You'll begin with a warming cacao circle, move into a gentle guided meditation, and end with a deeply restorative sound bath – the perfect post-festive reset! 🧘✨

Tuesday 13 – Saturday 17 January, 2026: The Harpenden and Wheathampstead District Gang Show 2026 comes to The EMC! 🎭

Monday 10th February, 7:30pm: Mark your calendars for Cancer Research's annual charity event at Chef Peking to celebrate Chinese New Year! They're serving up a delicious 3-course set menu for £31 per head – and it's all for an absolutely brilliant cause. They're also looking for raffle prizes from local businesses and shops (always welcome bottles etc for their hampers!). Call Christine on 07890 537366 to book your spot or help out with raffle prizes. Let's show them some Harpenden love! 🏮🥢❤️

Ongoing

Pop into Harpenden Library for the Winter Reads Challenge – complete it for a chance to win an iPad! Open to all ages, just join in the Library. 📚

Don't forget the Harpenden Library How to Train your Dragon treasure hunt and dragon design competition. Design your own dragon for a chance to win 1 of 5 signed copies of Cressida Cowell's first 'How to Train your Dragon School' book! Collect from staff and return by 11th Jan 2026. 🐉

If you're interested in getting into rugby, or getting the little ones into Mini's rugby, drop a line to [email protected]! 🏉

The Harpenden Museum in the Eric Morecambe Centre is usually open 11am-3pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Check out the Extra Exhibition on George Hogg: Son of Harpenden, Hero in China, 1915-45 (extended by special request to end of November), and the Special Exhibition running to end January 2026 on Everyday Life in Edwardian Harpenden! Plus new December displays on The Lydekker Gifts – Richard Lydekker was a world-renowned naturalist and author of beautifully-illustrated books about the flora and fauna of the world in late Victorian times, and Harpenden Schools – from the early days of the British and Board schools to today! 🏛️

The Harpenden & District Local History Society is running Harpenden Memories - A competition! Were you living in Harpenden in the 1960s or earlier? They want you to tell them what day-to-day life was like in Harpenden at the time. Memories can be submitted by email to [email protected] or by leaving them at the Harpenden Museum. The Society can even record your oral recollections and transcribe them! The deadline is 31 January 2026. The winner will receive a bottle of champagne and books, and the best memoires will be published on the Society's website. Time to scratch your head and say what life was like 60 years ago! 🍾

Got a local event or special day you'd like us to feature? We'd love to hear from you! Just drop us a line at [email protected] and we'll shine our spotlight on your community happenings! ✨

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