Chichester Cathedral's carol service runs four times, 18 to 21 December, free with no booking; doors open an hour before. Midnight Mass is at 11pm.

Chichester Cathedral’s Carol Service runs four times this year: Friday 18 December at 6pm, Saturday 19 December at 3pm, Sunday 20 December at 3pm and Monday 21 December at 6pm. All four are free and none can be booked. Seats go on a first come, first served basis, and the Cathedral opens its doors one hour before each service. The Sunday afternoon service is also livestreamed.

The quick answer

  • Carol Service: Fri 18 Dec 6pm, Sat 19 Dec 3pm, Sun 20 Dec 3pm (livestreamed), Mon 21 Dec 6pm. About 1 hour 15 minutes.
  • Tickets: none. Free, no booking, doors open an hour before; a cash collection is taken.
  • Christmas Eve: Children’s Carols at the Crib at 11am and 2pm, Evensong at 6pm, Midnight Mass at 11pm.
  • Christmas Day: services at 8am, 9am, 10am and 11am; the Cathedral closes at 12.30pm.

Every time and detail on this page comes from the Cathedral’s own event pages, read on 10 October 2026.

The Carol Service

The Cathedral describes it as “a service of lessons, congregational carols and music sung by the Cathedral Choir”. It lasts about an hour and a quarter.

Day Time Doors Notes
Friday 18 December 6pm 5pm
Saturday 19 December 3pm 2pm
Sunday 20 December 3pm 2pm Also livestreamed
Monday 21 December 6pm 5pm

There is no ticket and no way to reserve a seat, so the only way to secure one is to arrive early. The two weekend afternoons are the obvious choice for families, and the Sunday livestream is the fallback if you cannot get in or cannot travel.

A cash collection is taken. The Cathedral says it costs about £7,000 a day to maintain and that it receives no regular funding from government or central church sources.

Before Christmas: the Advent Procession

The season opens with the Advent Procession on Sunday 29 November at 4.30pm, a candlelit service “moving from darkness to light” with readings, congregational carols and the Cathedral Choir. It is free, with no booking, and is livestreamed (Cathedral event page).

Christmas Eve

  • Children’s Carols at the Crib, 11am and 2pm. Two services built for children and their carers, singing carols while the Christmas crib is put together. Children are invited to come dressed as angels, shepherds, sheep, donkeys or oxen. Free, no booking (event page).
  • Christmas Eve Evensong, 6pm. Choral Evensong with seasonal music and carols. Doors open at 5pm; free, no booking, livestreamed (event page).
  • Midnight Mass, 11pm. The first Eucharist of Christmas, with the Cathedral Choir. Doors open at 10pm; free, no booking, livestreamed (event page).

Christmas Day

From the Cathedral’s Christmas Day page:

  • 8am: Holy Communion (said), Book of Common Prayer, in the Lady Chapel.
  • 9am: a Christmas Eucharist for children aged up to 12 and their parents or carers.
  • 10am: Choral Mattins, sung by the Cathedral Choir.
  • 11am: the Christmas Day Eucharist, with the Cathedral Choir, livestreamed.

None needs booking. The Cathedral closes to the public at 12.30pm on Christmas Day for the rest of the day.

Ticketed Christmas concerts in the Cathedral

These are run by outside promoters, who handle their own box offices. Prices are as listed on the Cathedral’s pages.

  • G4 Christmas, Friday 27 November, 7.45pm. £19.50 to £89.50 (Cathedral listing).
  • Piccadilly Sinfonietta: Vivaldi Four Seasons at Christmas by Candlelight, Friday 4 December, 7.30pm. £21.60 to £54 (listing).
  • London Concertante: Christmas at the Movies by candlelight, Saturday 12 December, 7.30pm, doors 6.45pm. £25 (very restricted view) to £60, plus booking fees (listing).
  • Wild Arts: Handel’s Messiah, Monday 14 December, 7pm. £15 to £65, with any seat £15 for under-25s. A staged version sung from memory by eight singers (listing).
  • Christmas: The Candlelight Concert, Wednesday 16 and Thursday 17 December, 7.30pm, doors 6.30pm. £21.50 to £51.50 (listing).

Getting there and parking

The Cathedral is on West Street, PO19 1RP, inside the city walls and a short walk from the station. It has step-free access by ramps, a hearing loop and accessible toilets. A small number of blue badge spaces sit on the approach from West Street and are free for badge holders; everyone else should use the city car parks, listed with their charges on our parking in Chichester page. Check our roadworks and travel page before you set off, and our Christmas travel page for trains and buses over the holiday.

More Christmas in Chichester

The city’s lights go on at 5pm on Saturday 21 November: see our switch-on page. For markets, shows and Santa, see Christmas markets, Christmas shows and pantomime and Father Christmas in Chichester.

Sources