St Mary's East Barnet sings carols by candlelight on 29 November and 20 December, and Monken Hadley holds Nine Lessons on 20 December. Updated November 2026.
Four Barnet churches have published their 2026 carol and nativity dates, and the first services are on Sunday 29 November, Advent Sunday. The busiest night is Sunday 20 December, when St Mary’s in East Barnet holds two candlelit carol services and St Mary the Virgin at Monken Hadley holds its Nine Lessons and Carols.
The quick answer
- Sunday 29 November: Advent carols by candlelight at St Mary’s East Barnet, 6pm, and an Advent carol service at St Mary’s Hendon, 6.30pm.
- Saturday 12 December: a carol service for dogs and their owners at Holy Trinity Lyonsdown, New Barnet, 3pm.
- Sunday 20 December: Christmas carols by candlelight at St Mary’s East Barnet, 4.30pm and 6.30pm, and Nine Lessons and Carols at Monken Hadley, 6.30pm.
- Christmas Eve: a children’s nativity service at St Mary’s East Barnet and a crib service at Monken Hadley, both at 4pm.
St Mary’s East Barnet: candlelight on 29 November and 20 December
St Mary’s on Church Hill Road, East Barnet EN4 8XD, has the fullest Christmas diary in the borough. Its carol services are by candlelight, with traditional hymns and carols, and each lasts about an hour (St Mary’s, East Barnet, on A Church Near You).
| Date | Time | Service |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday 29 November | 6pm | Advent Carols by Candlelight |
| Saturday 5 December | 4pm | St Mary’s School Christmas carol service |
| Wednesday 9 December | 6pm | Church Hill and Brunswick Park schools carol service |
| Wednesday 16 December | 7pm | Community carol singing, East Barnet Royal British Legion Club, 38 Brookhill Road |
| Thursday 17 December | 7pm | Community carol singing, The Prince of Wales, 2 Church Hill Road |
| Sunday 20 December | 4.30pm and 6.30pm | Christmas Carols by Candlelight |
| Thursday 24 December | 4pm | Children’s nativity service |
| Thursday 24 December | 11.30pm | Midnight Mass |
| Friday 25 December | 10am | Christmas Day service |
The two school services are led by the children, staff and parents of St Mary’s School and of Church Hill and Brunswick Park schools. At the Christmas Eve nativity, children are invited to come dressed as a character from the Christmas story.
Monken Hadley: nativity play and Nine Lessons
St Mary the Virgin on Hadley Green Road, at the top of Barnet, has four Christmas dates (St Mary the Virgin, Monken Hadley, on A Church Near You):
- Sunday 13 December, 10.30am: a nativity play by Monken Hadley Drama Club, within the morning service
- Sunday 20 December, 6.30pm: Nine Lessons and Carols, the Christmas story in nine readings with carols for choir and congregation
- Thursday 24 December, 4pm: a crib service, especially for families with young children
- Thursday 24 December, 11.15pm: candlelit communion of Christmas night
The Christmas Day communion is at 10.30am. The parish says everyone is welcome at each one.
St Mary’s Hendon: Advent carols and an open church
St Mary’s at 49 Church End, Hendon NW4 4JT, starts the season with an Advent carol service at 6.30pm on Sunday 29 November, a service of readings and seasonal music. On Saturday 5 December the church is open from 12 noon to 4pm, with community carols and storytelling at 2pm, handbell ringing, Christmas crafts and a hot soup lunch (St Mary’s, Hendon, on A Church Near You). Its Christmas fair, with Father Christmas, is the Saturday before, 28 November; see Santa’s grotto in Barnet.
A carol service for dogs in New Barnet: 12 December
Holy Trinity Lyonsdown, 18 Lyonsdown Road, New Barnet EN5 1JE, holds Paws in the Pews: Doggy Carol Service at 3pm on Saturday 12 December. The church runs a Paws in the Pews service every couple of months, designed for dogs and their owners, and says everyone is welcome at this informal one (Holy Trinity Lyonsdown, on A Church Near You).
Christmas concerts at Barnet Church
St John the Baptist, the parish church on Barnet High Street, has two ticketed Christmas concerts:
- Saturday 5 December, 7.30pm: the Da Capo Concert Band’s Christmas concert, well-known tunes and symphonic wind band music. Tickets are sold on the door at £10, or £8 for concessions (Da Capo Concert Band).
- Saturday 12 December, 5pm and 7pm: A Classical Christmas Opera Candlelight Experience by Lumos, an hour each, with doors 45 minutes and 30 minutes before. Tickets start at £20 (Lumos Experiences).
The Da Capo concert is the evening before the Barnet Christmas Fayre fills the High Street.
Not announced yet
On 12 November Barnet Church had not published its 2026 community carol service, which in 2025 followed the fayre at 4.30pm. St Mary-at-Finchley, St Michael and All Angels in Mill Hill and the churches of Edgware and Golders Green showed no 2026 Christmas dates either. This page will add them as they appear.
Getting there
Church Hill Road car park in East Barnet is free all day, every day. The borough’s other car parks, and the December charging rules that have caught people out before, are on our parking in Barnet page.
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