The Christmas Orchestra

The Christmas Orchestra are back at St Mary's Church in the Lace Market on Tuesday 24 November, their third Nottingham run in three years after selling out in 2024 and 2025. It's a 16-piece chamber orchestra playing a set built around festive films and programmes, with traditional carols and Christmas classics mixed in. The whole thing is professional musicians on stage, full sound production and immersive lighting in a historic city venue.

The setlist pulls from a fair few well-known soundtracks. You'll hear music from Home Alone, Elf, The Holiday, Love Actually, The Muppet Christmas Carol, The Nutcracker, Harry Potter, Die Hard 2 and White Christmas, alongside the carols. It's a wide reach — from the big orchestral moments of The Nutcracker and Harry Potter to the more intimate, heart-warming stuff from Love Actually and The Holiday, with Die Hard 2 sitting somewhere in the middle. The carols and classics fill the gaps between the film scores, so it's a mix of things you'll recognise from the screen and things you'll recognise from the radio.

There are two performances on the night: an early concert from 18:00 to 19:15 and a late one from 20:30 to 21:45, so you can pick the one that suits you. Tickets start from £31, and seating is unreserved and first-come first-served, which means if you want a particular spot, it's worth getting there a bit early. The venue is St Mary's Church, High Pavement, NG1 1HN, right in the Lace Market.