Advent Procession

St Albans Cathedral marks the start of the Advent season with its Advent Procession on Sunday 29 November, a candlelit service of readings and music. It's the first of the cathedral's festive services, and the one that sets the tone for the rest of the winter calendar.

There's a simple, shared bit of business that opens the whole thing: everyone is given a candle, which stands in for the first Sunday of Advent and the lighting of the first Advent candle. From there, the Cathedral Choir starts in the Quire and processes slowly towards the West End of the Nave, eventually making its way to the Nave altar. Because the choir moves through the building, you hear the music from different parts of the space rather than from one fixed spot. The readings and the music run together throughout, and the whole thing is lit by the candles everyone is holding.

It's worth keeping in mind where this takes place. St Albans Cathedral is the shrine to Britain's first saint and the oldest site of continuous Christian worship in the country, and this service is the one that opens the cathedral's festive season. The local press describes that season as the district's biggest winter attraction, so this is the starting gun for the whole run.

The service runs from 6:00pm to 7:30pm, and it's free to attend. Doors open at 5:10pm, which gives you plenty of time to get in and find a spot before things get underway. You'll find the cathedral at Sumpter Yard, St Albans, AL1 1BY.