York's carol concerts for Christmas 2026: the Minster choir on 3 and 4 December from £15, the Barbican's 68th community carols on 13 December, free services.
The big carol concert in York is the Minster choir’s, at 7pm on Thursday 3 and Friday 4 December 2026, from £15. The free one most families go to is the Barbican’s community carol concert, now in its 68th year, at 2pm on Sunday 13 December. In between, two medieval churches and the National Centre for Early Music hold their own candlelit carols, and the Minster’s free Nine Lessons and Carols services on 23 and 24 December need a ticket you book on a set morning.
The quick answer
- York Minster Christmas Carol Concerts: Thu 3 and Fri 4 December, 7pm, £15 to £40 (York Minster).
- Community carols at York Barbican: Sun 13 December, 2pm (York Barbican).
- Free Minster carol services: 23 and 24 December, 4pm; tickets from 10am on 8 and 10 December.
- Smallest and most atmospheric: candlelit carols at Holy Trinity, Goodramgate, on 12 and 13 December, and at the National Centre for Early Music on 15 December.
All dates, times and prices below were read from the organisers’ own pages on 22 October 2026. Booking fees are on top at most venues.
York Minster
The Minster’s ticketed Christmas carol concerts this year (York Minster, Christmas events):
| Date | Concert | Time | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 3 and Fri 4 Dec | Christmas Carol Concerts: the Choir of York Minster, readings by the actor Ian Kelsey, carols for the audience to join in | 7pm | £15 to £40 |
| Wed 16 Dec | Christmas Hits by Candlelight: Alistair Griffin and the Ebor Quartet, from Fairytale of New York to O Holy Night | 7.30pm | £30 to £55 |
| Sat 19 Dec | Carols by Candlelight: the Chapter House Choir with the Chapter House Youth Choir | 7.30pm | £7.50 to £25 |
The first of these is the one people mean when they say “the Minster carol concert”: the cathedral choir, two nights. The Minster also has a Grimethorpe Colliery Band concert on 12 December and The Nutcracker on the Grand Organ on 5 December; both are on our York Minster at Christmas page.
The free carol services
The two Nine Lessons and Carols services are free, but you need a ticket, and each has its own booking morning. Tickets go on the Minster’s event pages or on 01904 557200 (York Minster):
| Service | Time | Tickets released |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 23 Dec, Nine Lessons and Carols with British Sign Language interpretation | 4pm | 10am, Tuesday 8 December |
| Thu 24 Dec, Nine Lessons and Carols, also livestreamed | 4pm | 10am, Thursday 10 December |
The Minster says a few seats may be given out on the day if ticket holders do not arrive. The Christmas Eve Crib Service at 11.30am and Midnight Mass at 11.30pm need no ticket.
York Barbican community carols
York’s Annual Community Carol Concert is at 2pm on Sunday 13 December. This year’s line-up is the York RI Golden Rail Band, Huntington School Big Sing Choir, Copmanthorpe Primary School Choir and the soloist Alexandra Mather, with Steve Cassidy, community carols led by Mike Pratt, and Rev Andrew Foster and Adam Tomlinson hosting. It raises money for the Lord Mayor and Sheriff of York’s Christmas Cheer Fund and Age UK York, and the Barbican asks people to come in Christmas jumpers. A booking fee applies (York Barbican).
Holy Trinity, Goodramgate
This small medieval church off Goodramgate, with its box pews, is looked after by the Churches Conservation Trust, which has two candlelit concerts on its listings with Visit York:
- Carols by Candlelight with the York Philharmonic Male Voice Choir, Saturday 12 December, doors 6.30pm for a 7pm start. Adults £20, under-18s £10 (Visit York listing).
- Olivia Graham’s Celtic Carols by Candlelight, Sunday 13 December, two shows at 5.30pm and 7.30pm, each about an hour. Tickets £12, booked through Eventbrite (Visit York listing).
The listings warn that the floors are uneven, light levels are low and the church is usually colder inside than out, so wrap up.
National Centre for Early Music
The NCEM, in the former St Margaret’s Church off Walmgate, runs its York Early Music Christmas Festival through early December (NCEM). For carols specifically:
- Medieval Carols by Candlelight, Tuesday 15 December, 7.30pm, by Elderwood. £22, concessions £18, plus a £1.50 fee per booking (NCEM).
- Ex Corde Vocal Ensemble and The York Waits, Friday 11 December, 6.30pm: Christmas music from Renaissance Rome, with mince pies on arrival. £35 (£33), under-35s £10 (NCEM). This one is a concert of early Christmas music rather than carols to sing along to.
Carols without a ticket
York Castle Museum’s Victorian carol singers perform on Kirkgate every Saturday from 14 November to 19 December, included in museum admission (adults £18) (York Castle Museum). Our Castle Museum Christmas page has the rest of its programme.
Getting there
The Minster, Holy Trinity and the Castle Museum are all inside the city walls and within ten minutes’ walk of each other; the Barbican and the NCEM are at the south-east corner, by Fishergate and Walmgate. Evening concerts in December clash with the Christmas Market crowds, so leave extra time. Our pages on parking in York and roadworks and travel have the car parks and anything shut, and Christmas trains and travel covers the last trains home. For everything else on in the next six weeks, see what’s on in York this month.
Sources
- York Minster: Christmas events
- York Barbican: York’s Annual Community Carol Concert
- Visit York: Carols by Candlelight with the York Philharmonic Male Voice Choir
- Visit York: Olivia Graham’s Celtic Carols by Candlelight
- National Centre for Early Music: what’s on
- York Castle Museum: Christmas 2026
Frequently asked questions
When are the York Minster carol concerts in 2026?
The Choir of York Minster’s Christmas Carol Concerts are at 7pm on Thursday 3 and Friday 4 December 2026, with readings by Ian Kelsey. Tickets are £15 to £40 (York Minster).
Are there free carol services in York?
Yes. York Minster’s Nine Lessons and Carols on 23 and 24 December at 4pm are free but need a ticket, released at 10am on 8 December and 10 December. The Christmas Eve Crib Service and Midnight Mass need no ticket.
When is the York Barbican community carol concert?
York’s 68th Annual Community Carol Concert is at 2pm on Sunday 13 December 2026 at York Barbican, with school choirs, the York RI Golden Rail Band and community carols, raising money for the Lord Mayor and Sheriff of York’s Christmas Cheer Fund and Age UK York.
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