Christmas at Warwick
Get into the festive spirit at Warwick and further afield this Christmas! Explore our handy list of everything going on on campus and over the vacation.
Events in the local area
Coventry events
Santa’s Little Makers Market, Fargo Village: 7, 8, 14 December
Leamington events
Yuletide Markets, the Parade and Warwick Street: 2, 9, 16, 23 December.
Leamington Lantern Parade, 2 December: Jephson Gardens
Warwick events
Carols at the Castle: Warwick Castle, 22 December
Carols by Candlelight: St Mary's Church, 20 December
Birmingham events
Birmingham's Frankfurt Christmas Markets: 15 November to 23 December, Victoria Square and New Street.
Outdoor Ice Rink and Big Wheel: 17 November to 6 January, New Canal Street
Kenilworth events
Carols at the Abbey: 22 December
Duck Race: 26 December
What's on at Warwick
What's Jump to: Events on campus | Eating & Drinking | Opening hours | Travel
Events on Campus
28 November to 30 December
Wilde Creatures: This Christmas a motley crew of storytelling musicians bring Oscar Wilde’s classic fairy tales to life at Warwick Arts Centre in Tall Stories’ magical new show, direct from London’s West End. Hauntingly beautiful tales for everyone aged 5 – 105, told with original live music and a generous dash of comedy. £6.50 student tickets available.
28 November
Food Market: Come and soak up the atmosphere at the last Market Day of term from 11am - 3pm, and find gifts and chocolates for all the family, whilst you try something tempting for lunch. There will be a vibrant mix of stall holders selling local, fresh produce or mouth-watering street food as well as sweet treats!
29 November - 28 December
Warwick Volunteers has a list of festive volunteering opportunities and charity events in Coventry and Warwickshire; from helping the homeless to clearing woodland pathways and visiting our elderly neighbours in residential care homes, there’s a range of opportunities to get involved in this winter!
30 November
Christmas Bauble Event, Warwic Sport: Get into the Christmas Spirit and have a laugh with your friends or flatmates before the holidays. Wearing your Christmas Bauble (one of our giant inflatable bubbles) take on our festive themed obstacle course. Will you be the fastest and take home one of our great prizes?
30 November and 1 December
Cinderella The award winning Warwick Pantomime Society are back with this a christmas production of Cinderella. This is a musical extravaganza full of colour and comedy that is not to be missed and sure to put you in a good mood!
2 December
Festive Family Day Fun for all ages with a range of free arts and craft workshops, as well as a programme of sports activities – all inspired by the festive season. Also enjoy tasty treats from our food market and cafés, guaranteed to warm you on the coldest of days.
Love Actually: a screening of this feel-good festive film by the Warwick Student Cinema. It follows the lives of eight very different couples as they deal with their love lives in various loosely interrelated tales all set during a frantic month before Christmas in London.
3 December
Warwick Christmas Lectures: Out of this World A second chance to witness our scientists amaze audiences with experiments and real life science. Be warned, these evenings involve audience participation, head scratching and mind boggling! After the sell-out success of the past years, get your tickets before it’s too late.
4 December
The Muppets Christmas Carol: Join the SU Cinema society for a screening of this festive retelling of Dickens' classic Christmas tale by the Muppets. The incredible spectacle of Kermit the Frog as Bob Crachit, Miss Piggy as Emily Crachit and Michael Caine as Scrooge is guaranteed to put you in the holiday spirit.
7 December
Candlelit Carol Service: Students and staff are invited to join the University Chaplains for a candlelit service to mark the end of term and the approaching Christmas celebrations. Carols will begin at 4.30pm in the Chaplaincy, followed by refreshments. Everyone is welcome. The service will be screened on the Big Screen on the Piazza, followed by a screening of the Christmas movie, Elf.
10 December - 2 January
The Chaplaincy will be open to all students and staff with valid University ID cards from 9am to 10pm each day in the vacation (including bank holidays). Over the December vacation the team host ‘The Student Lounge’ in the Chaplaincy. There will be board games and other activities to use, along with a tv and small DVD library (you're also welcome to bring your own!). The kitchen will be stocked with fresh milk for hot drinks and bread with which you can make toast.
14 December - University Christmas Drinks in the Slate
Join us in the Slate for festive music, drinks and refreshments, 1-2.30pm. Don't forget to register.
18 to 30 December
The Canterville Ghost A big Christmas night out with the spine-tingling, laugh-out-loud story of The Canterville Ghost, combining theatre, music, magic and comedy in a delicious tribute to Victorian music hall. A charming alternative to pantomime
25 December
Mass Join the Chaplaincy for Mass at 12:30 on Christmas Day. Mass will also take place throughout each Sunday at 12:30 throughout the Christmas vacation.
1 January
New Year's Day Walk Start 2019 with a walk along the beautiful Kenilworth Greenway, all the way to Berkswell. Meet at the Chaplaincy for 10am, when pastries and coffee will be provided, before setting off at 10.30am.
Eating & Drinking
Warwick Food and Drink Christmas menu
See what's available on Warwick Food and Drink's menu this Christmas.
Christmas lunch
Get together with friends for Christmas lunch at any of the following venues:
Cafe Gibbet Hill | 28 November and 5 December, 12-2pm
Cafe Library | 27 & 28 November and 4 December 12 noon onwards
WBS Cafe | Thursday 29 November and Thursday 6 December, 11.45am-3pm
University House restaurant | 27 November and 6 December, 12-2pm
Lunch for £8.50, choose from turkey with vegetables and all the trimmings or vegetarian & gluten free roasted beetroot, butternut squash & pumpkin seed tart. Festive hot and cold drinks also available.
The Bread Oven
The Bread Oven has Christmas Specials on sale in Weeks 9 and 10.
Curiositea has winter and Christmas specials on sale now.
The Dirty Duck
The Dirty Duck will be announcing its Christmas menu shortly. Please check the website for more details.
Xananas
Xananas will be announcing its Christmas menu. Please check the website for more details.
Festive specials
Available in selected cafes until Friday 21 December.
Jaffa Hot Chocolate | Mint Hot Chocolate | Hot Apple | Cranberry Apple | Honeycomb Steamer |
Cinnamon Bun Latte | Gingerbread Latte | Gingerbread Mocha | Millionaire Cappuccino |
Opening Hours
Chaplaincy |
Health Centre
Nursery |
Post Office
Retail Outlets | Sports Centre
Chaplaincy
The Chaplaincy will be open to all students and staff with valid University ID cards from 9am to 10pm each day in the vacation (including bank holidays). Over the December vacation we host ‘The Student Lounge’ in the Chaplaincy. There will be board games and other activities to use, along with a tv and small DVD library (you're also welcome to bring your own!). The kitchen will be stocked with fresh milk for hot drinks and bread with which you can make toast.
Health Centre
Closes 5pm 21 December reopens 9am 2 January 2019
Nursery
22 December - 1 January inclusive: CLOSED
Oculus Building
10 December - 2 January inclusive: CLOSED
Post Office
TBC - please check back for more details
Retail Outlets
Christmas opening times of cafes, bars, restaurants and shops will be updated here
Sports Centre
Remember: We're part of the UNIversal Gym Membership Scheme which means that any student with an annual gym membership from Warwick Sport can use any other participating university gym on an unlimited basis, free of charge, during the vacation. Find out more.
Main University offices: 24 December - 1 January inclusive: CLOSED
Mental Health & Wellbeing at Christmas
If you’re spending Christmas away from family and are feeling overwhelmed, there are a number of services that you can reach out to for support, find out more.
Travel
Be aware that transportation schedules are often busy and disrupted during Christmas. We recommend you double check all bus and train timetables before departing to make sure you arrive at your destination on time. There is likely to be no public transport anywhere on 25 December and a reduced service on trains and buses on other days (particularly 26 December and 1 January).
Campus Shuttle Bus:
- View the timetable here
- Shuttle Bus A – Runs until 11:40 on 21/12/18 – Commences – 07:30 on 02/01/19
Shuttle Bus B – Runs until 11:45 on 21/12/18 – Commences – 07:30 on 02/01/19
Shuttle Bus C - Runs until 09:50 on 21/12/18 - Commences – 07:40 on 02/01/19
Shuttle Bus E - Runs until 01:37 on 22/12/18 - Commences – 18:05 on 02/01/19
Bus Services:
- Check the Traveline, Stagecoach or National Express and De Courcey websites for details of services over Christmas week
- You can view live bus departure here
Rail Services:
- National Rail's website provides a summary of any maintenance work being carried out over the Christmas period and advise that you check the journey planner when planning a journey during this time. Note that there are no train services running on Christmas Day and only certain services will run on Boxing Day. Train services will stop running much earlier than normal on Christmas Eve, 24 December 2018.
- Live departures: Canley | Coventry | Tile Hill | Leamington
Taxis:
- Taxis will likely charge higher rates on these days as well and remember that winter weather, particularly snow, can severely disrupt public transport services
- If you are travelling by the Meter, you should never pay more than is displayed, unless agreed with the Driver. Meter price is per Taxi, not per person.
In all instances, if you are travelling with a pre-agreed price and not by the Meter, then you and the Driver must agree the price and destination before travelling.
- Trinity Street Taxis: 02476 999 999
Trish’s Taxis: 02476 266 666
Metro Taxis: 02476 690 924