The show must go on… however digitally that may be.

This year has been very different and a little unexpected, with many businesses having to close, including theatres, cinemas, venues, etc due to social distancing restrictions & coronavirus safety regulations. And although this Christmas is going to be a slightly unusual one this year, don’t let the restrictions get you down and enjoy some of these fantastic online events to help you through this festive season.

If there’s one thing that’s helped keep our spirits high and allowed us to connect with our loved ones this year, it’s technology. As the show must go on, performers from all around the world have made sure they’re still bringing us joy, keeping us at the edges of our seats and bringing happy and emotional tears to our eyes through spectacular performances.

Here at HIP Hotels we’ve put together a heartwarming selection of virtual online Christmas events from some of the most spectacular performances, to help you through this festive season, all of which you can stream from the comfort of your own home!

New York City’s ‘The Nutcracker’ Ballet

Celebrate the magnificent festive season with George Balanchine’s iconic New York City’s ballet production of the renowned Nutcracker. This 1993 American Christmas musical follows the story of a little girl called Marie and her family getting together on Christmas Eve, where she receives a special nutcracker as a gift. With over 100 dancers and musicians telling this spectacular story through exquisite dancing, glittering sets, fantastic costumes and breathtaking live music, capture the joy and wonder of this magnificent production from 2019 on their home stage at the Lincoln Centre for the Performing Arts.

Tchaikovsky’s iconic score is conducted by Andrew Litton and performed by an awe-inspiring 62-piece orchestra, taking you on the most heartwarming adventure through the eyes of the heroine, Marie. Brought to you by Marquee TV, be prepared to be taken into a fantastical land made of candy and magic!

Click here for more information & tickets.

Please note: This performance is available to view online from December 11th - January 3rd.

Borough Market Festive Kitchen

There’s nothing more exciting than the tasty delicacies we all consume over the Christmas period. So this winter, London’s iconic Borough Market is aiming to inspire your Christmas table this year with three weeks of tantalising and completely mouth-watering entertainment filmed live from their homes to yours!

Starring a fantastic line-up of professional chefs including Anna Jones, Calum Franklin, Gizzi Erskine and Romy Gill, many of the other market traders will also be sharing their tips and tricks with you through demonstrations from some of the Borough Market Kitchen favourites; Mei Mei, Shuk and Juma Kitchen. There will also be appearances from The Gated Garden, Butter Nut of London, nibs etc and the tasty chocolate shop of Rabot 1745.

Amid the highlights and fantastic activities scheduled, there will also be six live virtual cook-alongs hosted by a cast of extraordinary chefs! Not to mention, if you’re a local Londoner, a full recipe kit will be available for delivery directly from Borough Market for you to use during three of the six cook-along activities. Fun, tasty and completely festive, treat yourself this winter with this fantastic Borough Market Festive Kitchen.

Click here for more information and the live schedule.

In Camera - A Christmas Carol

Although London has now been put into the highest tier of coronavirus restrictions, this has not affected the fantastic live performance of A Christmas Carol. Performed live from London’s independent Old Vic theatre, Matthew Warchus’ smash hit production of Charles Dickens’ classic story returns to the stage and to our screens this winter!

Starring a magnificent line-up of actors including The Walking Dead’s and Love Actually’s Andrew Lincoln, gather together with your family and friends online and get a taste of this magnificently uplifting story. This on camera series will also feature a fantastic collection of live musicians, theatrical lighting, magical costumes and more. This Dickens’ classic will continue until December 24th and is a truly great thing to take part in to not only support the local arts & entertainment industry, but to also get yourself ready for this festive season. You really won’t want to miss this!

Click here for more information and tickets.

Stream live concerts at The Royal Opera House

Due to London’s last minute change into the Tier 3 and now Tier 4, theatres and venues have been unable to welcome live audiences in to enjoy their fantastic performances. However, this winter the Royal Opera House have curated a new hashtag #OurHouseToYourHouse, and have made some festive family favourites available to stream and watch online from the comfort of your own home no matter where you are in the world! From the magical stream of The Royal Ballet’s The Nutcracker live performance, to the fairytale-like Christmas Concert featuring opera favourites and joyful music, indulge in the spellbinding performances live from the Royal Opera House and never forget the true magic of opera and theatre classics this Christmas.

Click here for tickets and more information.

Cinderella Pantomime

Be kind, have courage and always believe in a little magic…

Gather together with your friends and family for the world’s first ever interactive live stream pantomime this Christmas. Combining live theatre, virtual sets and an interactive audience, experience the ultimate pantomime event with the magnificent Cinderella Live. Whilst a lot of online events are old recordings from previous performances and concerts, this unique event is scheduled to be broadcast in full HD directly to your home screens, completely live from their home studio in Yorkshire, UK, and will be a completely unmissable event!

Whilst Cinderella shall still go to the ball, Cinderella will be coming directly to your own home live instead. With an amazing cast featuring actors from UK favourites; Hollyoaks, Coronation Street, CBBC and even Harry Potter films, there will be unique interactive buttons to allow you to react to the show as you would usually react in theatre in person. There will also be a live chat you can join in on, fantastic prizes available to win, magical sing-a-longs and an online downloadable activities package perfect for the children. If there’s one event you don’t want to miss this winter, it’s the Cinderella Live Pantomime!

Click here for more information on showtimes and tickets.

Please note: this live streamed event is running until 24th December.

Ailey On Stage

Whilst the iconic Ailey dancers may not be able to be in the same place and dance together at the moment, they still wanted to connect with each other by virtually connecting with the audiences instead. Available until New Years Eve 2020, the beloved Ailey dance company will be streaming a series of Alvin Ailey’s signature classic performances accessible online for all to enjoy.

Alvin Ailey was an iconic African-American dancer, director, choreographer and activist who founded the magnificent Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre (now known as The Ailey School) in New York, to carry out his vision of enriching the American modern dance heritage and preserving the uniqueness of the African-American cultural experience.

From the emblematic 1960 group performance ‘Revelations’, a group dance surrounded with spiritual gospel songs and other religious music, exploring the African-American soul, to the ‘Dancer Diaries’ series, there’s no better way to indulge in the spectacular environment of dance than by streaming this winter’s Ailey On Stage virtual performances.

Click here for more information & schedules.

Please note: this live event will be running until 31st December 2020. Not to mention it’s free!