There’s a new twist to the New Room’s popular family dress-up nativity this year, which takes place on Saturday 1 December. Coinciding with the unveiling of the first glimpse of Broadmead’s advent calendar ‘Advent Lights,’ families are invited to drop in at any time between 10.30am to 4pm, have their children dress up in nativity costumes – ideal for seasonal family photos – and join in with free seasonal craft activities.
On the same day, shoppers are equally welcome to pop into the chapel where they will find the New Room’s Christmas fayre in full swing, offering an inspiring selection of gifts, including Fairtrade Christmas treats, second-hand books, stocking fillers and independent artisan crafts.
For the first time this year visitors to the Christmas fayre will also have the chance to take part in special ‘Curator’s Highlights Tour’ of the New Room museum. Tours will leave from the chapel at 11am, 12noon, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm, at a cost of £6 per person and anyone who wishes may stay on after the tour to view the museum at their leisure at no extra cost.
On Saturday 8 December at 7.30pm the Bristol Hippodrome Choir will perform their annual candlelit Christmas Concert in the chapel, with an array of classic Christmas songs from 11th century to modern day, with tickets (£10 or £8 for concessions) available at the New Room or online via https://bit.ly/2TUeKSi
On other days of the month anyone desiring a few minutes’ respite from the commercial busyness of the city centre shops, is welcome to take a break and unwind in the peaceful surroundings of the historic chapel. The New Room is open to all from Monday to Saturday between 10.30am and 4pm, and their award-winning café also offers a tempting refuge, with delicious seasonal drinks, cakes and snacks to tempt the weariest shopper.
As the big day approaches, the New Room offers two services of ‘Carols by Candlelight’ on Wednesday 19 December, the first at 1pm featuring their community choir, and the second at 6pm with a more traditional group of singers. These perennially popular services will give people the chance to join in with popular traditional carols and will both feature Philip Carter, the New Room’s director of music on the chapel’s 18th century Snetzler organ, in the calm and beautiful 18th century chapel, and be followed by mince pies and hot drinks.
The chapel and the café at the New Room will be open as usual up to and including 22 December, closed 23-26 December, 30-31 December and New Year’s Day, and resuming normal opening on Wednesday 2 January 2019.
Full details of the New Room’s Christmas events programme are available online at www.newroombristol.org.uk