London’s festive pop-ups tend to fight for attention at street level. Sky Garden is taking Christmas in the other direction. From Monday 16 November, the top-floor indoor terrace at the City landmark becomes the Belvedere Alpine Terrace, while the Sky Pod Bar two floors below turns into a Nutcracker-themed bar with a run of live music nights.
An Alpine lodge on the 37th floor
The terrace, at the highest point within Sky Garden on the 37th floor, has been dressed as an Alpine lodge in partnership with Belvedere Dirty Brew, with twinkling lights, snow-covered Christmas trees and decorative skis as a nod to the slopes.
The food is a £65 per person festive sharing menu. It starts with Dirty Mary oyster shots, truffle croquettes and Monsieur soldiers, moves on to duck cassoulet and beef bourguignon, and finishes with a Dirty Brew dark chocolate fondue made with 70% dark chocolate and Belvedere Dirty Brew.
The experience also includes a Dirty Espresso or Dirty Brew Shot, plus access to Sky Garden’s Live Music Nights.
12 Nights of Christmas
On the 35th floor, the Sky Pod Bar is being transformed with giant Nutcracker soldiers, oversized wrapped presents and festive decorations. It will host 12 Nights of Christmas, a series of live performances in partnership with ALR Music, ranging from candlelit Moonlight Concerts to jazz and party anthems.
The first is a Moonlight Concert on Monday 16 November, with performances at 7.30pm and 8.45pm, and more events follow through November and December. Tickets start from £15 and include a glass of mulled wine or cider. Walk-ins are welcome, subject to availability.
Why it works
The appeal of a seasonal pop-up is the sense that it will not be there for long, and a view across London adds something a street-level venue cannot. Pairing a set menu with live music also gives a group a whole evening in one place, which is often what people want from a Christmas night out.
For anyone planning an indoor day out in the city this winter, our list of things to do in London when it rains has more ideas, and if you are heading west, we have a guide to getting to Bath Christmas Market by train.
Sky Garden is at 1 Sky Garden Walk, London EC3M 8AF. Full details of the festive programme are at skygarden.london. Details and image via Sky Garden and Rhubarb Hospitality Collection.
