A Greek Christmas party in London does not organise itself, and the good dates go first. Offices start booking in October and the moment the West End lights come on, every December Friday within a ten minute walk of Oxford Circus is gone. This is the Greek List guide: the switch on dates, the Greek venues worth a group booking, who brings the souvlaki to your office, who takes the photos, and where to sort the hair and the smile before the first glass of tsipouro.
Planning a Greek Christmas party? Greek List members who can help:
Londonist has just published its running list of when London’s Christmas lights are switched on this year, and it doubles as a calendar for any parea night out. The first switch ons land in the first week of November, so the season is three weeks away. The clocks go back on Sunday 25 October, half term follows, and from then on every central London weekend is a Christmas weekend. If you want a Greek Christmas party in London on a December Saturday, this is the week to lock the date in the group chat.
The headline dates, according to Londonist: Oxford Street is expected around 2 November with a Harry Potter theme, Carnaby Street follows on Wednesday 4 November with a 90s twist, and Regent Street and St James’s hold a free, traffic free switch on on Thursday 5 November from 5pm to 9pm. Knightsbridge lights up on Tuesday 10 November, Marylebone High Street goes pedestrian for Merry Marylebone on Wednesday 11 November with the switch on at 6pm, and Covent Garden, Bond Street and the Duke of York Square tree in Chelsea all follow from Thursday 12 November. Hampstead Village has its funfair and switch on on Sunday 15 November, with Greenwich Market, Leadenhall Market and St Katharine Docks on 18 and 19 November.
For a Greek group, pick a switch on night and build the evening around it. Regent Street on 5 November is the obvious one: free, early enough to come straight from work, and a short walk from Soho, Mayfair and Fitzrovia for dinner. Marylebone on 11 November is the family option, with a Ferris wheel and stalls before the lights go on.
Getting there: Oxford Circus for Regent Street and Carnaby, Bond Street for Marylebone, Covent Garden for the piazza tree.
Once the date is fixed, the venue decides whether the night is a Greek Christmas party in London or just another dinner. Greek restaurants do groups well by nature: sharing plates, long tables and a playlist that gets louder after ten. Two Greek List members sit right where the lights are. Nostimo in the Brunswick Centre is a ten minute walk from the Covent Garden tree, with grilled meats and pies that make an office party feel like a village feast. Ask about a set menu and book the Friday early.
Greek stop nearby: Nostimo on 9 Brunswick Centre, Bloomsbury, Greek restaurant and coffee spot open daily until late, minutes from Russell Square.
If the plan is the Regent Street or Bond Street switch on, Chill House Coffee in Mayfair is the Greek meeting point before and after. Tucked into Shepherd Street, five minutes from Green Park, it does Greek coffee, freddo and brunch plates the way they taste in Athens.
Greek stop nearby: Chill House Coffee on 10 Shepherd Street, Mayfair, Greek cafe open from 7am on weekdays, five minutes from Green Park.
Getting there: Russell Square (Piccadilly) for Nostimo, Green Park (Jubilee, Piccadilly, Victoria) for Chill House Coffee.
Not every Greek Christmas party in London happens in a restaurant. Many companies, schools and parishes keep the party in their own space and bring the food in, and a Greek caterer with a charcoal grill changes everything. The Greek Way runs souvlaki pop ups and catering across the UK from Orpington, turning up with the grill, the pitta, the tzatziki and the gyros that make an office kitchen smell like Plaka for an afternoon. Book now: the weekends before Christmas are the busiest in the catering year.
Greek stop nearby: The Greek Way based in Orpington, Greater London, authentic Greek catering and souvlaki pop ups for offices, parties and events across the UK.
The lights are the best free backdrop London offers all year, and a Greek Christmas party in London deserves better than blurry phone photos. Two Greek List photographers based in London do exactly this kind of job: Manos Photography shoots weddings, portraits and events in a relaxed, natural style, dance floor chaos included, and Aneliza Photography, led by Eirini Gianni with more than fifteen years behind the camera, covers family gatherings, parties and professional headshots. Book one for the first two hours, when everyone still looks their best, and take the group to the Trafalgar Square tree or the Regent Street angels before dinner.
Greek stop nearby: Manos Photography, a London based Greek wedding, portrait and event photographer, and Aneliza Photography, a London based Greek photography studio for parties, family gatherings and headshots.
Getting there: Charing Cross or Leicester Square for the Trafalgar Square tree, which arrives from Norway in early December.
Every Greek Christmas party in London ends up on Instagram, so the week before matters as much as the night. For hair and nails, Athena Salons on Essex Road in Islington is a Greek run salon that fills up fast in December, so book the appointment when you book the table. For the smile, two Greek dentists on Greek List handle the pre party work, from hygiene and whitening to Invisalign plans that need to start now for results by summer: Dr George Papadakis at Armonia Dental in Chipping Barnet, an award winning practice known for smile aesthetics, and Dental Love on King William Street, a short walk from Bank.
Greek stop nearby: Athena Salons on 125 Essex Road, Islington, Greek hair and nails experts, Dr George Papadakis, Armonia Dental on 3 Church Passage, Chipping Barnet, and Dental Love on 1 King William Street, City of London.
Getting there: Angel (Northern) or Essex Road (Overground) for Athena Salons, High Barnet (Northern) for Armonia Dental, Bank or Monument for Dental Love.
The clocks go back at 2am on Sunday 25 October, so the Saturday before is the night with the extra hour. Christmas at Kew opens on 13 November and Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park on 19 November, both good for a daytime outing with the kids before the grown up night. And finish it the Greek way: a late coffee, melomakarona from a Greek bakery, and the group chat already planning the Vasilopita in January. For markets, ice rinks and light trails, Secret London keeps a round up of things to do in London in November.
Before Christmas takes over, the Greek calendar is packed. Greek List keeps the most complete list of Greek events in the UK; here is the next ten days:
And the first party of the season is already set: the Greek List Halloween Party on Saturday 31 October. Listing an event on Greek List is free.
The businesses in this guide are Greek List members. More than 100,000 Greeks and Cypriots in the UK read Greek List every month on the site, in the newsletter and in the Ellines sto Londino Facebook group, and Greek List listings rank first on Google. A listing puts your business in front of the people planning their Greek Christmas party in London right now.
Where is your Greek Christmas party in London happening this year? Tell us in the Facebook group Ellines sto Londino.
