Hereford Cathedral at Christmas 2026: Services and Carols

Hereford Cathedral’s Mappa Mundi and Chained Library museum stays open through the winter, Monday to Saturday, 10am to 4.30pm, with adult tickets at £7.50. Over Christmas it closes on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, and shuts early at 2pm on Christmas Eve. The cathedral has now published its 2026 Christmas services: Midnight Mass is at 11pm on Christmas Eve, the family crib service at 2pm that afternoon, and tickets for the two Festival of Lessons and Carols nights have been on release since Monday 2 November. They are free to book, with a suggested donation.

The quick answer

• Museum: Monday to Saturday, 10am to 4.30pm, closed on Sundays. Closed 25 and 26 December and 1 January, and closes at 2pm on 24 December.
• Tickets: adults £7.50, children 8 to 16 £2, under-8s free.
• Christmas Eve: crib service 2pm, Choral Evensong 5.30pm, Midnight Mass 11pm. Christmas Day: 8am, 10am and 11.30am.
• Lessons and Carols: 22 and 23 December at 7pm, free ticket needed. Booking opened 2 November; five tickets per order, £10 suggested donation.
• Free without tickets: Advent Carol Service, Sunday 29 November, 3.30pm. Christmas Fair Saturday 19 December, 9.30am to 4pm.
• Concerts: G4 Christmas on Wednesday 18 November and Messiah by Candlelight on Saturday 12 December, both from 7.30pm.

Updated 3 November: Lessons and Carols tickets were released on 2 November. The cathedral’s event page says there is no set charge, a donation of £10 per adult is suggested, and each order is limited to five tickets.

Updated 24 October: the cathedral has published its 2026 Christmas services, the Lessons and Carols ticket release date, its Christmas Fair and four more December concerts and services. All are added below.

Mappa Mundi and Chained Library: winter hours and prices

From the cathedral’s opening times and museum pages, read on 25 September 2026:

• Open: Monday to Saturday, 10am to 4.30pm.
• Closed: every Sunday, Good Friday, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.
• Christmas Eve 2026, a Thursday: closes early, at 2pm.
• Friday 2 October: opens late, at 12.30pm.
• Groups of 10 or more are asked to contact the cathedral in advance.

This year that means the museum is shut on Friday 25 December, Saturday 26 December and Friday 1 January. The cathedral has not said anything about the substitute bank holiday on Monday 28 December.

The cathedral shop and café keep the same hours, Monday to Saturday from 10am to 4.30pm.

The cathedral itself

The cathedral opens for Morning Prayer at 8am, with the doors open from 7.30am, Monday to Saturday. Services are listed on its service times page:

The choir normally sings Evensong every day in term time except Wednesdays. The cathedral advises anyone making a long journey to check before they travel.

Christmas services

All from the cathedral’s own event pages, read on 24 October 2026. Services marked free need no ticket.

Lessons and Carols is the one to plan for. Tickets for both nights went on release on Monday 2 November at 11am. Book online, at the Ticket Desk or on 01432 374 202. The Ticket Desk takes in-person and phone bookings Monday to Friday, 10am to 4.30pm.

The cathedral’s booking page sets out the terms:

• everyone needs a ticket to be sure of a seat
• there is no fixed price; a donation of £10 per adult is suggested, online or after the service
• five tickets per order at most
• seats are unreserved, and a steward shows you to an area on arrival
• doors open at 6pm, through the North Door, and the cathedral expects queues
• there is no parking on site
• if you cannot go, return your tickets to the Ticket Desk so they can be passed on

For the Light up a Life service, the hospice says a name dedicated online before Friday 27 November goes into its Book of Remembrance, and Wall of Remembrance dedications are open until 4 December.

Christmas concerts and events

Tickets for cathedral events are sold through its booking site, at the Ticket Desk (Monday to Saturday, 10am to 4.30pm) or on 01432 374 202.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Mappa Mundi open over Christmas?

Yes, apart from three days. The Mappa Mundi and Chained Library museum is closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day and closes early, at 2pm, on Christmas Eve. On other days it keeps its usual hours, Monday to Saturday from 10am to 4.30pm.

Is the Mappa Mundi open on Sundays?

No. The museum is closed every Sunday all year, and on Good Friday. The cathedral itself holds four services on a Sunday, starting with Holy Communion at 8am.

How much does it cost to see the Mappa Mundi?

An adult ticket is £7.50, or £8.50 with Gift Aid. Students pay £6, children aged 8 to 16 pay £2 and under-8s go free. A National Art Pass halves the adult price to £3.75.

How do I book tickets for Christmas concerts at Hereford Cathedral?

Through the cathedral’s online booking site, at its Ticket Desk, open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 4.30pm, or by phone on 01432 374 202.

What time is Midnight Mass at Hereford Cathedral?

11pm on Christmas Eve, Thursday 24 December 2026. The cathedral describes it as “a simple first communion of Christmas”. The family crib service is at 2pm the same day.

When do Lessons and Carols tickets go on sale?

They went on release on Monday 2 November 2026 at 11am, for the services on Tuesday 22 and Wednesday 23 December at 7pm. Tickets are free, with a suggested £10 donation per adult, and you can book up to five per order.

Still to be confirmed

Whether the cathedral’s opening hours change on Monday 28 December, and whether either Lessons and Carols night sells out. We will check again in December.

More Christmas in Hereford

• Hereford Christmas market: six dates in High Town, 4 to 20 December.
• Hereford Christmas lights switch-on.
• Santa’s grotto in Hereford: St Michael’s Hospice and the Enchanted Group.
• Hereford Christmas trains and parking.