St Bride's annual Fleet Street Carols service is so popular that it now runs twice. Once the home of the newspaper trade, Fleet Street gathered printers, journalists and news agencies at St Bride's each Christmas, and this service carries on that tradition. Everyone in the parish, local businesses, residents and visitors are warmly invited to join in the festive spirit.
The music mixes a brass quintet, the St Bride's Choir and percussion. Onyx Brass play David Willcocks's well-loved arrangements of classic Christmas hymns, and they will also play before and after the service. The choir sings a blend of old favourites and less familiar pieces, including John Gardner's "Tomorrow shall be my dancing day", Matthew Morley's arrangement of "The Little Drummer Boy", and a lively setting of "Nova, nova" by Iain Farrington, a former organ scholar of St Bride's. Mick Doran, principal percussionist at ENO, also performs.
- Monday 21 December, at 12 noon and 5pm
- Free admission, ticketless, with a voluntary collection after the service (suggested donation £15 per person)
- Doors open 30 minutes before the service, which lasts about one hour
