London Canal Museum at Christmas: Mince Pie Cruises From £15

The London Canal Museum, on New Wharf Road, N1, has already published its Christmas 2026 plans. It stays open until 8pm on every Tuesday in December and runs short evening boat trips to see the King’s Cross Christmas lights from the water, plus daytime mince pie cruises through the Islington Tunnel. Everything below comes from the museum’s own website, read on 25 September 2026.

The quick answer

• King’s Cross Lights evening boat trips on December Tuesdays: £13 adult, £9.75 child, with the museum open to 8pm.
• Mince pie cruises through the Islington Tunnel in December: £21.75 adult, £15.25 child, just over an hour, mince pie included.
• Closed 24, 25, 26 and 31 December; open 27, 28, 29 and 30 December and on New Year’s Day.

Christmas and New Year opening

The museum normally opens Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 4.30pm, last entry 4pm, plus bank holiday Mondays. Its times and charges page sets out the festive days:

The museum is open late until 8pm on all five Tuesdays in December: the 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th.

Winter boat trips

In December the museum runs two kinds of seasonal trip on its boat Long Tom, which has big windows so everyone gets a window seat. There are no boat trips in November, January or February (London Canal Museum).

• Mince pie cruises, on selected December dates before and after Christmas. Just over an hour: through the Islington Tunnel, then back past the museum to St Pancras and home, with a warm fruit drink, tea or coffee and a locally baked mince pie with cream, and a guide’s commentary.
• King’s Cross Lights by Water, on the late-opening Tuesdays. A 20 to 25 minute trip to St Pancras and back after dark to see the King’s Cross Christmas lights, with hot chocolate, tea or coffee on board.

Every ticket includes entry to the museum, so leave time for it. Every passenger needs a ticket, babies included. Concessions are for over-65s, students with ID and the unwaged. Unsold seats can be booked online up to 15 minutes before departure, but the museum advises booking ahead. The specific mince pie cruise dates are shown when you book.

Carols and Ices, Thursday 10 December

The museum’s annual adult Christmas evening features carols sung in the candle-lit ice well, a demonstration of Edwardian-style Christmas ice cream made with ice and salt, a free mince pie, a pay bar, and short boat trips to see the King’s Cross lights (London Canal Museum).

The page heads the event as 10 December 2026, but the timings and prices underneath are still last year’s: tickets were £10 without a boat trip and £15 with a pre-booked short trip, with no concessions, from 6pm to 9pm, carols at 6.15pm, 7.15pm and 8.15pm, ice-cream demonstrations at 6.45pm and 7.45pm, and boat trips every half hour from 6pm to 8.30pm. Expect the 2026 details in the same shape, but check the booking page for this year’s prices.

Normal admission

Outside the special events, museum entry is £8 adult, £6.50 concession, £4 child (7 to 15) and £17 for a family, which means one adult with up to four children or two adults with up to three. Under-7s are free, and one carer for a registered disabled visitor goes free. No pre-booking is needed for ordinary visits. Children under 14 must be with an adult (London Canal Museum).

Getting there

The museum is at 12-13 New Wharf Road, London N1 9RT, phone 020 7713 0836. See Islington tube and train times and Islington Christmas travel for the Tube and rail over the holiday, and parking in Islington if you are driving.

More Christmas in Islington

• Islington Christmas lights switch-on
• Islington pantomime and Christmas shows
• The museum’s Halloween tunnel boat trips, 29 to 31 October, are on our Islington October half term page.

Still to be confirmed

• The mince pie cruise dates, shown in the booking system; we will list them when the museum publishes them on the page.
• Carols and Ices 2026 prices and timings, which still carry 2025’s.