Discover Chennai’s unique Christmas celebrations: Traditions and festivities

’Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the city, there was a pause. The airport rush has thinned and Chennai slips back into its chaotic rhythm. Christmas here does not arrive with snow-laden streets or orchestral excess; it unfolds through glowing windows, busy kitchens, and bakeries running low on plum cake. By evening, stretches like Santhome High Road and Cathedral Road are filled with churchgoers, traffic slowing to a crawl as bells mark the hours and crowds spill onto pavements. Fairy lights flicker across neighbourhoods, cafés linger over seasonal menus, and homes prepare for long lunches. Evenings stretch outdoors, with just enough of a chill to justify the thickest cardigan you own. The sea breeze carries through it all, grounding the day in a sense of familiarity. It is a celebration shaped by traditions and rituals, by food shared and time slowed. For those who stayed back, for those who never left, the city is very much in the mood to celebrate. Here are 12 things to do today and over this joyous weekend that will make your days jolly.

People dressed as Santa Claus gather during an event held ahead of Christmas celebrations at Mint in Chennai on Sunday.
| Photo Credit:
JOTHI RAMALINGAM B

Attend a mass at Santhome Cathedral: Christmas in Chennai truly announces itself at Santhome. On Christmas Day, the cathedral hosts holy masses and the pews fill with families, regulars, and once-a-year churchgoers alike. Built over the tomb of St Thomas the Apostle, it remains one of the city’s most recognisable places to mark the day. This year, as always, the church also features one of the city’s tallest Christmas trees, standing at 30 feet, that is lit up after dark, making an evening visit a particularly festive way to experience the space.

Christians offering special prayer in the eve of Christmas Celebrations at St Thomas basilica in Santhome on Friday Photo
| Photo Credit:
VELANKANNI RAJ B

Go Christmas tree hopping: Beyond churches, Christmas trees across Chennai take on many forms. Hotels and malls across the city put up their own interpretations each year, often tying them to craft or sustainability. At ITC Grand Chola, the tree brings to life an indigenous art form from the Nilgiris, while Hyatt Regency has a 20-foot tree made of fabric dolls woven by artisans from the same region. Le Royal Méridien has taken a different route, constructing its tree using 854 kilograms of repurposed hotel linen. These are just a few — how many others can you spot across the city?

Christmas tree at ITC Grand Chola
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Special Arrangement

Festive snacking: Christmas brings with it plum cakes, panettone, stollen and a season-long excuse to snack. Pick up goods from speciality bakeries such as Pumpkin Tales, Amethyst, Brod Bakery, Ajantha Bakers or Glen’s Bakehouse, and take it outdoors to a park or the beach while the weather is still outdoor friendly. For something warm to sip, cafés across the city are serving hot chocolate and peppermint lattes, with spots like Bask by Coffee?, Ciclo, Brew Room and Café Ave leaning into the season. Where do you go for your Christmas bake fix?

Baked goods from Pumpkin Tales
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Not the last supper: If snacking is not your style, Christmas Day in Chennai offers plenty of sit-down options, from brunches to leisurely dinners. The Park’s 601 is hosting a Christmas feast and buffet dinner (for reservations, call 044 42676000), while The Flying Elephant at Park Hyatt is running its festive brunch with live music (for reservations, call 8939871128). Taj Coromandel is laying out an indulgent festive Christmas Day brunch at Prego (for reservations, call 7824862310). Beach Terrace rounds it off with a Christmas Day lunch by the sea (for reservations, call 7550036697). Whatever your mood, the city has a table waiting.

Christmas roast at Taj Coromandel
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12 pubs of Christmas: Bring a little Irish cheer to Chennai, by gathering your friends to make your own pub crawl. The 12 pubs of Christmas tradition has as many or as few rules as you would like, but here are the non-negotiables. Wear Christmas colours, have the same type of drink at each place, use public transport or walk, and speak in an accent! Have fun with your crawl but do not linger for long in one place. Some bars to include on this fun adventure are — MadCo, Sundays, Secret Story, Radio Room, Sin & Tonic, No Name, Black Orchid, Madras Taproom. Just narrow down 12 pubs and commemorate each pub with a picture. And remember to never drink and drive!

Christmas decor at Black Orchid
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Merry shopping spree: Here is how to celebrate Christmas unhurried. Make a visit to this cosy Christmas market set up as an evening hangout with fairy lights, live acoustic music and café specials. The event features performances by Bun Butter Jam, a karaoke session, and a small curated market. There are interactive touches too like a Christmas confession wall, a Letters to Santa post box, and a pop-up photo corner, alongside games, shared tables and easy conversation. Designed to be lingered over rather than rushed through, it is the kind of Christmas evening that is more about company than spectacle.

December 28, 5pm onwards, Backyard, Chennai. Tickets from ₹250 on Bookmyshow.

A vendor arranges Santa Claus dolls and other Christmas decorations at her stall in a market ahead of Christmas
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Special Arrangement (PTI)

Use your hands: Christmas is also a good time to gather friends and family around something hands-on. Beyond meals and shopping, the city is hosting a range of creative, festive workshops. Third Wave Coffee is hosting three such sessions over the weekend — Christmas tree decoration, candle making and cookie decoration, offering a relaxed, social way to spend a few hours together. Organised by Social Sailor, the workshops are being held in multiple slots across the weekend. This might also be a great time to start fermenting your grapes for next year’s homemade wine.

Tickets available on BookMyShow starting at ₹1,499.

Christmas theme cookies
| Photo Credit:
cueapi

Jingle bells: Christmas music usually comes with carols and church bells. This year, try something different. On December 25, Beachville Coffee Roasters in Alwarpet is hosting a Carnatic jazz concert as part of the Margazhi season. The afternoon performance features Vishnu R on the Navtar — a nine-string instrument he designed to bridge Indian raga and Western harmony, alongside tabla and world percussion by Muthu Kumar. Titled Raga, Roots & Jazz, the concert blends Indian classical forms with contemporary sounds, offering a fresh way to mark Christmas Day.

December 25, 3pm, Beachville Coffee Roasters, St Mary’s Road. For tickets, visit @beachvillecoffee on Instagram.

Vishnu R on the Navta
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Special Arrangement

Trip to the North Pole: If Christmas still means Santa Claus, Santa Stores in Adyar is leaning fully into the spirit of the season. The store is hosting a cheerful meet-and-greet where families and children can spend time with Santa, share their Christmas wishes, and pose for festive photographs. The space will be decked out in holiday decor, making it an easy stop for those already out shopping or simply soaking in the day. Known across the city for its Christmas trees, ornaments and festive accessories, Santa Stores turns into a bright, buzzy hub of Christmas cheer.

December 25, Santa Stores, Indira Nagar, Adyar. Entry free.

Santa from Santa Stores
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Run towards joy: Christmas Day feels like a good moment to pause, reset, and move a little. Cloka Run Club’s resolution run offers a thoughtful way to do just that. The community-led initiative brings together members for a five-kilometre run, followed by an informal hangout where runners reflect on the year gone by and set personal resolutions for the year ahead. These goals are not just talked about and forgotten. You log them on Cloka.in, turning a passing resolution into something you are publicly accountable for. It is less about quick fitness wins and more about building habits that last. Register on cloka.in.

Run with Cloka
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Last minute solutions: Christmas gift shopping has a way of sneaking up on you. If you are still ticking names off your list on Christmas Day, shopping physically is your best bet. Kaii in Nungambakkam is packed with local brands and playful finds that work well as thoughtful, last-minute gifts. For something more traditional — from Christmas cards to faith-based gifts, the Evangelical Literature Service stores across the city are a reliable stop.

Christmas earrings from KAII
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Movie marathon: There cannot be a Christmas evening without either Jude Law or Hugh Grant gracing your screens. So huddle up your friends and family and binge on one, or three classic Christmas movies. And yes, Die Hard is a Christmas movie, so cue the movie marathon. You can keep it classic with Home Alone and Jingle All The Way, or lean into newer comfort watches like Last Christmas, Christmas Heist and Champagne Problems. Snacks mandatory, judgment optional. Merry Christmas!