/bɒ̃ viːˈvɒ̃, French bɔ̃ vivɑ̃/ {n}: A person who devotes themselves to a sociable and luxurious lifestyle HOLIDAY 2017 HOLIDAY 2017 Dear Friends, I’m delighted to bring you our second edition of BON VIVANT Holiday. Though you may still be reminiscing about summers spent in sunnier climes, now is the time to start thinking ahead to the festive season! Because the holiday season is something many folks don’t think about until too late, we thought we’d give Platinum a leg up with a special Holiday guide providing top picks for the festive season – from Christmas shows to Diwali celebrations, from Chanukah concerts to New Year’s Eve itineraries. These book up fast, so take advantage of the advanced notice and book now. We hope that this edition will help you plan one of your most exciting festive seasons to date! Yours sincerely, Rafael Mason Vice President Head of Product, Marketing & Brand American Express, UK 03 Christmas & More London — Christmas with the London Symphony Orchestra SIMON HALSEY / LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Barbican, 3 December 2017 When it comes to evoking that ‘festive feeling’, there’s nothing quite like singing along to a concert of Christmas carols. Now in its fourth year, the London Symphony Orchestra invites an audience of all ages to take part in a choral celebration, accompanied by the London Symphony Orchestra Brass Ensemble. This one’s a real seasonal treat – complete with mince pies, Santa hats and glad tidings aplenty – so make sure you don’t miss out. IMAGE © LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA London — Christmas with Russell Watson RUSSELL WATSON / LONDON CONCERT ORCHESTRA Barbican, 23 December 2017 Though Russell Watson did not train as a classical artist, his illustrious career has earned him the title of ‘The People’s Tenor’. As part of this year’s Raymond Gubbay Christmas Festival, the acclaimed vocalist will take to the stage for a fantastic recital of festive favourites, accompanied by the London Concert Orchestra. If you didn’t get to catch Russell in his UK tour this autumn, this is the perfect chance to see what he does best. 04 CHRISTMAS UK London / Scotland — The Nutcracker THE ROYAL BALLET Royal Opera House 5 December 2017 – 10 January 2018 ENGLISH NATIONAL BALLET London Coliseum 13 December 2017 – 6 January 2018 London — SCOTTISH BALLET Various Locations across Scotland Christmas Jazz 9 December 2017 – 27 January 2018 at Ronnie Scott’s The Nutcracker is a timeless spectacle that is also an institution, but every production still manages Ronnie Scott’s, 1 – 23 December 2017 to offer something different. Purists will love Peter Wright’s version; performed by The Royal Ballet, Come December, Ronnie Scott’s transforms into it stays true to tradition by incorporating original a magical, even more spirited version of itself with material from Lev Ivanov’s 1892 ballet. Meanwhile, a programme of Christmas Cabaret Lunches. Wayne Eagling’s adaptation of the classic fairy tale, Much loved by jazz aficionados and merrymakers staged by the English National Ballet at the London alike, each lunch instalment promises a line-up Coliseum, tweaks traditional tropes. Beyond London, of cherry-picked festive jazz renditions, coupled the Scottish Ballet offers audiences a sumptuous, with delicious food and champagne. The audience snow-flecked performance that demonstrates some even has the chance to ‘challenge the band’ in of choreographer Peter Darrell’s finest work. a musical improv that is sure to have everyone IMAGE © THE ROYAL BALLET singing and swinging to fast-paced festive tunes. IMAGE © GREGORY HARRIS 05 CHRISTMAS & MORE LONDON London — Diwali at Trafalgar Square London Trafalgar Square, 15 October 2017 — Translated as ‘a row of lights’, Diwali represents a A Christmas Carol new beginning and a victory of good over evil. It is typically marked with the adornment of earthen at The Old Vic lamps or ‘diyas’ in homes and public spaces. Where better to soak up the warmth of such a festival The Old Vic, 18 November 2017 – 20 January 2018 than amongst fellow revellers at London’s Diwali celebration in Trafalgar Square, which is hosted Nothing quite says Christmas like Charles Dickens’ by London’s ‘culture maven’ mayor Sadiq Khan? timeless tale A Christmas Carol. The family favourite, set on a cold, bitter Christmas Eve, tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserable old man with no desire to celebrate. But after being London visited by ghosts of Christmas past, present and — future, Scrooge is forced to see the life he has built for himself with fresh eyes. You’re sure to Sadler’s Wells does find this tale staged all over the country come Christmas, but The Old Vic’s production, starring The Snowman Harry Potter’s Rhys Ifans as Scrooge, sprinkles the classic with a bit of thespian stardust. Peacock Theatre 23 November – 31 December 2017 Raymond Briggs’ much-loved tale of a boy and his magical encounter with a snowman is charming enough to warm even the frostiest of hearts. Back for its 20th year at the Peacock Theatre, the action of the original picture-book story comes to life in true Sadler’s Wells style. It offers audiences of all ages just the right dose of festive cheer (and with the fantastical action of dancing snowmen, skipping reindeer and even a lesser-spotted shimmying pineapple, no less!). This one’s a classic that is sure to have you spellbound. IMAGE © RAYMOND BRIGGS 06 CHRISTMAS UK Scotland — Scottish Christmas Celebration Perth Concert Hall, Perth, 20 December 2017 Caird Hall, Dundee, 21 December 2017 Usher Hall, Edinburgh, 22 December 2017 Oxfordshire / Derbyshire Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, 23 December 2017 — Nothing beats Christmas in Scotland, and there A Country Christmas: is no such thing as a Scottish Christmas without carols. Christmas carol programmes don’t get Blenheim & Chatsworth any better than the Royal Scottish National Orchestra’s live performance, conducted by BLENHEIM PALACE, OXFORDSHIRE the award-winning maestro Christopher Bell. 24 November 2017 – 1 January 2018 This festive concert will be performed in various locations across Scotland, so book now and CHATSWORTH HOUSE, DERBYSHIRE have your Christmas jumper at the ready. 17 November 2017 – 5 December 2017 IMAGE © RSNO There’s something especially nostalgic and romantic about Christmas in the countryside. If you’re going rural, the standard is set by Christmas at Blenheim Palace (where the grounds take on an even more dazzling guise than usual). Discover the artfully landscaped parkland, with its festive trail of lights, singing Christmas trees and scented Fire Garden. Or venture further north to the heart of the Peak District and discover another noble residence – Chatsworth House – whose annual Christmas market offers the absolute perfect place to pick up local and handmade Christmas gifts. IMAGE © BLENHEIM PALACE 07 CHRISTMAS UK Birmingham — Christmas with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra CHRISTMAS CRACKERS CBSO Centre, 8 – 9 December 2017 A CHORAL CHRISTMAS Symphony Hall, 19 – 21 December 2017 No matter your singing ability, loud and proud is the only way to go when it comes to Christmas carols. Two concerts in Birmingham offer the perfect opportunity for festive belting: the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra’s ‘Christmas Crackers’ (a toddler-friendly singalong that’s sure to get the whole family up on their feet), and ‘A Choral Christmas’ (a performance hosted by celebrated chorus director Simon Halsey). Manchester — A Swingin’ Christmas in Manchester The Bridgewater Hall, 21 December 2017 Nobody can say Manchester doesn’t know how to put on a Christmas bash. Featuring big hitters like White Christmas, Let It Snow and Jingle Bells, this holiday programme will feature Gary Williams on vocals. He will lead the blast of the big band for a swingin’ evening of festive singing in the stalls. A refreshing break from dusty organ playing, the concert puts ‘old-school cool’ back into Christmas – Manchester style. 08 CHRISTMAS LIGHTS UK Edinburgh — Edinburgh’s Christmas, 2017 Various locations across the city 18 November 2017 – 7 January 2018 UK O come all ye faithful up to Edinburgh for the city-wide — celebration of Yuletide, complete with genre-bending performances, a Christmas market in Princes Street Lights & Markets Gardens and a neck-craning firework display. The six- week event will welcome visitors from far and wide across the UK for the fifth instalment of this festival of dazzling proportions. Wrap up in something woolly, warm up TUNNEL OF LIGHT with a whisky-spiked tipple and enjoy all the fun of ‘Auld The Forum, Norwich Reekie’. This is what Christmas is like in the movies. 16 November 2017 – 5 January 2018 ENCHANTED CHRISTMAS Westonbirt Arboretum, Gloucestershire 1 – 3, 7 – 10, 14 – 18 December 2017 CHRISTMAS GLOW Royal Horticultural Society Garden, Wisley, Surrey 30 November 2017 – 3 January 2018 Whether elegant, mesmerising or downright kitsch, it’s not Christmas until you have beheld the finest of the UK’s festive lights. Topping the list must be Norwich’s dramatic Tunnel of Light, a 45-metre-long passage lined with 50,000 tiny pulsating bulbs. For a display of nature at its most vibrant, go deep into Gloucestershire’s woods and follow the Enchanted Christmas trail, which guides you through the National Arboretum’s illuminated tree collection. Or try Wisley’s Christmas Glow installation for a more floral affair with bright, festive blooms. 09 CHRISTMAS LIGHTS UK UK — Magical Lantern Festival Roundhay Park, Leeds Botanical Gardens, Birmingham Chiswick House Gardens, London Philips Park, Manchester Glasgow Botanic Gardens, Glasgow 24 November 2017 – 1 January 2018 Is there a more dazzling sight than thousands of London glowing orbs, speckling the night’s sky? The Magical — Lantern Festival provides an affirmative answer, offering visitors a glittering spectacle of luminous art forms.