Mariah Carey announces three major "CHRISTMASTIME" concerts in the United Kingdom at the end of 2026.
Mariah Carey is bringing her signature holiday concert format back to the United Kingdom with three major arena shows scheduled for late November and early December 2026. According to Live Nation's official pages, the American singer will perform on 27 November at Utilita Arena Birmingham, on 30 November at London's The O2 arena, and on 2 December at Co-op Live in Manchester. All three concerts are titled "Mariah Carey: CHRISTMASTIME", with DJ Suss One listed as the special guest. Live Nation's presale for all three UK dates begins on Thursday, 24 September at 10:00 local UK time, while the general sale starts on Friday, 25 September at 10:00.
The announcement comes with just over two months remaining until the first concert, so audience interest will only be possible to assess more clearly once ticket sales begin. Organizers have not yet published a complete set list, but The O2's official announcement states that the production will combine Carey's holiday catalogue, major international hits and songs that have become audience favourites over more than three decades. Among them, "All I Want For Christmas Is You" is specifically highlighted, the 1994 song that returns to the charts every holiday season and has become a central part of Carey's Christmas performances. For audiences planning to travel from other parts of the United Kingdom or from abroad, the three cities offer very different logistical options, from the central city location in Birmingham to the large London arena in North Greenwich and the newer venue on the Etihad Campus in Manchester.
Three confirmed dates in Birmingham, London and Manchester
The UK leg of the "CHRISTMASTIME" series currently includes three concerts spread across six days. The official Live Nation pages for Birmingham, London and Manchester mutually confirm the same alternative dates, making the United Kingdom tour schedule clearly aligned between the promoter and the venues. The start time for all three cities is listed as 19:30, while door-opening times differ depending on the venue. Visitors should nevertheless check the information immediately before the concert because organizers may update the timetable, entry rules or other operational details.
- Birmingham - 27 November 2026. Utilita Arena Birmingham. The venue's official page lists doors opening at 18:00 and the concert starting at 19:30. Live Nation lists Mariah Carey and special guest DJ Suss One as the performers.
- London - 30 November 2026. The O2. Official information lists doors opening at 18:30, while Live Nation lists the performance start at 19:30. DJ Suss One is also confirmed as the special guest.
- Manchester - 2 December 2026. Co-op Live. Live Nation lists doors opening at 18:30, the concert starting at 19:30 and the programme ending by 23:00, with DJ Suss One appearing as the guest.
These three performances make up a limited UK series, and a concert in Malta has also been announced after them. According to an announcement reported by NME and other British media, Carey will perform on 8 December at the Malta Fairs and Conventions Centre in Ta’ Qali. This means that "CHRISTMASTIME" for 2026 is not limited only to the United Kingdom, although Birmingham, London and Manchester are currently the only confirmed British cities in this series. In her social-media announcement, Carey said that the tour is coming to the United Kingdom and Malta and that she is looking forward to celebrating the holiday season together with audiences.
Ticket sales begin on 25 September, with the Live Nation presale one day earlier
For ticket buyers, the most important dates are 24 and 25 September 2026. Live Nation lists its presale for all three concerts from 10:00 on Thursday, 24 September, while the general sale begins at 10:00 local time on Friday, 25 September. Since individual presales may differ depending on the partner, membership, card provider or sales channel, buyers should check the terms on the official page for the specific event before relying on a particular earlier time. As of 22 September, the general sale has not yet begun, so the final availability of sections and prices for all three cities is not yet known.
Utilita Arena Birmingham currently lists a starting price of 60 British pounds on its official website, plus additional fees, but that does not mean all ticket categories will be available at that price. Prices depend on the section, type of seat and availability, and for London and Manchester the verified official pages did not, at the time of publication, display comparable starting prices for all categories. The O2 directs buyers to its official ticketing partner, while other venues also warn that purchasing through unauthorized sales channels may create problems with ticket validity or refunds. For international visitors, it is especially important to take into account that buying the ticket itself is not the only expense: transport, possible accommodation and local transfers can significantly affect the total travel budget.
What is currently known about the content of the concerts
Organizers describe "CHRISTMASTIME" as a major holiday production intended to combine Carey's Christmas songs with hits from the rest of her catalogue. The O2's announcement specifically mentions "All I Want For Christmas Is You", while examples of her major hits include "Fantasy", "Hero", "Always Be My Baby", "We Belong Together", "Emotions", "Touch My Body" and "Heartbreaker". This should not be interpreted as a confirmed set list for the UK concerts: the official final song list for Birmingham, London and Manchester has not yet been published. Given the name of the tour and the way the venues have presented the event, the holiday repertoire will clearly play an important role, but the balance between Christmas songs and other hits will only become known closer to the performances or during the tour itself.
DJ Suss One is listed as the special guest on Live Nation's pages for all three UK concerts, as well as on the London The O2 page. His appearance is therefore part of the officially confirmed line-up, rather than merely promotional information from unofficial announcements. Organizers have not yet announced additional names or a detailed schedule for his performance in relation to Carey's main set. Visitors who want to see the entire programme should therefore plan to arrive according to the official door-opening time and follow any venue updates in the days before the event.
"All I Want For Christmas Is You" remains the centrepiece of Carey's holiday repertoire
"All I Want For Christmas Is You" was released in 1994 as part of the album "Merry Christmas" and over time grew from a major seasonal hit into a song that regularly returns to the charts every winter. Official Charts Company states that the song reached number one on the official UK singles chart for the first time only in 2020, a full 26 years after its original release. It reached the top in its 70th week inside the Top 40, at the time setting a record for the longest wait by a song within the UK Top 40 before reaching number one. That fact clearly illustrates how different its commercial life has been from the usual pattern of a pop single that achieves most of its success immediately after release.
The O2's current concert announcement states that the song has achieved ten-times platinum certification in the United Kingdom and that, since reaching number one in 2020, it has regularly remained near the very top of the seasonal charts. Official Charts also confirms that the song repeatedly returns among the most popular releases during the holiday period, which explains why it has become the foundation of Carey's winter concert projects. The album "Merry Christmas", on which it was originally released, first entered the UK albums chart in November 1994. More than three decades later, the association with that repertoire is precisely the main distinguishing feature of the "CHRISTMASTIME" series.
Return to a run of UK dates after several years
Ticketmaster UK describes the new series as Carey's first consecutive touring run in the United Kingdom since 2019, although the singer has had individual performances in the country in the meantime. British media also recall her European and UK Christmas tour from 2018, placing the new announcement in the context of a return to a larger holiday concert format. The distinction between a one-off appearance and a short tour is important: this time, organizers are selling three connected arena evenings from the outset under the same title, with the same special guest and a unified sales cycle.
Carey enters the 2026 UK series with a career that continues to have a strong institutional and commercial presence. The Recording Academy lists five Grammy Awards and 34 nominations, while MusiCares named her its 2026 Person of the Year for her musical work and humanitarian engagement. MusiCares' official biography also lists 19 number-one singles on the US Billboard Hot 100, a record among solo artists. These facts do not determine the content of the upcoming concerts, but they illustrate the scale of the catalogue from which organizers can build the programme alongside the essential holiday portion.
Planning travel and accommodation for the three concert cities
For visitors travelling from outside the city or from abroad, choosing between Birmingham, London and Manchester will not depend only on ticket availability. Birmingham has the advantage of a very central arena location and good connections with the main railway stations, while London offers the widest range of international air and rail connections but also greater distances within the city. Manchester has a large arena on the Etihad Campus, which can be reached by tram or on foot from the wider city centre. Because the concerts take place on a Friday, Monday and Wednesday, the schedule may also matter to travellers who want to combine the concert with a weekend or a shorter city stay.
Those who need an overnight stay for the Birmingham concert can compare accommodation offers in Birmingham in advance, especially if they want to stay close to the city centre and rail connections. For the London performance, it is useful to consider accommodation in London with convenient access to North Greenwich, taking into account the journey back after the concert ends. Visitors attending the Manchester date may find accommodation in Manchester for visitors to the concert at Co-op Live convenient, either in the city centre or with a good tram connection towards the Etihad Campus. In all three cities, it is advisable to check accommodation cancellation terms before booking, especially if a concert ticket has not yet been secured.
Entry rules and official channels are worth checking before departure
The official event pages list age restrictions that differ by city and type of place, particularly between standing and seated sections. Families with younger visitors should therefore not assume that the same rules apply in all three arenas. Live Nation, The O2, Utilita Arena Birmingham and Co-op Live publish details on accessibility, entry, permitted bags, mobile tickets and transport, and some of this information may be updated as the concert date approaches. The O2 additionally warns that tickets purchased through unauthorized resale sites may be invalid, so for purchases and any official resale it is safer to use the channels specified by the venue or promoter itself.
For now, the key facts are stable: Birmingham is scheduled for 27 November, London for 30 November, and Manchester for 2 December 2026; DJ Suss One is confirmed as the special guest; Live Nation's presale begins on 24 September at 10:00, and the general sale begins one day later at the same time. Until the final set list and any additional production details are announced, the official description points to a concert that will combine Carey's Christmas standards with the biggest songs from the rest of her career. The first real indication of demand will come with ticket sales on 25 September, after which it will become clearer how quickly individual categories and sections in the three large arenas become unavailable.
Sources:
- Live Nation UK - Birmingham concert: date, timetable, presale, general sale and DJ Suss One (link)
- Live Nation UK - London concert: date, timetable, ticket sales and line-up (link)
- Live Nation UK - Manchester concert: date, timetable, ticket sales and line-up (link)
- The O2 - official announcement of the London concert, production description, special guest and sales information (link)
- Utilita Arena Birmingham - event page, opening time and starting ticket price (link)
- Ticketmaster UK - context of the UK concert series and return to consecutive touring dates (link)
- Official Charts Company - UK tour dates and context for the song "All I Want For Christmas Is You" (link)
- Official Charts Company - history of the song "All I Want For Christmas Is You" on the UK chart (link)
- Recording Academy / MusiCares - Grammy data, biographical context and the 2026 Person of the Year honour (link)
- Utilita Arena Birmingham - official travel and rail-connection information (link)
- The O2 - official information on arriving by Underground and North Greenwich station (link)
- Co-op Live - official information on getting to the Etihad Campus in Manchester (link)
- NME - tour announcement and confirmation of the additional concert in Malta on 8 December 2026 (link)