The annual Carols on the Hill event, has become a firm favourite amongst locals and visitors alike, and is truly established as one of the highlights of the festive season - but where did it all start?

The precedent for present-day Carols On The Hill stretches back to December 1949 when a Christmas tree was erected and illuminated for the first time near Queen Victoria's Statue, providing a charming focal point for Windsor and Eton Rotary Club's efforts to gather and distribute hundreds of gifts for children in various hospitals.

Shortly before Christmas, a group of Rotary Club carol singers gathered around the tree to sing hymns and carols along with a large audience which included The Mayor, thus laying the foundations of a tradition which has continued largely unbroken throughout the intervening seven decades. This year it will feature The Band of The Household Cavalry.

 The event starts at 6:15pm, with Day 8 of this years Windsor & Eton Living Calendar, followed immediately by the Carols On The Hill outdoor service led by Revd Canon Sally Lodge, supported by The Band of The Household Cavalry Band and featuring a charity collection on behalf of two charities - this year Christian Aid and Emerge Advocacy - introduced by The Worshipful The Mayor of RBWM, Cllr Neil Knowles.

Carols on the Service List, to practice for this year!

• Oh Come, All Ye Faithful

• Silent Night 

• While Shepherds Watched

• O Little Town Of Bethlehem

• Ding Dong, Merrily on High

• Away in a Manger 

• Hark The Herald Angels Sing 

• Once in Royal Davids City 

 Read here for more information:

https://www.windsor.gov.uk/whats-on/carols-on-the-hill-p281271

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