US pop star, Mariah Carey, has announced UK dates for her upcoming holiday-themed tour. Carey will play 3 dates at UK arenas this November and December.
The Christmastime Tour will bring its holiday cheer to the UK beginning on Friday November 27 at Birmingham’s Utilita Arena. She will head to London’s O2 Arena on Monday 30 November before finishing off the run with a show at Manchester’s Co-op Live on Wednesday December 2. After that she will play a special one-off show in Malta at MFCC on December 8.
The set is said to include Carey’s long list of festive hits as well as fan favourites and global hits. Carey’s smash hit, ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ is already confirmed for the night. Released in 1994 on her first holiday album, ‘Merry Christmas,’ ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ has become the global harbinger for the holiday season. Almost every year, Carey makes anticipatory posts as early as November 1, teasing the beginning of ‘#MariahSzn’ with the crescendo of her global hit.
In 2023, Associated Press estimated the total royalty earnings for the song to be $100 million. The song reached Number 1 on UK Charts for the first time in 2020 and has stayed in the Top 5 every year after. Last December, ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ was also certified 10x Platinum in the UK (equivalent of 6,000,000 units). It is currently the UK’s highest-selling single by a female artist.
Associated Press interviewed Berklee College of Music professor in 2023 about the hit’s longevity. He said “It’s a wishing song and it works narratively” and that “[it] works as a love and holiday song. Carey sets it up: She doesn’t care about all the holiday trappings, she has one thing — one person — on her mind. It’s kept vague whether it’s a lover or someone she yearns for.” This festive yearning has continued to capture the hearts of the world more than 30 years since its release: ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ reenters global charts every holiday season.
But despite all this success, Carey told NME in 2021 that she had some hesitation about making her first Christmas album in 1994, saying, “doesn’t that happen later in life?” But she eventually agreed to the album because of her genuine love for the holiday. When asked about the video for the 1994 hit song, she said, “ I remember certain things that weren’t great about that time, but I also see my true happiness shining through.”
Carey is planning to bring that true happiness to the UK this holiday season, telling fans on Instagram, “I cant wait to celebrate with you!” Tickets to the Christmastime Tour go on pre-sale this Wednesday September 23 and Thursday September 24. General sale opens Friday September 25. More information can be found here.
Mariah Carey’s Christmastime Tour 2026 UK Dates:
27/11 — Utilita Arena — Birmingham, UK
30/11 — The O2 Arena — London, UK
02/12 — Co-op Live — Manchester, UK
