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Celebrate the Joy and Wonder of Christmas at Duke Chapel

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Celebrate the joy and wonder of Christmas at Duke Chapel with Christmas Eve services at 2:00, 5:00, 8:00, and 11:00 p.m. See below for other services, concerts, and events in December.

A vertical, wide-angle shot captures the interior of a grand, Gothic-style chapel, filled with a large congregation. The focus is down the center aisle, where two figures in medieval-style cloaks—one blue, one burgundy—walk away from the viewer towards the altar. The nave features high, ribbed ceilings, pointed arches, and massive stone columns. The chancel area is brightly lit and decorated for the holidays with wreaths, candles, and rows of red poinsettias.
The Christmas Eve children's service features carols, a pageant, and scripture readings.

All are welcome to attend these free, public worship services; Christmas Eve services often fill up, so attendees are encouraged to arrive early. Free parking is available in the Bryan Center Parking Garage at 125 Science Drive, with ADA parking available in the surface lot at the same address. Everyone attending Chapel Christmas Eve services is subject to security screening prior to entry, which can be expedited by leaving bags at home. Walk-through metal detectors are the primary method of screening. Guests who cannot use a metal detector will be screened with handheld devices and may undergo a pat-down if needed.  

“Coming into this Christmas, I have in mind this line from a classic hymn: ‘A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,’” Chapel Dean Luke Powery says. “It captures a deep truth—the world can be wearying and yet there is hope, there are reasons to rejoice.”

“This Christmas season, my hope is that Duke Chapel will be a place for people to gather and rejoice,” Dean Powery says. “And, like the hymn says, let us approach the baby Jesus, ‘led by the light of faith serenely beaming, with glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.’”

The Christmas Eve services on Wednesday, December 24, are: 

  • 2:00 p.m. — Children’s service with Christmas carols, a pageant, and scripture readings that tell the story of the birth of Jesus; the service lasts about thirty-five minutes.
     
  • 5:00 p.m. — The Durham Children’s Choir sings and Dean Powery preaches the sermon; the Amalgam Brass ensemble and Chapel organists lead the congregation in singing Christmas carols.
     
  • 8:00 p.m. — A service with Holy Communion and Dean Powery preaching; the Bell Durham handbell ensemble plays, and the Amalgam Brass ensemble and Chapel organists lead the congregation in singing Christmas carols.
     
A low-angle, interior shot focused on the chancel of Duke Chapel during a Christmas concert. In the foreground, the view looks down the center aisle past the backs of a seated congregation. The chancel area is elevated by steps and features two solo singers standing in the center: a woman in a long, teal or deep green gown and a woman in a black and silver patterned dress. They are flanked by a man in a tuxedo on the right and an ensemble of musicians and a choir, dressed in white and light robes,
Tickets for Handel's "Messiah" are sold out but an online version will be available beginning December 22.
  • 11:00 p.m. — The traditional Service of Nine Lessons and Carols by candlelight with scripture readings, Christmas carols, and choral anthems; singers from the Duke Chapel Schola Cantorum, harpist Anita Burroughs-Price, and Chapel organists lead the music

All of the services will be streamed live on the Duke Chapel YouTube channel and broadcast live on the Duke Hospital TV channel 12 and Campus Vision channel 110. The 11:00 p.m. service will also be broadcast statewide by Spectrum News 1 on its channel 1 and via its Spectrum News App; the service will also be broadcast on the radio on WDNC 620 AM. 

In addition to the live broadcasts, the Chapel’s 2019 national Christmas TV show The Marvel of This Night will be rebroadcast on PBS NC’s North Carolina Channel on December 20 at 6:00 p.m. and December 21 at 8:00 a.m.

A limited number of tickets are still available for Handel’s Messiah concerts on December 5 and 7. Update: Tickets for this year's Messiah concerts are sold out. Since 1933, the Chapel has welcomed the holiday season with this sublime music. From the haunting strains of “The people that walked in darkness” to the exuberant triumph of “Hallelujah,” Handel’s masterwork weaves a musical tapestry that recounts the story of Christ’s life, from birth through death and resurrection. 

A low-angle, interior shot captures the architecture of a Gothic-style chapel nave, decorated for the Christmas season. The image focuses on the tall stone walls, which feature multiple levels of pointed arches and lancet stained-glass windows, bathing the space in colorful light.
Experience the Chapel decorated for Christmas at the December 17 Christmas Open House.

For those unable to attend the concerts, a recorded version of this year’s Messiah will be made available online beginning December 22.

A popular tradition, the Duke Chapel by Candlelight Christmas Open House invites visitors to explore the Chapel with music, candlelight, and garlands. Free and open to the public, the event is on Wednesday, December 17, from 12-noon to 2:00 p.m. Drop in for as little or as long as you would like.

Other events at the Chapel during the Advent and Christmas seasons include (free and open to the public unless otherwise indicated): 

The Chapel is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. except for Christmas Day when it is closed all day, as well as December 31 and January 1, when it closes at 5:00 p.m. The Chapel also closes to the public for weddings and other private ceremonies, so before planning a visit, please check the website calendar. 

Learn How Christmas Music is Composed 

A man in a white and blue robe raises his hand front of a group of singers wearing the same robes.

Chapel Music Director Dr. Zebulon Highben is the author of more than seventy choral compositions, including three recent original Christmas carols. In our Sounds of Faith podcast, he sits at a piano and explains his process for making Christmas music.

Listen and subscribe.

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