Christmas at DCA
Enjoy the festivities
We're counting down to Christmas with a whole host of events, screenings and workshops to get you in the festive spirit.
Join us to create your own cards and decorations at our classes and courses. Shop for the perfect gifts in DCA Shop or browse online from the comfort of home. And, as the holidays get closer, make some time to meet with friends and enjoy your favourite films on the big screen. Pair your cinema trip with a visit to Jute Café Bar and enjoy their Christmas menu or a festive tipple.
Please note that DCA will be closed Thu 25 - Fri 26 December and Thu 1 - Fri 2 January.
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Create your own Christmas gifts
Spend some time in our Print Studio creating your own printed gifts. Our Festive Letterpress workshop is designed to help you create your own range of Christmas cards and gift tags, and many of our other courses allow you to create personalised gifts for your loved ones,. Take a look at all our upcoming classes.
Our annual Christmas Crafternoon is back and this year we've got two dates to choose from. Join us for a fun afternoon with chat, Christmas tunes and festive snacks and create a collection of eco-friendly decorations. And you can create some festive prints using Lego at our December Sip and Print.
DCA Print Studio will close for the festive period at 17:30 on Sat 20 December and reopen in the new year at 10:00 on Tue 6 January.
Shop gifts, cards and more from local makers
Our Shop shelves are full of beautiful craft work by local creatives, alongside stylish products from contemporary brands, a wide variety of books on art, cinema and design, children's toys, stationery, gift wrap, greeting cards and more. Visit us in store Mon-Sun, from 10:00 to 17:30 or shop online 24/7. If ordering your Christmas gifts online, make sure to take note of our festive order dates:
- Rest of the World / International - Shop & Editions: Fri 12 December
- Ireland, France, Germany & Netherlands - Editions: Tue 16 December / Shop: Thu 18 December
- UK - Editions: Fri 19 December / Shop: Sun 21 December
- Pick up in store - Editions: Mon 22 December / Shop: 17:30 on Tue 23 December
We'll also be hosting a special shopping evening for DCA Members, with discounts, offers and festive treats. Sign-up for membership now to be on the invite list.
DCA Shop will be closed Thu 25 - Fri 26 December and Thu 1 - Fri 2 January.
Enjoy a Christmas classic on the big screen
Get cosy in our comfortable cinemas and enjoy a festive favourite.
We've got family fun with CBeebies Panto as they tell the story of Cinderella, you can don your pyjamas for our screenings of The Polar Express, we're off to Whoville with How the Grinch Stole Christmas as the film celebrates its 25th anniversary and we're revisiting a Dickens classic with a puppet-filled twist in The Muppet Christmas Carol.
There's plenty more to enjoy as we bring you musical magic with White Christmas (including a Sing-A-Long screening) and action-packed festive fun with Die Hard, plus mischief and mayhem with Gremlins. And of course it wouldn't be Christmas without the emotional journey of It's a Wonderful Life.
We'll also have plenty of new releases to enjoy, including Wicked: For Good - perfect for filling the cold days and dark nights.
DCA Cinema will be closed Thu 25 - Fri 26 December and Thu 1 - Fri 2 January.
Festive films at DCA
CBeebies Panto 2025: Cinderella
It's a Wonderful Life
The Muppet Christmas Carol
Die Hard
Gremlins
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (25th Anniversary)
The Polar Express
White Christmas (Sing-A-Long)
White Christmas
Give the gift of DCA
If you're stuck for gift ideas, a DCA voucher is the perfect solution for the film fan, artist or creative in your life. Vouchers are valid across our cinema, workshops and events programmes. For DCA Shop and Jute Café Bar vouchers, please ask a member of staff next time you visit.
We also offer DCA Gift Membership, which provides discounts, offers and priority booking across all areas of our programme and building. It incudes one free standard cinema ticket per year, £1 off standard or over 60s tickets for regular Cinema screenings, priority booking on selected cinema seasons and gallery events and lots more.
Eat, drink and be merry
Head to Jute Café Bar to relax after some shopping or enjoy dinner alongside your cinema trip. It's a great spot to enjoy coffee and cake, grab an after-work drink or tuck into a delicious meal.
Get together with friends and family during the festive season or make time for a Christmas date night. Their festive menu is available from Mon 24 November to Wed 24 December and features a tasty range of starters, mains and desserts. Enjoy two courses for £32.50 or go for all three for £39.50. Check out the menu below and book early to avoid disappointment.
Festive Menu
Take some time out in DCA Galleries
Step out of the Christmas rush and spend some time in our galleries. Lauren Gault's exhibition, bone stone voice alone, features a newly commissioned body of work and marks Gault’s first major solo exhibition in a Scottish gallery for over a decade.
Working across sculpture, print, sound and moving image, Gault uses the mythological figure of Echo from Ovid’s Metamorphoses to investigate the land of Tayside and beyond.
Head to our Information Space to browse books from the exhibition reading list and watch an interview with the artist. Families can extend their gallery visit with activities, books and more in Create Space - more on this below.
DCA Galleries and Create Space will be closed Thu 25 - Fri 26 December and Thu 1 - Fri 2 January.
Entertain the wee ones
As well as festive films that the kids will enjoy, you can also spend some time in Create Space. You'll find a variety of activity sheets inspired by Lauren Gault's exhibition.
In December, you'll also find some festive colouring sheets to enjoy. These feature our adorable winter penguins, created by local illustrator Kate Benzie. Spot more of them around our building and on our website. Visit Create Space to use our selection of art materials for your colouring or download these activity sheets below and have a go at home.
Around the city
In addition to DCA Shop, there are lots of great events going on in the city that can help you get your festive shopping all wrapped up.
Our Crafted Festive market is taking a year off but you can enjoy a magical weekend of festive shopping and choir performances at Verdant Works Museum. Taking place on Sat 22 and Sun 23 November, you'll find artisan makers and producers from Dundee, Fife, Perthshire and Angus. They're also offering Pay What You Can entry to Verdant Works Museum for the Christmas Market weekend. Find out more here.
V&A Dundee's Winter Design Market is back from Fri 28 to Sun 30 November. Curated by Tea Green Events, it will be full of high quality design across a range of prices. And heading into December The McManus are hosting their Christmas Market on Sat 6 December, with lots of local suppliers, festive crafts and Christmas tales for families.
Take a look at Creative Dundee's round-up for even more markets happening across the city this festive season.