The ballot for tickets to Farnham’s Civic Christmas Carol Service has now opened to the public.

For the 13th year, the award-winning Farnham Youth Choir will perform at the traditional service, hosted by the Town Mayor Cllr George Murray on Wednesday, December 3 at St Andrew’s Church.

The service is one of the most popular events in the town’s festive calendar, regularly bringing together residents for an evening of carols at the start of the Christmas season.

Half of the available tickets will go to representatives of local community organisations as a thank-you for their service, with the remainder distributed through the public ballot.

Farnham Youth Choir, one of the UK’s leading upper-voice choirs for 11-18-year-olds, performs secular and sacred music in a wide range of styles and undertakes annual tours in the UK or abroad.

After more than three decades under founder and director David Victor-Smith, the choir continued to flourish under Joanna Tomlinson, winning two gold medals at the European Choir Games in 2019.

Now led by Patrick Barrett, who became artistic director in January 2021, the choir has continued its success, most recently winning two gold medals at the World Choir Games in Auckland, New Zealand in 2024.

The service is intended to bring people together from all parts of the community and is open to anyone who wishes to take part in a shared celebration of Christmas.

To enter the ballot for free tickets, readers should email their details, including name, address and phone number, and state whether they would like one or two tickets, to [email protected] by Thursday, November 27. They can also call the town council on 01252 712 667.

All tickets will be allocated in advance. None will be available on the door.