On Thursday 19th November 2009, Bond Street will be transformed into a complete winter wonderland, bubbling with activity and entertainment. Visitors to the Bond Street Christmas Lights switch on can expect a suitably festive night of fun in the heart of central London.
Bond Noël, is a celebration of a traditional Christmas, with snow falling along the entire length of Bond Street, fir trees lining the pavements, reindeer, carol singers, entertainers and musicians all adding atmosphere of this spectacular Christmas extravaganza. Bond Street’s luxury stores offer superb Christmas hospitality, gifts with purchase and other festive delights, while rickshaw sleighs are on hand to whisk shoppers to and from their favourite designer stores.
At 18.00, on the corner of Old Bond Street and Burlington Gardens, the celebrity 'Bond Girl' will flick the switch on the new Christmas lights.
Christmas fun
Kids and adults can mingle with real reindeer before catching a glimpse of Father Christmas himself. Carol singers will also be out with a few traditional festive tunes, whilst live musicians will be on hand with upbeat tunes on the night. A selection of street performers will also be out to entertain the crowds, promising something special for Londoners of all ages. If you're interested in doing some shopping there'll even be rickshaw sleighs ready to whisk you off to your favourite store.
Let it snow
The evening’s festivities will be sprinkled with a drift of snow, keeping things suitably festive all night. Expect a white Christmas at the Bond Street Christmas Lights switch on, regardless of the weather forecast.
Christmas shopping
There’s no reason to leave the Christmas shopping to a last minute rush and Bond Street is full of high street stores packed with all manner of stocking fillers. Start early and hit the shops after seeing some of the most spectacular lights in London come on for another year.
Charity Tombola
There will also be the chance to win over £10,000 worth of Christmas goodies in the Bond Street charity tombola in aid of Great Ormond Street Hopsital Children's Charity. Prizes include luxury gifts from DKNY, Burberry, Asprey, Cartier, Bally, Tiffany and Co., Mont Blanc as well as hundreds of pounds worth of vouchers for Bond Street's famous stores Several exciting gift experiences have been donated by the likes of Claridges, the Ritz, Brown's Hotel and the Royal Academy of Arts too.
Santa's arrival marks the start of a programme of festive activities for children throughout Canary Wharf's shopping malls. On Saturday 5th December Santa arrives at Canary Wharf!
To celebrate his arrival there will be spectacular Christmas shows in which Santa and friends perform their favourite Christmas songs. You can join in too as Santa's song sheets will be handed out to help Canary Wharf visitors sing along!
Enjoy free activities throughout the retail malls at weekends in December. Activities include face-painting, craft workshops plus roaming entertainers. There’s no need to book just come along.
Visit Santa
Visit Santa in his magical sleigh grotto, pulled by giant glittering reindeer in Jubilee Place. Visits to Santa cost £1 with all proceeds donated to Richard House Children's Hospice.
Festive activities throughout Shopping Malls
Each weekend from the 5th December through to Christmas, families are invited to come and join in the festive fun at Canary Wharf. Children's festive activities will include festive face painting, storytelling, Christmas craft workshops, roaming entertainment and more.
Santa and friends will provide fun entertainment for all the family with a spectacular festive show held at the East Wintergarden. The shows are free but pre-booking is necessary. Tickets will be available from early November.
Show times are 12.00, 14.00 and 16.00 on each day. Doors will open 30 minutes before the start of each show.
The Carnaby Christmas Lights celebration will be around Thursday 12 November 2009 and as always are known for their quirky and individual style, and this year will be no different.
The 2009 decorations promise to be just as stunning as previous years, and with Carnaby remaining one of the best places to go Christmas shopping, it will look wonderfully festive, be environmentally considerate and, best of all, be supporting another very worthwhile charity.
When it comes to Christmas, we’re keeping it old-school. November sees the launch of the sort of celebrations that will put a nostalgic grin on the face of every visitor. Head to the Piazza (you can’t miss it – it’s got London’s only 32 foot topiary reindeer in pride of place) and check out the exciting new installation from art and design collective United Visual Artists in the Market Building. These are Christmas decorations, but done with the unmistakeable design flair of the UK’s premier lighting art collective.
Get into the Christmas spirit by enjoying a little festive cheer, courtesy of The Mulled Wine Hut. Again, it’s easily spotted as the stall looks like a huge Christmas present. There’s also hot apple juice, minced pies and traditionally roasted chestnuts on offer. Save a little space though, for the seasonal delights of Covent Garden’s Real Food market which runs every Thursday and Friday from 12th November until Christmas. As well as the usual diverse collection of excellent stalls, there are gourmet Christmas treats from specialist suppliers and, joy of joys, a chocolate bar serving hot chocolate drinks and handmade sweet treats.
Meanwhile, kids will surely make a beeline for the reindeer petting enclosure, complete with helpful elves, or settle down for a session of magical candlelit storytelling from the mistresses of monologue – actors Olivia Armstrong and Chloe Davis. There are also craft workshops for the little ones, taking in everything from Christmas decoration creation to making Christmas puppets and cakes.
All this is sound tracked by a selection of traditional choirs, including the City of London Choir and Putney Choral Society and the City Of London Choir who’ll be joining the dots between Christmas songs, classic ballads and more contemporary material. There’s also the return of ‘Super Busking’, which sees big name chart-topping artists turn up unannounced for a series of secret gigs on the Piazza over the festive season. It’s all in aid of our partner charity Crisis, the national charity for single homeless people, who welcome nearly 2000 guests in nine centres across London this Christmas. Super Busking saw artists such as Keane and The Saturdays play live last year and 2009’s line-up is similarly starry so keep a keen eye and ear out for some ‘pop-up’ music if you’re in the area.
It’s the Christmas you’ll remember, courtesy of Covent Garden
Christmas at Kew - Magic not manic!
Escape the bustle of the high street, and enjoy a winter day out at Kew Gardens. Christmas at Kew is full of festive sparkle and activities for all the family, with family storytelling, the entertaining Plantomime, horse and carriage rides, as well as the chance to visit Father Christmas.
Creating a magical winter wonderland, Santa has taken up his grotto at Kew once again for 2009, bringing his festive magic to the enchanted woodland. Kids will love exploring the gardens and seeking out Santa in his grotto, making for a very special Christmas treat for children young and old. The festive grotto at Kew runs from 12-24 December 2009.
Every November, the Marylebone Village Christmas Lights are switched on to begin the festive season. Father Christmas, live music, hot food, School Choirs, special shopping discounts and fund raising all take place in the heart of Marylebone Village.
Children from the local schools sing Christmas carols, many of the shops and restaurants have special Christmas promotions and sell mince pies, hot chocolate, mulled wine, BBQ’s, champagne or a glass of sherry!
Marylebone Village is widely recognised as one of the most desirable 'places to be' in central London and something of a blueprint for 'village' life within the capital. It is precisely this distinctive ‘village atmosphere’ that sets this event apart from many other larger central Christmas events and makes for a truly enjoyable evening.
The event starts at 16.00 with activities taking place into the early evening. Most of the activity is focused around the main stage on Marylebone High Street where the switch on takes place at 18.00.
This year the event will once again be supporting the children's charity, Sparks.
The activities are still coming together but here's an idea of what will be on offer:
On the Street
- Father Christmas Grotto - free gifts to the children
- Brass Quintet
- Snow
- Fireworks
- Cabbages and Frocks Market
- Retailers Christmas food and drink in the street
- Retailer Discounts and Promotions
On the Stage
- Carols from local schools
- Live performances from bands
- Live Elvis tribute performance
- Christmas Card Competition announcements
- Live performance and switch on of the lights from BBC Eurovision Jade Ewen
November sees London kick off a massive celebration, bringing back the spirit of Christmas that Charles Dicken's depicted in the classic 'A Christmas Carol'.
For the first time ever, Regent Street and Oxford Street will not only switch on simultaneously, but share the same theme – Disney's A Christmas Carol. In addition, the City of London, itself the very heart of Dicken’s London and the setting for 'A Christmas Carol', will join in the seasonal celebrations with the West End.
Set against this dazzling backdrop, the World Premiere of Disney's 'A Christmas Carol' will then take place at three of London's leading cinemas in Leicester Square, creating the UK's biggest ever 3D screening. The stars of the film, Jim Carrey, Colin Firth, Robin Wright Penn, Bob Hoskins, together with the film's Academy Award-winning director Robert Zemeckis, will participate in the customary film fanfare, the red carpet walk, taking the time to sign autographs and chat to fans.
Beginning on November 3 and continuing through until January 5, London is set to turn back the clock to the 1800's, in turn bringing back to life the magic of Dicken's enduring classic. The City of London, Oxford Street and of course, Regent Street, will echo to a series of public concerts, events and even a world record gathering of carol singers.
November sees London kick off a massive celebration, bringing back the spirit of Christmas that Charles Dicken's depicted in the classic 'A Christmas Carol'.
For the first time ever, Regent Street and Oxford Street will not only switch on simultaneously, but share the same theme – Disney's A Christmas Carol. In addition, the City of London, itself the very heart of Dicken’s London and the setting for 'A Christmas Carol', will join in the seasonal celebrations with the West End.
Set against this dazzling backdrop, the World Premiere of Disney's 'A Christmas Carol' will then take place at three of London's leading cinemas in Leicester Square, creating the UK's biggest ever 3D screening. The stars of the film, Jim Carrey, Colin Firth, Robin Wright Penn, Bob Hoskins, together with the film's Academy Award-winning director Robert Zemeckis, will participate in the customary film fanfare, the red carpet walk, taking the time to sign autographs and chat to fans.
Beginning on November 3 and continuing through until January 5, London is set to turn back the clock to the 1800's, in turn bringing back to life the magic of Dicken's enduring classic. The City of London, Oxford Street and of course, Regent Street, will echo to a series of public concerts, events and even a world record gathering of carol singers.
The lighting of the Christmas tree will take place on Thursday 3rd December 2009 in the early evening.
The Christmas Tree, a traditional gift from the people of Norway, will be lit at the evening ceremony. It will be on Trafalgar Square for Londoners and visitors to the capital to enjoy until 6 January 2009 – the twelfth night of Christmas.
At 17.20 the annual Blessing the Crib begins at St Martin's church with a torchlit procession, led by the Salvation Army Band, to Trafalgar Square. Service starts at 17.30.
The Christmas Tree will also provide the backdrop to a free programme of carol singing which takes place daily between 7-20 December from 17.00-21.00 each evening. Each carol singing session will last around one hour and those taking part in the carol singing can use it as an opportunity to raise funds for a range of voluntary and charitable organisations.
(Blessing the Crib 17.20)
