Where to see Christmas in London

30 Nov, 2013

Read in English below | Leia em Português aqui

By Kamilla Fernandes
Translation by Harriet Batey

Christmas in London starts early. Already by the middle of October, the principal and largest department stores in the city such as Harrods, Fortnum & Mason and Liberty, already had areas, even entire floors dedicated to Natal.

In addition to decorations, since October gift baskets and candy with a Christmas theme have already been on sale. In clothes shops, such as the famous Primark, sweaters and other items with a festive theme have taken up the windows of floor space in the shops.

In November, the highlight was the unveiling of the lights and decorations of the main streets and sights of the city. If you have plans to visit London during Christmas check out the map with the key sites to visit for those who want “to see” the entire London Christmas atmosphere:

Covent Garden
The Christmas decorations in Covent Garden are running until 24 ^th December. As well as the square, some streets are also lit up. Various other attractions are planned for around the time, such as thematic performances, a Lego snow globe, and even real reindeers for passers-by to see.

Regent Street
Regent Street’s decorative theme this year is the film “Mr Peabody and Sherman”, by DreamWorks. The cartoon will be released in February and the street decoration will stay until 5 ^th January. The decorations cross the big avenue, with a special arch of lights and designs in the centre related to the cartoon.

by Schirley Amaral

Oxford Street
Oxford Street will stay decorated until 4 ^th January and the decorations cost a total of £1.5million. There are 750 lights illuminating the street, with various ones representing snowflakes. The decorations for some shops on the street are also worth a mention, such as Selfridges, John Lewis, House of Fraser and even Boots.

by Schirley Amaral

Carnaby Street
The streets around Carnaby Street will be decorated until 6 ^th January. The decorative theme is “The Year of the Robin” and the road is full of some tiny and giant yellow birds. An LED tv screen will also be installed to show tweets and Instagram photos related to the area.

by Schirley Amaral

A tradition since 1947, the Christmas Tree in Trafalgar Square appears from 5 ^th December and remains until 6 ^th January . The tree is an annual gift from Norway to England, as a thank you for supporting the people and protecting the exiled heads of the Norwegian state when the country was held by the Nazi regime during the Second World War.
The tree is decorated in a traditional Norwegian style, with vertical strings of lights. The square will stage a procession and various choirs will perform, collecting money for charity.

( Supplementary Article by Greg Williams)