{"id":32646,"date":"2019-11-13T10:44:40","date_gmt":"2019-11-13T10:44:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thevoiceoflondon.co.uk\/?p=32646"},"modified":"2019-11-13T10:44:40","modified_gmt":"2019-11-13T10:44:40","slug":"its-the-most-wonderful-time-of-the-year-7-of-londons-best-christmas-lights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/its-the-most-wonderful-time-of-the-year-7-of-londons-best-christmas-lights\/","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s the most wonderful time of the year: seven of London\u2019s best Christmas lights"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s already mid-November and that means the countdown to Christmas is officially on. And, as it\u2019s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the city, the only thing that should be topping your to-do list is planning your trip to see London at its festive best. After all, London\u2019s Christmas lights are pretty hard to beat; here are seven of the best Christmas lights to see across the capital this year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Carnaby Street\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/B4k9eaXBviv\/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/b>Following the massive success of the Bohemian Rhapsody themed lights last year, 2019 sees Carnaby Street\u2019s lights get an ocean-themed makeover in collaboration with the ocean conservation charity Project 0. The big switch-on was on the 7<\/span>th<\/span> November, with recycled materials such as repurposed fishing nets and over 1,500 recycled bottles used to create the display, the underwater scenes will be shining all throughout the festive-season.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/b>Covent Garden<\/b><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BqJ0N_WgDoj\/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link<\/p>\n

Covent Garden\u2019s world-famous piazza is home to the city\u2019s largest hand-picked Christmas tree and this year it makes its grand return, once again. Accompanied by Covent Garden\u2019s iconic mistletoe chandeliers, garlands and pea lights, these Christmas lights (and Christmas tree) are ready for a visit, and not to be missed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/b>Marylebone\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BqQBCJygdG-\/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link<\/p>\n

Marylebone Village is one area that doesn\u2019t slack when it comes to Christmas. The light switch-on event takes place today (13<\/span>th<\/span> November) from 3pm and is one that\u2019s fun for the whole family, with fairground rides, fireworks, stalls, games, a Santa\u2019s grotto and more. And what\u2019s even better is that the event raises funds for the Teenage Cancer Trust. The switch on is at 6pm with the Kaiser Chiefs\u2019 Ricky Wilson doing the honours.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/b>Regent Street\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BqN29vlBFin\/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link<\/p>\n

2019 is the 200<\/span>th<\/span> anniversary of the creation of Regent Street and so one of London\u2019s most famous streets is reminiscing on old times with their \u2018The Spirit of Christmas\u2019 Lights\u2019, inspired by the 1954 Regent Street Christmas lights. Taking place on 14<\/span>th<\/span> November, the switch-on event is a full-blown party, with celebrity appearances from Irish band, The Script, singer Maisie Peters, the cast of <\/span>A Christmas Carol <\/span><\/i>and Heart\u2019s presenters Jamie Theakston and Amanda Holden to look forward to.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/b>Seven Dials\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BqdBIcYBwnx\/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link<\/p>\n

The Seven Dials lights may not be the most famous lights on this list but they\u2019re certainly worth a visit. This year\u2019s installation of starry-night themed lights is in partnership with Shelter, a charity that benefits the homeless, and the big switch-on also takes place on 14<\/span>th<\/span> November. As well as star-themed free activities, live music and decorations, there are a number of shopping deals on offer on switch-on day so there really is something for everyone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/b>Oxford Street<\/b><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/B4UrEXypLTa\/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link<\/p>\n

It\u2019s out with the old and in with the new for Oxford Street this year; the baubles are gone, and LED light curtains are here. Made up of 220,000 glistening lights, the makeover we all expected last year is finally here and you\u2019ll be able to catch it on the 21st November. The event is in partnership with Capital Xtra so not only can you see the twinkly new lights for the first time, you can also see live in-store performances from the UK\u2019s best hip hop, grime and R&B artists \u2013 as well as taking advantage of the shopping event and getting started on your Christmas shopping.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/b>Trafalgar Square\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BrLJ49hn2My\/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link<\/p>\n

The lighting of the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree is perhaps the most highly anticipated Christmas switch on in the city. A tradition dating back to 1947, the Christmas tree will make its journey from Norway (who gift a tree to London in thanks for the support offered to them during the second world war) to London where its lights will be hung vertically as is Norwegian tradition and lit on the first Thursday in December (5<\/span>th<\/span> December) at 6pm.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Where to find the lights? Check out our map!<\/b><\/p>\n

[googlemaps https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/embed?mid=1XNq6ubwTB1d7JSUwzPtgW1CeQkW81zAP&hl=en&w=640&h=480]<\/p>\n

Words: Jodie Shepherd<\/span><\/p>\n

Photo: Jodie Shepherd<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s already mid-November and that means the countdown to Christmas is officially on. And, as it\u2019s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the city, the only thing that should be topping your to-do…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":476,"featured_media":32671,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,42],"tags":[553,1332,1340,1645,2119,2128,3769,4322,5723,6538,6753,6939],"class_list":["post-32646","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts","category-entertainment","tag-art","tag-christmas","tag-christmas-lights","tag-culture","tag-england","tag-entertainment","tag-london","tag-music","tag-social-media","tag-uk","tag-voice-of-london","tag-winter"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32646","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/476"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32646"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32646\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32671"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32646"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32646"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32646"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}