London’s first festive display kicks off this evening in Oxford Street with a Christmas light switch-on.
However, London was first made aware of Halloween’s end after Storm Claudio saw giant Christmas baubles blown down Tottenham Court Road.
The footage taken by pedestrians on TikTok saw huge silver balls bounce down the road before coming to a stop at the end of the street.
The capital will be getting brighter throughout November as more Christmas lights switch on.
Compared to last year’s 24-hour light displays, most of the major street lights will be reducing the time lights stay on for to cut down on energy usage as the cost of living crisis deepens.
Oxford Street – Wednesday 2 November
Five thousand sustainable dangling stars will light up Oxford Street for a shorter period this year to cut down energy consumption.
Made up of 300,000 LED lightbulbs, this year’s stars are recycled polymer-based lights which are 75% more efficient than traditional bulbs.
Carnaby Street – Tuesday 8 November
This year’s Christmas light switch-on in Carnaby Street has an exciting new twist on the display.
“Expect the unexpected” is the tagline incorporating 14 different themes.
Between 5pm and 9pm visitors will be able to enjoy live music and late night shopping.
Covent Garden – Tuesday 8 November
As usual, the classic baubles, legendary Christmas tree and light-up mistletoe will hang from inside the market buildings through Christmas.
Regent Street and St James’s Street – Wednesday 9 November
The ‘Spirit of Christmas’ angels are back above Regent and St James’s Street from 2pm till midnight everyday.
Bond Street Christmas lights – Thursday 17 November
There’s a new festive look in Bond Street this year as a new Crown Jewels and Tiara-like display will replace its famous peacock lights.
Featured image credit: Alex-David Baldi via Flickr under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
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