Christmas is most definitely on its way. The Christmas lights are turning on, Michael Bublé has nearly defrosted, Mariah’s ready to get her warble on, and London’s remarkable Christmas trees are starting to be unveiled. There’ll no doubt be plenty more unveiled within the coming weeks, so keep your eyes peeled here to see where you’ll be able to discover some Christmas trees that even Santa himself would approve of!
Christmas trees already unveiled this year:
St. Pancras International’s highly anticipated Christmas tree has been unveiled for the 2023 festive season, and it’s doused with the magic of literature this year. Once again, they’ve gone for the slightly unconventional approach, after last year’s skyline resembling tower. Though it’s still being referred to as a Christmas tree, it might be fair to say it’s more a Christmas bookshelf (still resembling the shape of a tree, of course!).
Every year, the tree comes in collaboration with an outside friend, and this year’s effort comes in collaboration with the beloved London bookshop Hatchard Books (who actually also come from the inside the station this time too). Plus, throughout the whole festive season, you can spend your time taking part in a world-first event – actually sitting inside the St. Pancras International tree. They’ve treated us with a beautiful set of benches, sheltered underneath the tree, which obviously don the red and green colours of Christmas. What better way to get yourself into the Crimbo cheer than reading a copy of A Christmas Carol here then, hey?!
📍Euston Road, King’s Cross, N1C 4QP.
🚇 Nearest station is, erm, St. Pancras International.
Covent Garden is home to the largest hand-picked Christmas tree in the city at a whopping 60 feet tall! This show-stopping tree is from the same farm that the Royal Family get their tree from and it’s draped in twinkling lights and festive decorations. The tree forms just one part of their festive display, which features over 115,000 lights. In fact, the tree itself has more than 30,000 lights alone! There’s a whole heap of Christmassy cheer awaiting you at Covent Garden.
📍Covent Garden Piazza, WC2E 8RF.
🚇 Nearest station is Covent Garden.
As London’s prettiest restaurant, it’s a no-brainer that sketch also has a stunning Christmas tree. As part of their winter dreamland makeover for the 2023 festive season, sketch debuted an inaugural surreal Christmas Tree by Tony Marklew. Within the venue’s three Michelin-starred restaurant, The Lecture Room & Library, guests will find a surrealist Christmas tree, embellished with a cascade of sparkling crystals, inspired by the likes of Dali and Magritte. Naturally the rest of sketch also looks incredibly festive, with a snow-capped tree wrapped up in an impressive snowglobe in The East Bar & Pods, and silver birch trees blanketed with feathered snow filling the Reception.
📍You’ll find sketch at 9 Conduit Street, London, W1S 2XG.
🚇 Nearest station is Oxford Circus.
This lovely central London spot has always got something going on, and it’s full of fantastic shops and restaurants. And with Coal Drops Yard’s fairy lights, it always feels at least a bit festive, no matter the time of the year. But at Christmas time it gets properly cosy and festive. And their Christmas tree makes the place all the more of a must-visit London destination. Last year they had an alpine, après-ski-themed tree with neon ski accessories. This year they’ve gone a little more traditional, but no less gorgeous and festive, with a twinkling display.
📍Coal Drops Yard, Stable Street, King’s Cross, N1C 4DQ.
🚇 Nearest station is King’s Cross St Pancras.
Ever since it re-opened last year, it’s been clear that Battersea Power Station is not set to be doing anything by half-measures. Last year, for the festive season, they unveiled a gorgeous Christmas tree smack in the middle of a wonderfully large ice-skating rink. As if that wasn’t enough, there were also igloos, fairground rides, and plenty more to enjoy. This year, they’ve brought it all back again for another supersized Christmas tree display. It’s all fabulously festive indeed!
📍Battersea Power Station, Nine Elms, Battersea, SW11 8EF.
🚇 Nearest station is Battersea Power Station.
This magical market represented Diagon Alley in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, and it’s equally fantastical during the festive season. Leadenhall Market’s extraordinary tree is now illuminating the area with its dazzling lights and striking decorations. They’re also offering up all sorts of Christmas workshops, pop-ups, and events throughout the Christmas season. So, why not dial that festive feeling all the way up to a hundred with a trip to the market?
📍Gracechurch Street, Langbourn, EC3V 1LT.
🚇 Nearest station is Monument.
7. The Connaught Hotel
The Connaught Hotel is not only home to one of the best bars in the world, you’ll also find a pretty spectacular Christmas tree waiting outside to greet you during the festive season. Previous years have seen the likes of Damien Hirst, Antony Gormley, Tracey Emin, Michael Craig-Martin, Suzy Murphy, and more designing the must-see tree. This year’s tree has been designed by London-based artist Rachel Whiteread, whose design is now bringing a touch of festive magic to Mayfair.
📍Carlos Place, Mayfair, W1K 2AL.
🚇 Nearest station is Bond Street.
8. Shangri-La, The Shard
London’s highest hotel has partnered up with Jo Loves and Warner House for an immersive fragranced Christmas Tree. Amidst a snowy scene of gifts wrapped in Warner House’s Starlight and Knotted Sash prints, the tree stands next to a super-sized perfume bottle that hides a mesmerising kaleidoscope of mirrors, lights, and clouds. The Shangri-La The Shard tree itself stands 14 feet tall and has been decorated with classic red and white Christmassy ornaments, as well as mini bottles of Jo by Jo Loves perfume. It’s not just a contender for the prettiest tree in London, it’s also sure to be the best-smelling one!
📍31 St Thomas St, London Bridge, SE1 9QU.
🚇 Nearest station is London Bridge.
9. Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane
How to make a Christmas tree stand out from the rest, in a city where each installation seems to outdo the last? How about ignoring the tree itself and making a full-on forest of chandeliers instead? Sound a little too specific? That’s because it’s exactly what the Four Seasons Hotel have done this year, with snow-bedecked trees taking a background role to the fragile, yet stunning, display.
📍Hamilton Place, Park Lane, W1J 7DR.
🚇 Nearest station is Hyde Park Corner Undergound.
Visitors to Westfield’s Winter Village were stopped short in their paths last year when confronted by Europe’s tallest Christmas tree on an ice rink. The all-new ice rink, covering 1,000 square metres, allowed revellers to skate their way around the towering festive instalment for a delightful experience. And they’ve (thankfully) brought it back for 2023 – except this time they’ve topped it with Willy Wonka’s top hat, instead of a star.
📍1081 Ariel Way, Shepherd’s Bush, W12 7GF.
🚇 Nearest station is Shepherd’s Bush.
Last year’s trees
As mentioned, many of London’s trees have yet to be announced or revealed (we like to be ahead of the curve), so here are some of last year’s Christmas trees to give you a taste of what’s to come this year:
No stranger to striking Christmas trees, Claridge’s 2022 effort was another sparkling contender. Each year the famous luxury hotel enlists one of fashion’s biggest names, and last year was the turn of Sandra Choi, Creative Director for Jimmy Choo. The tree was made out of reflective mirrors, with lights pulsing and undulating inside to accent the whole affair, all topped off with a giant, glittering bow – one of the brand’s key design themes of the winter collection.
As for 2023? We found out recently that this year’s tree will be designed by none other than Louis Vuitton. The tree will be unveiled on November 23, 2023 – and we’re buzzing with excitement to see it!
📍Brook Street, Mayfair, W1K 4HR.
🚇 Nearest station is Bond Street.
12. The London EDITION
The London EDITION’s tree was a properly polarizing (and kind of terrifying) entry onto the Christmas tree scene last year. A truly unique display, the tree – titled “The Angel of Christmas Destruction” – was inspired by the over-consumption and high levels of waste that Christmas so often brings. Designed by artist Daniel Lismore in collaboration with producer Lyndon Ogbourne of LSD Studio, the tree/angel/display made use of repurposed fabrics, including discarded Christmas jumpers. We’re excited to see what kind of strange and unusual offerings they might have up their sleeves for 2023!
📍10 Berners St, Soho, W1T 3NP.
🚇 Nearest station is Tottenham Court Road.
13. The Landmark London
Last year, The Winter Garden in The Landmark London was host to one of London’s tallest Christmas trees, sheltering inside the eight-storey-high glass Atrium. The absolutely stunning tree was flanked by the venue’s iconic palm tress and was made up with gold and teal decorations. We can’t wait for its return, in whatever shape, colourway, or theme it may come!
📍222 Marylebone Rd, Marylebone, NW1 6JQ.
🚇 Nearest station is Marylebone.
14. Tower of London
Two Christmas trees awaited visitors at the Tower of London last year as part of their 12 Days of Christmas-themed celebrations. The first stood 14 ft tall, and had three lions stationed around it in reference to the three given as a gift to King Henry III. The second tree was found over on Tower Green, surrounded by twelve wooden Beefeaters ‘guarding’ it.
This year, visitors will be treated to a coronation-inspired display of eighteen festively dressed Christmas trees lining the entrance to the Tower. And that’s just one of the multiple displays of multiple trees that will be found all around the grounds of the Tower of London. It’s set to be a veritable Christmas tree treasure hunt – and it will all be unveiled on November 29.
📍Tower of London, London, EC3N 4AB.
🚇 Nearest station is Tower Hill.
15. The Goring
Last year’s display of two trees at The Goring wasn’t the most impressively huge example to be found in London. But what they lacked in size, they made up for with sheer sparkly-ness. Last year’s display saw the hotel partnered with world-renowned British jewellers, Garrard, on tiara-themed trees inspired by Garrard’s historic tiara’s worn by Her Majesty and The Royal Family. The trees were decorated with four types of tiaras modelled after those favoured by the late Queen. Did we mention they had the most ADORABLE Shetland pony, Teddy, at the unveiling?
Frankly, this year, we’re just as excited to meet Teddy as we are to see the tree!
📍15 Beeston Place, Belgravia, SW1W 0JW.
🚇 Nearest station is Victoria.
16. The Mondrian Shoreditch
A collaboration between Mondrian Shoreditch and East-London artist Martin Richman resulted in last year’s abstract Christmas tree. The tree was made out of acrylic blades that hung on nylon threads, reflecting and refracting an array of colours around the hotel to add an extraordinary visual experience to the already dazzling display. And we’re sure this year’s display will be equally dazzling when it’s revealed to the world!
📍45 Curtain Rd, Shoreditch, EC2A 3PT.
🚇 Nearest station is Shoreditch High Street.
17. Television Centre
Television Centre’s impressive Christmas tree last year was topped with a design from London-based jewellery brand, Alighieri. Floating above the 12-metre tall tree was The Alighieri Hand of Protection, a large-scale version of one of the brand’s signature talismans, ‘The Curator’. Clad in gold, it’s a symbol of strength and hope in support of Refuge, with 15% of Alighieri’s sales of the Curator Necklace being donated to the charity this festive period. You’ve got to hand it to these guys, they put up a pretty impressive display!
But what will this year’s display look like? We’ll just have to wait and see…
📍BBC Studios, 101 Wood Ln, White City, W12 7FW.
🚇 Nearest station is Wood Lane.
There aren’t many things you can guarantee in life, but Trafalgar Square‘s festive tree making a return over Christmas is definitely one of them. Every year since 1947, Norway has donated an eye-catching tree as a ‘thank you’ for helping them out in WW2. This year’s tree will be unveiled on December 7, a rather late reveal compared to the rest of London’s early openings and illuminations. But it just makes the anticipation rise all the more!
📍Trafalgar Square, Westminster, WC2N 5DX.
🚇 Nearest station is Charing Cross.
19. Aqua Shard
Aqua Shard’s Christmas tree is always a stunner, and last year was no exception. Partnering with Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity, the tree featured ornaments and decorations that paid homage to the different animal wards of the children’s hospital. It was a truly heart-warming, and stunning, display. They promise that 2023’s Christmas tree is going to be unveiled very soon – and we’re itching to see it!
📍Level 31, The Shard, St Thomas Street, SE1 9RY.
🚇 Nearest station is London Bridge.
20. Mandarin Oriental
Hyde Park’s Mandarin Oriental hotel also had a lovely Christmas tree last year when they brought back their ‘Wishing Tree.’ More than just a gorgeous sight, it was also a tree that gave back to the community by raising funds for the Make A Wish Foundation. Decorations came from local boutiques and school children, and guests were able to write down their holiday wishes and entrust them to the Wishing Tree. Will it return for 2023? Only time will tell!
📍66 Knightsbridge, SW1X 7LA.
🚇 Nearest station is Knightsbridge.
So there you have it – a roundup of the best Christmas trees in London for 2023. Keep your eyes peeled on this website to see more as they’re announced!
Also published on Medium.
