When having a festive wander around London at Christmas time, there are a few essential spots to poke your head in at. Covent Garden’s giant 55ft Christmas tree – adorned with 30,000 LED lights – and glittering night display put it firmly in this category, and they’ve just announced that the show will be very much back for 2024.
Talking of lights, the overall total at the piazza, which will switch on come November 12is an eyewatering 260,000, with the LED beams sparkling across the square for the entire festive season giving it the seasonal glow that we’ve become used to (and the some). Last year, the display was made up of 140,000, and they’ve one-upped themselves once more by almost doubling the total this time around!
Christmas time at Covent Garden
Once the lights are up, that doesn’t mean an end to the festive activities. There will be all sorts of goings on throughout Chrismas, with the lights switch on signalling the start of their seven-week calendar of events. Expect pop-ups, family-friendly experiences, surprise performances, and, of course, plenty of mulled wine and food to munch on as we tackle the cold weather with a swarm of festivity.
Santa’s sleigh will also be making a grand return, with the reindeer dropping it off at the square to provide a perfect photo opportunity before heading over to to a ‘Festive Thursday’ for live entertainment and shopping into the night.
While they love to whip out the returning crowd-pleasers, Covent Garden are also well-versed in giving people a new flavour with each Christmas that passes in the form of eye-catching decoration. Last year, we saw 40 gigantic bells with bows and baubles taking to the Market Building to chime the calls of festivity, and this year also promises new tricks with a brand new light scheme kissing the streets around Seven Dials – with 150,000 lights giving the area a literal glow up for the Christmas calendar this year.
Covent Garden lights switch on at their piazza and giant 55ft Christmas tree on the evening of November 12. Further details for the event are due to be announced this month.
