Things to do in London at Christmas 2018
Christmas Lights in London 2018
Christmas in London is a magical time and made more so by some of the best Christmas lights in the world. Many of London's major streets will be decked out in christmas lights and so it is very hard to miss them. Every year they change, so there's no such thing as light-fatigue.
Christmas Lights Turn On
Oxford Street Christmas Lights
Most of them will be turned on between the start and the middle of November 2018 (often by a local celebrity such as a pop star or tv star) and in our opinion the best Christmas lights can usually be found in Bond Street, Marylebone High Street, Oxford Street, Carnaby Street, and Covent Garden - and at the same time of course you can do your London Christmas shopping.
Carnaby Street Christmas Lights
Possibly the most famous London Christmas lights on a single store are at Harrods in Knightsbridge.
Harrods Christmas Lights
The Best Lights in London
There are many debates about where to see the best lights, but we think these are unmissable!
- Bond Street
- Carnaby Street
- Covent Garden
- Regent Street
- Oxford Street
- Seven Dials
- Duke of York Square
Aside from the lights in Duke of York Square in Chelsea (which will require a tube trip), the other locations are all within in a mile and so all can be visited on foot in one evening. We'd recommend starting West in Bond Street and walking East towards Covent Garden, but it makes little difference as the christmas lights can be seen in all directions!
The Christmas Lights Story
in London we often call Christmas lights 'fairy lights', but usually in conjunction with Christmas trees, or a string of lights.
The 1st Christmas tree was lit by the use of electricity in 1882 by Edward Johnson with 80 small electric light bulbs in New York City - and he also invented the first string of christmas lights. The tradition to light up streets and department stores started at the very end of the 19th Century and is now big business - just like everything else around xmas.
Share this page
The Christmas Blog
Christmas and the Ballet
Christmas is fast approaching and I’m leafing through my Southbank Centre Classical Music guide, worrying that I might be far too late already for some of my most favourite performances
by Susann Laughton
see all xmas blog posts
You May Not Know
Jingle Bells was originally a song for Thanksgiving (not Christmas) in America in 1857. Called "One Horse Open Sleigh" it was eventually renamed to the catchier title and went on to become a xmas classic.
