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London Christmas Lights Short Walk

The best of London's Christmas Lights, including Covent Garden, Trafalgar Square, Oxford Street and Regent Street

Easy London Short

History

Club walks since April 2015, and a summary which goes back to Jan 2010.

Date Option Post # Weather
Thu, 04-Dec-25 Evening Walk: West End Christmas Lights 16 cold dry night with full moon
Tue, 10-Dec-24 Evening walk: West End Christmas lights 8
Stargazer
West End Christmas Lights
Meet: 6.15pm at the front of Charing Cross main line station
Length: 3.9 miles/6.3 km -- about 2 hours walking
It is the custom at this time of year to get in a festive mood with a SWC evening walk around the West End Christmas lights . Traditionally, this has been led by various guest guides....but now, for the first time, there is an official GPS file and some basic route information available here. The route claims to cover the best of the Christmas Lights on offer in London.....
Usually, there is the option to grab something warm to drink along the way and there are ample refreshment stops towards the end of the route......
Look forward to seeing you there!
  • Stargazer
    Dec-25

    16 on this holiday classic.... many thanks to the GPX file, we were actually able to stay mostly intact as a group once we reconnected at Covent Garden after an early fracture crossing the Strand.... As usual, the lights were cheerful and abundant...most were also treated to a seasonal ballet excerpt from the Nutcracker....while waiting for the group to reconnect... some enjoyed hot beverages along the way.... In addition to the lights, we spent some time admiring the creative windows at both Selfridges and Fortnum & Mason..... 13 finished the evening off at the Prezzo near Trafalagar Square where the enterprising staff were willing to arrange the tables at the end of shift to accommodate our large group. A fun night out on a cold dry night with full moon .

Walker
Meet at 6.30pm at the front of Charing Cross main line station
It is the custom at this time of year to get in a festive mood with a SWC evening walk around the West End Christmas lights. There is no GPX or walk directions, but the route hallowed by tradition is roughly:
Covent Garden * Seven Dials * through Soho to Carnaby Street * Oxford Street and maybe St Christopher's Place and the Selfridges windows * South Molton Street * Bond Street * the Fortnum & Mason windows in Piccadilly.
(A guide to this route may materialise on the day...otherwise Google Maps is your faithful dragoman for the evening.)
After that, those that wish can seek refreshment or nourishment, one idea being a visit to the Christmas market on the South Bank by the Royal Festival Hall - but other ideas are available.

  • Walker
    Dec-24

    I worried it might be only me, but 8 assembled at the front of Charing Cross for this walk. Despite doing our best to lose each other in the jostling, selfie-taking, Instagram-updating crowds (Covent Garden was particularly intense), we managed to stay together throughout the walk.

    Ratings for the lights: Villiers Street - not as good as last year but at least they tried something different; Strand - restrained and nice, the best I have seen them; Covent Garden - a repeat of last year, but still stunning and probably the best of the evening; Seven Dials - different, a good effort; Carnaby Street - always innovative and worth seeing but not their best this year, I think; Regents Street - the shimmering angels are fabulous but this is about the tenth year they have used them, Oxford Street - same old same old; South Molton Street - very restrained, just a scattering of Christmas trees.

    Bond Street - new lights this year but I preferred the old ones. The bling contest between the fashion brands was fun though. Dior won the Instagram contest with an extravagant tropical reef theme (but what has that to do with Christmas?). I preferred Cartier, which was arty and also got some products into its design.

    To finish Fortnum & Mason with its Advent calendar facade and fabulous windows. (Hint: look at what the mice are up to).

    It was now nearing 9pm and there was grumbling in the ranks about food and drink. Two peeled off at Piccadilly tube; six carried on to Whitehall. We tried a series of noisy pubs (one of us just in search of the loo). Finally five of us went to one in Whitehall which turned out not to be serving food. So one defected to the Silver Cross (where we had the party), while one had already bought a beer in the first pub. The remaining three of us had divided loyalties, but in the end we all ended up in the Silver Cross where three ate, one had only a quick drink, and four of us stayed till 22.22. Then home with a guilty glance at the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree, which we had unfairly neglected.