Fleet Street Quarter kicked off the Christmas festivities on Tuesday 21 November with iconic Ludgate luminations as the Christmas lights were switched on at 55 Ludgate Circus. Ludgate Circus, an area of London in Fleet Street Quarter, where Ludgate Hill crosses Fleet Street, with views east to St Paul’s Cathedral, is set to shine brighter than ever this winter, with plans for Chancery Lane, and New Street Square to also be lit up in the coming days with over 90,000 bulbs.
The Ludgate Circus switch-on marked a historic moment as it introduced Christmas lights to the area for the first time. The seasonal celebrations began when the lights were switched on by City of London’s Policy Chairman, Christopher Hayward and his Deputy Keith Bottomley. Below the lights, an installation by artist Bella Gomez, who specialises in abstract graphics – also brings festive cheer to the street. The renowned London Contemporary Voices Choir performed music, creating the perfect backdrop for a magical evening in the heart of the quarter, while guests were treated to mulled wine, hot chocolate, mince pies and festive biscuits.
Also making an appearance on the evening was The Snowman, the fondly loved character from the late Raymond Briggs book of the same name. The Christmas light switch-on coincided with the much-anticipated launch of the magical trail ‘Walking with The Snowman™’ – where families and visitors will be able to discover 12 decorated Snowman sculptures throughout the Quarter over the next 10 weeks. The partnership with Wild in Art and Penguin Random House Children’s, will give visitors the chance to visit each sculpture dotted around Fleet Street Quarter, designed by various British-based artists and inspired by the carol, ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas.’ Children’s illustrator, Olaf Falafel has also created a special map for the trail that is free and runs until January.
Lucy French, CEO of the Fleet Street Quarter, comments, “Our second Festive Fleet Street Quarter is underway! The Ludgate luminations kick starts a perfect programme to unwrap the magic of this historic and enchanting area.
“I love this time of year, seeing communities come together to sing, make, shop, eat and drink and be merry! This year we have many festivities taking place from several Christmas light switch-on events, a great magical Snowman trail and a Makers’ Market. We hope to encourage more people to visit and explore this great area of the capital.”
Still to come, on 28 November at 5pm, Chancery Lane will come alive with a dazzling display of lights evocative of the newspaper-printing heritage Fleet Street is synonymous with, with the design depicting the leaves of a newspaper. The light switch-on will be inaugurated by Shravan Joshi, Planning and Transportation Chairman for The City of London Cooperation, who will be accompanied by a special performance from London Contemporary Voices Choir.
The holiday spirit continues to spread, at New Street Square on 30 November at 5pm, when the traditional Christmas tree lights will be switched on in partnership with LandSec. Adding to the joy of the occasion, the Citizens of the World Choir, a refugee choir known for their soulful renditions of traditional Christmas songs and international festive favourites, will grace the event with a heart-warming performance.
