Carnaby Christmas installation will celebrate 25 years of illuminations

By

Nigel TAYLOR

Published
Oct 13, 2022

It’s getting close to full-on Christmas season. London’s world-famous retail location Carnaby is preparing to launch its immersive, illuminated festive display from Thursday 3 November.

This year, the Shaftesbury-owned Carnaby area will celebrate “iconic moments” from the annual event’s installations from over the past 25 years to create “a breath-taking medley of the most coveted pieces”.

Throughout Carnaby, visitors will see “an exciting element of historic installations” incorporating 14 different themes. 

Features include neon lyrics from Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, glittering Rolling Stones tongues, fan favourites such as oversized robins, a giant snowman, colourful palm trees from Carnaby Carnival as well as underwater scenes from the Under The Sea installation. 

Illuminations will be spread across Carnaby Street, Foubert’s Place, Ganton Street and Newburgh Street. Meanwhile the Carnaby arches will be adorned with silver shimmer discs embellished with carnival decorations and a “dazzling” globe will be brought back to celebrate the fact that ‘Carnaby Welcomes The World’. 

This year’s project is in collaboration with charity partner Choose Love to highlight and support fundraising for refugees around the world. Choose Love will also have a store at 15-17 Foubert’s Place selling a collection of limited-edition products, along with refugee gifting packages. It also promises a “constant stream of celebrity guests popping in to serve customers”. 

To coincide with the early November switch-on, celebrations will include over 100 stores, bars and restaurants “coming together for a shopping and dining party”. Between 5-9pm visitors can enjoy live music, in-store activations and 20% discounts. Tickets are free at www.carnaby.co.uk/christmas. 

Simon Quayle, Shaftesbury director, said: “We are delighted to bring back the best of Carnaby’s Christmas past and to again create an exciting visual display for visitors. Earlier this year we celebrated 25 years since Shaftesbury first invested in Carnaby, and this is a great way to honour this by showing a selection of decorations over the period.”