It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in our neighbourhood, with headline-grabbing festive displays dotted throughout Knightsbridge
We can’t promise a white Christmas in London, but you can always guarantee spectacular festive lights and displays admired the world over. As the nights draw in and temperatures drop, the sight of twinkling LED lights, creative displays and towering Christmas trees can’t help but fill even the most committed Scrooge with child-like glee. And Knightsbridge is in a league of its own when it comes to London’s most Instagrammable Christmas lights. For one thing, it’s in the Knightsbridge neighbourhood where you’ll find the spectacular Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, which is visible for miles around with its whimsical funfair lights and giant Ferris wheel. But the real star attraction this year is Harrods’ jaw-dropping Dior takeover. Inspired in part by Christian Dior’s own love of Christmas time, this gigantic illuminated installation, titled The Fabulous World of Dior, is the first of its kind for the luxury department store. The magical display is fashioned like a giant gingerbread house with whimsical symbols and motifs inspired by the French maison. Fellow luxury department store Harvey Nichols is also on sparkling form this month with metallic themed window displays complete with disco-ball detailing and glamorous shimmers of gold, silver and mirror decor.Shine bright: Knightsbridge lights up London
Adding to the magic for Christmas 2022 is the fact that Knightsbridge, as a district, has its very own lights display for the first time. Unveiled in late November, the festive displays (all made from recycled aluminium frames) include 40 lamp posts, seven dressed trees and some 24,000 LED lights showcasing the latest in low-energy technology. You can catch the lights from Wilton Place to Brompton Square.
To get visitors even more in the festive spirit, there will be pop-up carol singers on Saturday 10 December. These include performances from Stelle Natale, a collection of singers from London’s prestigious music conservatoires who have performed at the likes of the Royal Opera House, English National Opera and Glyndebourne. There’s also Hartley Voices, a collection of talented opera, musical theatre and choral singers who make up one of the best-loved Christmas singers in the country. You can catch them between 13:30 – 16:45 on Brompton Road, outside Knightsbridge Station, and Hans Crescent.
Then, of course, you have the many landmark hotels of Knightsbridge, who always pull out all the stops when it comes to festive displays. This year, the Mandarin Oriental has gone for traditional greenery and lights on the exterior, with cosy interiors and roaring fireplaces inside. The Lanesborough’s display, on the other hand, is a strikingly modern scheme featuring giant, origami-like cascading snowflakes and a minimalist white Christmas tree. Tony Marklew, the designer behind its Lucky Star installation, described it as a ‘magical and sparkling environment which nods to childhood and romantic tales of the likes of The Snow Queen’. Around the corner, The Berkeley hotel has also gone for a shimmering effect, with thousands of white lights dangling above the main entrance step, which look simply entrancing come nightfall.
