Credit: Tunde Valiszka
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One of London’s most adorable and creative sights is set to return to Soho this winter. The Soho Kids Christmas Lights will once again light up the skies above Soho’s streets with the city’s most unique light designs. And there are even more designs to seek out this year, as the display enters its fifth year of charming Soho’s visitors.
The lights are part of an ongoing collaboration between the Soho Parish Primary School and Architecture for Kids CIC. Each year, several designs from the schoolchildren are turned into glittering displays to welcome in the cold weather and the arrival of Christmas. And this year, they’ll be turning them on for the season on November 19, bringing cute Christmas cheer to the capital.
The Soho Kids Christmas Lights
If you’ve strolled around Soho in the past few years around Christmas time, you’ll have likely already spotted the charming designs. They range from shooting stars to mince pies, a reindeer, a snowman, and even a festive crab. Sure, they’re not your traditional Christmassy sights, but we simply love them! They truly capture the magical spirit of the season and provide a lovely insight into the creativity of schoolchildren.
Credit: Tunde Valiszka
This year, they’ve brought back all of the previous designs and are adding to them with 6 new additions. Altogether, this means you’ll find a whopping 61 light displays designed by Soho schoolchildren lighting up the area.
Over 100 designs are submitted annually, with 6 selected by a jury of local community members. Those are pretty stiff odds, but we’re sure the winning budding artists are positively beaming with pride. This year’s new designs are themed around “Lighting, Identity of Place, and this year’s special focus – Women in Soho“.
The resulting display is “a radiant gallery of light that celebrates the voices, creativity, and vision of Soho’s youngest residents.” The 61 special Christmas designs make up a sort of treasure hunt around the area. Next time you’re in Soho, see how many of the lights you can find!
Turning on the lights
There will be a special Soho Kids Christmas Lights Switch-On event on November 19, at 6pm. The Lord Mayor of Westminster Cllr Paul Dimoldenberg will switch on the lights alongside the children who helped design them.
Credit: Tunde Valiszka
Said Antonio Capelao, founder of Architecture for Kids CIC: “This event is a celebration of young voices and their power to shape the spaces we live in. We’re thrilled to see the children’s ideas come to life and light up Soho for everyone to enjoy.”
It’s set to be a joyful celebration of creativity, community, and holiday cheer.