Photo: Mickey LF Lee
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Well, folks, here’s yet another spot to add to your Christmas lights checklist. If you’re planning on visiting London to see the festive displays, you definitely won’t want to miss this Central London sight. That’s because The Strand is bringing back its popular display from last year, inspired by the Christmassy history of the nearby Savoy Theatre. And they’re switching them on this week – on November 12 to be exact!
To see the display, simply head to Strand and Villiers Street. Wander along the street and you’ll spot illuminated rows of twinkling fairies shining down from the sky, with glowing trails of light behind them. These tie in neatly to a Christmas fun fact concerning the area (perfect for the winter pub quizzes): the Savoy Theatre was the first public building in the world to be fully lit by electricity in 1881. But the story doesn’t stop there. The following year, Joseph Swan invented fairy lights (how’s that for a claim to fame) specifically for a performance at the Savoy Theatre.
Photo: Mickey LF Lee
The Strand’s Christmas lights pay tribute to the Savoy’s history and Swan’s designs with a delightful display. Because… you know… fairy light. FAIRY lights… Get it?
The Strand Christmas lights are made up of over 96,000 LEDs, which were chosen for their low energy consumption. The rest of the display’s components utilise recycled materials and “secondary raw materials”. So it’s perhaps a bit more environmentally friendly than the original fairy lights at the Savoy Theatre might have been!
So bundle up and head on over to Central London to check out the sight. Make sure to bring a few mates and memorise the above fun facts, too, to really impress them. Who knew you were such an expert on the topic of fairy lights and theatrical illumination?
📍 You’ll find the Strand Christmas lights glowing over Strand and Villiers Street. The nearest stations are Embankment and Charing Cross.