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The Shard is a relative newcomer to London’s lengthy list of spectacular festive lights displays. And while, sure, the skyscraper doesn’t have quite the same quaint sort of charm as Carnaby, Covent Garden and St James’s, it still properly gets in the festive spirit.
This year the city’s favourite big pointy shiny building will once again get decked out in a Christmassy lights display. The Shard’s 2024 display will apparently be inspired by the carols ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas’, ‘Jingle Bells’, ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ and ‘Deck the Halls’. Each carol gets a 15-minute ‘light sequence’ that will repeat every hour.
The lights will be switch on in the evening of November 14 and, appropriately, the display will be greeted by a rendition of ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas’. A choir of six will be conducted by none other than Gareth Malone, BAFTA-winning presenter of TV show The Choir.
Not all of the Shard’s 310 metres will be lit up. As before, it’s just the top 20 storeys that will have a festive display, making use of 575 LED lights and fittings.
London’s Christmas lights on Time Out
London really puts on a show at Christmastime. If you’re looking for more festive lights displays in the capital, here are Time Out’s switch-on date guides to Oxford Street, Regent’s Street, Carnaby Street and Covent Garden, plus all the other fabulous displays in the city.
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