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It’s not Christmas in London without Oxford Street’s twinkling lights, Winter Wonderland Instagram stories and, for some reason, a lorryload of Coca-Cola. So it’s definitely now Christmas, because the brand’s much-awaited annual truck tour is back for 2022.
Coca-Cola didn’t invent St Nick, but it did help with his branding, after a 1931 Coke ad showed a jolly Santa Claus sipping a bottle of the sweet stuff at Christmas. There is even a persistent myth that it’s thanks to Coke that Santa Claus traditionally wears red, something that Coca-Cola Australia are at pains to deny. Now, the two are totally synonymous, and people all over the UK wait to see the iconic lorry with a huge Coke-drinking Santa pay them a visit.
And now that the official dates are out, we can expect the big red bus on no fewer than three dates in the Big Smoke. Initially only appearing in the capital once, the Big Coke Vehicle is now also going to turn up in Wembley on December 1. Huge. The full dates are as follows:
- November 25 – Bluewater, Kent
- November 26-27 – Beckton, London
- December 1 - Wembley Park, London
- December 8-10 – Dublin, Ireland
- December 16-17 – Belfast, Northern Ireland
The brand is collaborating with the Royal Institute of Blind People and NaviLens for this year’s tour, and has vowed to make its packaging better suited for blind and partially sighted people. Some multipacks of Coca-Cola will feature NaviLens technology to celebrate the collaboration. The team will also donate a meal on behalf of everyone who attends the tour this year, and have gifted 100,000 already.
And if even this isn’t enough sweet and sugary madness, there’s the Coca-Cola store in Covent Garden, with more stocking fillers then you can shake a stick at. Follow Coca-Cola’s Instagram for all the updates on its Christmas festivities. Coke ho ho!
You can post a Cadbury’s chocolate bar to a loved one for free this Christmas.
Everything you need to know about the Christmas bus strikes.