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London’s West End unveils its largest and most sustainable Christmas light display to date

Friday, 7 November 2025 5:04AM UTC

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, ‘The Spirit of Christmas’ transforms iconic London streets with over 300,000 LED lights, blending tradition, sustainability, and community engagement in a spectacular festive display.

London’s West End has once again been transformed into a winter spectacle with the return of the much-loved Christmas lights display known as ‘The Spirit of Christmas.’ Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the installation lights up iconic locations including Regent Street, St James’s, and surrounding streets, bringing festive cheer to visitors and locals alike until January 4.

The illuminated scene draws on historical inspiration stemming from the first angel-themed lights installed in Regent Street in 1954. This year’s display features over 30 luminous ‘Spirits’ crafted from more than 300,000 energy-efficient LED lights. These radiant figures float above key areas such as Regent Street and St James’s, while sparkling accents brighten side streets like Jermyn Street, Glasshouse Street, Swallow Street, and the elegant Princes and Quadrant Arcades.

The festive trail is enriched by interactive elements designed to engage the community. At St James’s Market, an illuminated ‘Wishing Tree’ invites visitors to donate to The Felix Project, a charity dedicated to redistributing surplus food to those in need throughout London. Each donation triggers the tree’s lights to twinkle, reinforcing the spirit of giving alongside the visual celebration.

The lights are switched on daily from 3pm until midnight, offering ample opportunity for shoppers, diners, and cultural enthusiasts to enjoy the city’s vibrant holiday atmosphere. The area’s renowned mix of flagship stores, British brands, acclaimed restaurants, and theatres complements the festive display, encouraging visitors to fully embrace the seasonal spirit.

Despite widespread admiration, the timing of the lights has drawn a range of public reactions. While many embrace the early onset of holiday cheer, some on social media have expressed reservations, citing the lights as premature given that Christmas is still over a month away. Opinions have varied from appreciation of the beauty to outright criticism of the display’s design quality.

The current iteration of ‘The Spirit of Christmas’ represents one of the largest and most ambitious light schemes implemented in the West End to date. Designed by James Glancy Design, the installation reimagines the classic 1954 angel motif with a contemporary flair, signifying both a homage to tradition and a bold artistic statement. The scale of the display extends beyond Regent Street and St James’s Market to incorporate surrounding thoroughfares, making it the biggest single themed festive design in the area’s recent history.

The lights scheme reflects a growing trend towards sustainable festive design, utilising LED technology and energy-efficient timers to minimise environmental impact while maximising visual allure. This approach aligns with broader efforts within London and other cities globally to celebrate holidays in environmentally conscious ways.

As the lights continue to brighten the winter evenings, they serve not only as a visual landmark of London’s festive season but also as a platform for community engagement and charitable support, blending celebration with meaningful social purpose.

📌 Reference Map:

^[1] (Daily Mail) - Paragraphs 1, 2, 4, 6, 7
^[2] (Regent Street Online) - Paragraphs 3, 5, 8
^[3] (London Post) - Paragraphs 1, 3, 5
^[4] (James Glancy Design) - Paragraphs 2, 8
^[5] (Concierge News) - Paragraph 2
^[6] (London Living Blog) - Paragraph 2

Source: Noah Wire Services

More on this

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15267419/Illuminated-angels-soar-streets-London-message-welcome-capital-new-Christmas-lights-day-Bonfire-Night.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490 - Please view link - unable to able to access data
https://www.regentstreetonline.com/news/the-spirit-of-christmas-by-regent-street-2025 - Regent Street's 'The Spirit of Christmas' lights are set to return on 6 November 2025, marking the start of the festive season in London. The display will feature over 30 radiant 'Spirits' crafted from more than 300,000 energy-efficient LED lights, illuminating Regent Street and St James's. The lights will be switched on from early evening, creating a sustainable and atmospheric start to the season. The festive trail will span Regent Street and St James's, including Jermyn Street and St James's Market, with additional twinkling displays on Glasshouse Street, Swallow Street, and Quadrant Arcade. Visitors can also enjoy the illuminated 'Wishing Tree' at St James's Market, where donations to The Felix Project will trigger a captivating display of twinkling lights. The lights will run daily from 3pm until midnight, continuing until Sunday 4 January 2026. For more information, visit the official Regent Street website.
https://london-post.co.uk/regent-street-and-st-jamess-festive-lights-return-for-2025/ - The much-loved 'The Spirit of Christmas' lights are returning to Regent Street and St James's later this year, celebrating their 10th anniversary and signalling the start of the festive season in central London. From Thursday 6 November 2025, the beautiful display will be switched on every evening and will continue to delight visitors until Sunday 4 January 2026. The installation features over 30 sparkling 'Spirits,' crafted from more than 300,000 LED lights, illuminating the heart of the West End while running on an energy-efficient timer system. The festive trail will span Regent Street and St James's, including Jermyn Street and St James's Market, with mesmerising lights also returning to Glasshouse Street, Swallow Street, Princes Arcade, and the striking Quadrant Arcade. Adding to the festivities, St James's Market will once again be home to the beautifully illuminated 'Wishing Tree' where visitors can simply tap to donate £5. For more details, visit the London Post website.
https://www.jamesglancydesign.com/case-study/regent-street/ - Regent Street's first seasonal lights date back to 1954, featuring a festive flock of angels flying overhead, joined by cascading streams of light and iconic twinkling stars. Over sixty years later, this memorable design has been revisited, becoming a poignant source of inspiration as the angels have been artistically reimagined with a contemporary twist. 'The Spirit of Christmas' is one of Regent Street's most ambitious schemes to date and is a truly enchanting sight to behold. It is also the biggest single theme design ever to be introduced at Christmas in the West End, covering Regent Street (upper and lower), Jermyn Street, and St James's Market. The design has also been replicated in Hong Kong on Lee Tung Avenue. For more information, visit James Glancy Design's website.
https://www.conciergenews.co.uk/post/regent-street-st-james-festive-lights-displays-2023 - The Spirits of Christmas returned to glisten above Regent Street and St James's from 9th November 2023 with new illuminations in place. Breathtaking 'spirits' designed by James Glancy Design illuminated the skies, marking the start of the 2023 festive season in central London. The city's most recognisable festive light scheme featured over 50 large-scale 'spirits' soaring high above Regent Street, Regent Street St James's, Piccadilly, Jermyn Street, and St James's Market. New for 2023, additional lights were installed to sparkle over Glasshouse Street, Quadrant Arcade, St James's Market, and Swallow Street, enhancing the existing scheme and bringing festive decoration to more of central London than ever before. For more details, visit Concierge News' website.
https://www.londonliving.info/blog/london-christmas-light-switch-on-2023 - Regent Street and St James's illuminated the night sky on 9th November 2023 with over 50 'Spirit of Christmas' angels gracing the streets, joined by new displays on Glasshouse Street, Heddon Street, and more. A total of 300,000 low-energy LEDs twinkled, making this a truly magical experience. For more information, visit London Living Blog's website.

Noah Fact Check Pro

The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may warrant further investigation.

Freshness check

Score: 4

Notes: The narrative heavily relies on a press release from Regent Street Online dated 6 November 2024, with subsequent references to an article published shortly thereafter. The dominant source is over a year old, which diminishes the freshness of the information, despite some updated data. The recurring mention of the same date and source suggests that the content may be outdated or recycled. Therefore, the freshness score is moderate, warranting a cautious approach when considering the timeliness of this information.

London
West End
Christmas lights