Oxford Street Lights Up!

November 2, 2011

Events

As a guest of Marks and Spencer and the New West End Company, last night I was at the switch on of this year’s Christmas lights over Oxford St.

Starting off in the mocked-up shop floor decked out for Christmas on the top floor of Marks and Spencer’s Marble Arch store, we were treated to samples of the store’s seasonal party food that will shortly be going on sale. Lovely stuff, including the cutest little miniature steak and ale pies and crunchy pork scratching sticks of all things. Then it was downstairs into the VIP area in front of a huge crowd on a blocked-off Oxford St for some compering from Toby Anstis of Heart 106.2fm, a speech from Lord Mayor of Westminster, Susie Burbridge, and Steve Rowe, Director of Retail at M&S;, exhorting us all to shop until we drop.
Then it was the turn of the quintet (which turned out to be a quartet because of Frankie’s ongoing problems) the Saturdays to serenade the crowd with a few numbers, including the first performance of their new single My Heart Takes Over before flipping the switch on the 200,000 or so twinkling led lights that brighten up Oxford St through until Christmas each year. Queue roars and screams from the crowd as artificial snow drifted down and fireworks exploded from the Marks and Spencer rooftop to mark the start of this year’s Christmas shopping season. They really pushed the boat out last night, and who can blame them – given where the economy is right now, and the threat that Oxford St faces from Westfield’s two flagship shopping centres neatly bracket the capital in Shepherds Bush and Stratford, Oxford St needs all the shoppers it can get…

About The Londoneer

Pete Stean is a keen blogger, amateur photographer, singer and ham radio enthusiast in his spare time... Google+

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