Winter Festival brings festivities to Seven Dials

Shaftesbury celebrates a successful ‘Seven Dials Winter Festival’, a three-day shopping, dining and cultural event that took place over the weekend from 19th-21st November, in the heart of London’s West End.

The Winter Festival featured on-street entertainment and creative workshops such as traditional brass bands, gospel choirs, as well as complimentary glitter stations and wreath making. There was also a pop-up pantomime, plus live music, spoken word artists and illustrators all dotted around the destination’s famous cobbled streets. Visitors were able to enjoy mulled wine carts, hot chocolate stations and festive food all complemented by the festive light installation and in-store offers from Seven Dials’ independent and flagship brands.

An interactive charity donation point and light installation had also been created at the Neal’s Yard Festive Arch on Monmouth Street to add extra sparkle to the festive lights throughout December. All donations go towards supporting our local, younger generation, through the Young Camden Foundation, over the festive period and by addressing longstanding and complex issues, such as digital poverty, youth safety, and mental health.

The weekend line-up was headlined with appearances from culinary expert and TV personality Gizzi Erskine (@gizzierskine), who provided a masterclass in conjunction with the unique hotdog-style doughnut brand – Longboys – on Saturday. Body confidence advocate and entrepreneur, AlexLight (@alexlight_ldn) took the reins on Sunday and hosted a podcast in the newly refurbished Donmar theatre.

Karen Baines, Head of Group Marketing and Communications at Shaftesbury, commented: “This year’s annual Seven Dials Christmas event was particularly important as it was an opportunity to provide a safe and inviting location in the heart of London’s West End and officially celebrate the start of the festive period, something we were not able to do last year. This is the first time we extended our celebrations to a three-day event and over a whole weekend – a decision we made specifically to benefit our range of visitors, including the growing local tourism and theatre-goers alike, providing more time to enjoy and experience the offerings and immersive activations available within Seven Dials. It has been fantastic, as always, to collaborate with the community, retailers and restaurants, and making this year’s Winter Festival a reality and to welcome visitors, old and new to Seven Dials.”