List of Oxford Street Christmas lights celebrities explained

Oxford Street Christmas lights
Genre:Christmas
Frequency:Annually
Venue:Oxford Street, West End of London
Coordinates:51.5153°N -0.142°W
Founders:-->
Prev:2018
Next:2019
Organised:Field and Lawn
Or Sponsors:-->

Oxford Street, a main shopping street in Central London, has been decorated with festive lights for many Christmases since 1959. They have been a regular and popular feature of Christmas in London.[1]

The lights were originally installed in response to nearby Regent Street, which had featured Christmas lights since 1954. The lights were paid for by shop owners and the local council, and were installed in order to give a sense of occasion to shoppers that could not be found anywhere else. The tradition fell out of favour by the early 1970s because of the economic climate, and no lights were featured for some years. It returned in the 1980s following campaigning from local traders.[2]

Since 2010, management of the lights has been undertaken by Field and Lawn, a marquee hire company who also install the Regent Street lights. Around 750,000 bulbs are used annually.[3] Current practice involves a celebrity turning the lights on in mid- to late-November, and the lights remain until 6 January (Twelfth Night). The position of turning the lights on can be considered an aspiration, and an indication that a particular celebrity is very popular. The festivities were postponed in 1963 because of the assassination of John F. Kennedy.[1] In 2015, the lights were switched on earlier, on Sunday 1 November, resulting in an unusual closure of the street to all traffic. In 2018, there wasn't a celebrity guest at the light switch on and instead several performers played at various stores along the street.[4]

The following celebrities have turned on the lights since 1981:

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

References

Citations

Sources

Notes and References

  1. News: London's bright past. BBC News. 22 December 1997. 10 July 2015.
  2. Web site: A brief history of London's Christmas lights. CityMetric. 5 December 2017. 9 October 2018.
  3. News: C7 bulbs or C9s? How Christmas lights became a nerdy obsession. Michael. Hann. The Guardian. 11 December 2017. 9 October 2018.
  4. News: Oxford Street Christmas lights switch on 2018: When is it and who will perform?. Evening Standard. 5 November 2018. 15 June 2019.
  5. Book: Sinclair, David . Wannabe: how the Spice Girls reinvented pop fame . 90 . Omnibus Press . 2004 . 978-0-7119-8643-5.
  6. News: Mike . McGeever . Peter Andre's got the 'Time' . Billboard . 18 . 20 December 1997 . 28 November 2010.
  7. News: Boyzone star gets in Christmas spirit. BBC. 19 November 1999.
  8. Web site: Charlotte lighting up London. charlottechurch.net. 21 November 2000. 9 October 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20090324064613/http://www.charlottechurch.net/news/arch11.html. 24 March 2009. dead.
  9. Web site: Claire . Hu . Seven light up Oxford St heavens . https://archive.today/20130505092238/http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-815013-seven-light-up-oxford-st-heavens.do . dead . 5 May 2013 . Evening Standard . 1 November 2001 . 28 November 2010 .
  10. Web site: Enrique Turns It on For London Shoppers . Sky News . 21 November 2003 . 28 November 2010 .
  11. Web site: Enrique the Christmas hero . Mirror . 28 October 2003 . 28 November 2010.
  12. News: Festive switch-on for Potter star. BBC. 16 November 2004.
  13. News: Westlife switch on festive lights. BBC. 15 November 2005.
  14. Web site: Westlife switch on London's Christmas lights . RTÉ Ten . 16 November 2005 . 28 November 2010.
  15. News: Energy row over Christmas lights. BBC. 9 November 2006.
  16. News: Leona to turn on Christmas lights. BBC. 29 October 2007.
  17. Web site: Sri . Carmichael . Thousands see Oxford Street lit up by spirit of Christmas . Evening Standard . 8 November 2007 . 28 November 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20091125185031/http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/events/article-23420111-thousands-see-oxford-street-lit-up-by-spirit-of-christmas.do . 25 November 2009 . dmy-all .
  18. News: Sugababes switch on Oxford Street Christmas lights . https://web.archive.org/web/20100605152332/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/3449286/Sugababes-switch-on-Oxford-Street-Christmas-lights.html . dead . 5 June 2010 . The Telegraph . 13 November 2008 . 28 November 2010 . London.
  19. News: Jim Carrey switches on Oxford Street Christmas lights. 28 November 2010. The Daily Telegraph. 3 November 2009. London.
  20. News: Actor Carrey switches on lights . BBC News . 4 November 2009 . 28 November 2010.
  21. News: Rihanna lights up Westfield. 28 November 2010. Evening Standard. London. 5 November 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20101108050346/http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/showbiz/article-23894797-rihanna-reveals-longing-to-live-in-uk-as-she-switches-on-westfield-christmas-lights.do. 8 November 2010. dmy-all.
  22. News: The Saturdays sing at Oxford Street Christmas lights switch-on. BBC News. 1 November 2011. 10 July 2015.
  23. News: Gary Barlow tribute ends with Take That reunion. BBC News. 6 November 2012. 10 July 2015.
  24. News: Jessie J turns on Oxford Street Christmas Lights. The Independent. 10 July 2015.
  25. News: Oxford Street Christmas lights. London Evening Standard. 6 November 2014. 10 July 2015.
  26. News: Oxford Street Christmas Lights. Time Out. 12 October 2015. 6 November 2015.
  27. News: Craig David to switch on Oxford Street Christmas lights this weekend. London Evening Standard. 31 October 2016. 29 March 2017.
  28. News: Rita Ora Just Announced She, Roman Kemp And Vick Hope Are Turning On The Oxford Street Christmas Lights!. Capital FM. 26 October 2017. 31 October 2017.
  29. News: Oxford Street Christmas lights switch on 2018: When is it and who will perform?. Evening Standard. 5 November 2018. 15 June 2019.

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