It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas – Southbank Winter Festival and Covent Garden

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas around London, with decorations springing up and lights gradually being switched on.

 

This week we took a stroll along the Southbank where the wooden chalets of the Christmas Market are back in business selling gifts, Christmas baubles and all manner of festive food and drink. There’s a carousel and miniature train, Christmas tree maze and cider lodge. As Christmas approaches there will be various shows and performances, tasting events and pedal-powered snow globe Christmas trees. It’s atmospheric but the paid attractions are a bit on the pricey side as usual (£4 each for a ride on the miniature train or to enter the maze would soon add up for a family). More details of the Winter Festival here

Across the Thames, the halls of Covent Garden market are well and truly decked, complete with oversized baubles, colossal candy canes and a giant silver reindeer. There will be real life reindeer in the Piazza to pat and feed every Saturday afternoon from now until Christmas, along with pop-ups, charity events and entertainment. More details here