ADVERTORIAL • November 2024

The perfect festive day out in Central London

From festive lights and indulgent experiences to stellar shopping and delicious dining, those sleigh bells are jingling, ring-ting tingling for this winter itinerary in the West End

Certain things are undeniably, iconically festive. Home Alone and Christmas markets, for example. Hot cocoa pillowed with marshmallows. Gold chocolate coins in a fishnet purse. Gingerbread. And London’s Regent Street and St James’s, twinkling like giant jewellery boxes with their annual illuminations. Arguably, the Big Smoke is at its most mesmerising in winter, when Christmas shoppers throng the streets of the West End, theatres provide welcome warmth and entertainment, and stores glow with light and good cheer. Have an unabashedly festive day out in the capital’s best-loved locations with help from our pocket guide. Scrooges need not apply. 

Dazzling displays

Fun fact for fans of trivia and The Chase: Regent Street was the first destination in central London to install Christmas lights back in 1954. The original display featured a flock of angels flying overhead alongside cascading streams of light and sparkling stars. Today’s illuminations (which are now in their 70th year) doff their hat to this template, while championing modern British design. The Spirit of Christmas display comes to life on 7 November in a beloved big switch-on ceremony. Eyes to the sky on Jermyn Street: the St James’s festive lights are bedecked with beautiful, billowing fabrics in a nod to the street’s tailoring heritage.

lights

Regent Street rewards

Christmas lists at the ready, shoppers. Regent Street and St James’s put some of the world’s best-loved department and designer stores at your fingertips. Flex your credit card athletically for the likes of Liberty London, a six-floor treasure chest brimming with fashion, beauty, homewares and iconic fabrics. There’s even a deluxe piercing studio, should you wish to add some festive ice to your earlobes. Hamleys, the world’s oldest toy store, guarantees shining eyes for little ones. Pick up gifts for your favourite fitness addict at Gymshark and Alo Yoga, or create your own DIY winter wonderland with Anthropologie’s sparkly homewares. At Quadrant Arcade, source British candles and scents at Creed, be pampered at MASAJ and get a barnet or beard trim from the barbers at Supply 91. One must look one’s best for Santa, after all.

arcade

St James’s gems

Over in St James’s, browse independent boutiques at Princes Arcade, picking up a box of Prestat chocolates – a distinguished stocking-filler if ever there was one. Buy ripe, creamy creations for your Christmas cheeseboard at Paxton & Whitfield, London’s oldest cheese shop. Find the wine and port to match at Berry Bros & Rudd, which has traded from the same premises since 1698. Last but not least, lose track of time in Fortnum & Mason, picking up rose and violet chocolate creams and admiring the store’s whimsical animal dreamscapes with your little elves.

fortnums

Eat, drink and make merry

If you followed our instructions, you will have indubitably shopped up an appetite. Refuel at Heddon Street, Regent Street’s vibrant foodie quarter. Lures include Heddon Street Kitchen for European brasserie fare by Gordon Ramsay, Piccolino for Italian dishes designed for sharing, and Casa do Frango for unpretentious Portuguese classics. Two box-fresh restaurants have recently arrived on Heddon Street: Fonda, serving modern Mexican dishes and creative drinks (make ours a Champagne Paloma), and Ambassadors Clubhouse, inspired by the party mansions of Northern India, with a menu celebrating ‘undivided Punjab’ cuisine.

Ambassadors Clubhouse

Market magic

Similarly cosmopolitan, St James’s Market vies for your appetite with crowd-pleasing culinary magnets. Savour modern European gastronomy at cavernous Fallow, or head to Fowl for its popular ‘beak-to-feet’ menu. Discover vibrant Indonesian flavours at Toba, or dress to impress for globe-trotting fine dining at Scully. Sael London is the new kid on the block from Michelin-rated chef Jason Atherton. Save room for jam roly-poly with Jersey custard.

fallow

Raise a glass

A frequent presence on ‘World’s Best Bar’ lists, Artesian guarantees elegant cocktails in spiffing surroundings: The Langham hotel, to be precise. For cosy carousing and classic pub vibes, join the locals and sip a glass of belly-warming red wine or a tart G&T with a fat slice of cucumber at The George, a traditional 18th-century, Grade II-listed pub in Fitzrovia. Even Ebenezer would approve.

langham

Follow @regentstreetw1 and @stjameslondon for more ideas for your ultimate central London trip. Find Regent Street inspiration here. Learn all about St James’s here.

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