Last night Davina McCall switched on the lights on London’s tallest Christmas tree, a 67ft installation outside the Pan Pacific Hotel near Liverpool Street.
Dickensian figures and the world’s biggest wreath
The mammoth tree, which is sponsored by the Eastern City Business Improvement District (BID), features more than 100,000 lights and, in a nod to the Square Mile’s literary history, is surrounded by six Dickensian figures. Opposite the tree you can spot the world’s biggest Christmas wreath in the window of the hotel.
The lighting ceremony was accompanied by stilt-walking nutcracker characters, a gospel choir and stands offering mulled wine and mince pies. After switching on the lights, McCall joined Eastern City BID CEO Kate Hart on stage for a rendition of Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas.
Davina McCall: ‘It means we’re allowed to play Mariah!’
McCall said: “I love it when the lights start going on – it means that we’re allowed to play Mariah!
“Christmas is a time to reflect on what happened to us last year, for some of us. That might be quite difficult, but it is also a time where you can learn from it, and then you can let it go and move on.
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SUBSCRIBE HERE“It’s a great time of hope and coming together, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be friends and family – it can just be remembering to give someone a smile on the street.
“If we look too much at social media, we think, oh, the world is full of horrible people and hatred. But I’m looking around here and I disagree: it’s full of hope, and it’s full of love and beautiful people. So let’s all be kind to each other this Christmas.”
Eastern City BID: ‘It’s all about people and place’
Kate Hart said: “We are incredibly proud to deliver this fabulous festive initiative along with our friends at Pan Pacific London. Christmas is a time for community, for tradition, for celebrating the past but looking ahead to the future. It’s all about people and place.
“In the last five years we have organised over 400 events which have been attended by over 180,000 people – and with your support we hope to do so much more going forward.”
London’s tallest Christmas tree: Dates and festive events
The Eastern City Christmas tree will be on display until 9th January 2027. It is just one of the festive experiences sponsored by the Eastern City BID this Christmas. Others include:
- A Letters to Santa scheme (16 November-20 December), allowing people to post their Christmas wishes on Birchin Lane for the chance to win a Pan Pacific London gift voucher or Christmas hamper.
- A traditional Christmas Sweet Cart (17-19 November and 8-10 December) featuring complimentary old-fashioned sweets at various locations across the Eastern City.
- The Eastern City Festive Fair (24–28 November) which includes traditional market stalls, seasonal treats, festive workshops and Victorian characters.
- A series of Christmas Creative Workshops (17 November-9 December) encouraging Londoners to get creative with wreath-making, gingerbread decorating, festive calligraphy, embroidery and more.
- Dickensian Christmas Walking Tours (26 November and 9 December) allowing people to discover the Eastern City’s festive past through historic landmarks, ghost stories and Victorian Christmas traditions.
- A visit from Santa (10 December) during which the big man himself will visit locations around the Eastern City.