Covent Garden Christmas lights in 2017 brought music, mistletoe and a huge illuminated tree to the piazza. I joined the switch-on party, wandered around the market and stopped to listen to the performers who made the evening more than a walk beneath the decorations.

Originally published on 15 November 2017, this film records that year’s celebration. The photographs below are stills from the original footage, showing the piazza, market halls and Christmas tree as they appeared on the night.

Arriving for the Covent Garden Christmas lights

I begin beside the old market buildings, looking across a busy piazza. The shops, restaurants and bars provide the setting, but this evening the Christmas tree and event stage draw the crowd. There is already plenty to look at before the main celebration gets underway.

On the other side of the market, an illuminated reindeer rises above visitors’ heads. Its bright outline stands out against the night sky, with the surrounding shop windows adding a warmer light below. People gather around it while others continue through the piazza.

Music and performances around the piazza

Covent Garden’s theatre connections are part of the evening. In my introduction, I look forward to songs from the musical 42nd Street. The original film description records performances from the show and a switch-on involving Pudsey Bear and special guests for BBC Children in Need.

Away from the stage, the camera finds costumed performers among the shoppers. Spectators hold up their phones, while others pause at the edge of the crowd. These smaller encounters give the film its street-level view of the party.

Music also comes from guitarist Peter Leonard, who is credited in the original video. I return to his performance throughout the edit, between views of the lights and market. His sign is visible beside him, and people stop to listen as the rest of the evening carries on around them.

The Christmas tree lights up

The stage glows purple beside the tree. Once the tree is illuminated, pink and white points of light cover its branches, reaching high above the audience. The wide view holds the tree, stage and surrounding buildings together, with the crowd silhouetted in front.

Then I move away from the stage to see how the decorations fit the market itself. Garlands run along the outside, small lit trees mark the entrances, and a large illuminated decoration sits above the columns. From here, the evening becomes a slower walk through the different spaces around the piazza.

Mistletoe beneath the market roof

Inside, the market offers a different view of Christmas. I look down into the lower courtyard, where visitors fill the walkways around decorated trees. Lamps and shopfronts light the space beneath the upper-level railings.

Above the main hall, oversized mistletoe decorations hang beneath the iron and glass roof. In the introduction, I describe forty mistletoe chandeliers across the markets. Their leaves and glowing berries frame mirrored baubles, which catch fragments of the lights and crowd below.

The roof gives these decorations room to spread out. Looking along the hall reveals one group after another, while looking upwards brings the individual leaves and reflections closer. The crowds beneath them are part of the scene: this is a busy celebration, with people stopping to take photographs as others pass through.

A final look at the Covent Garden tree

Back outside, I finish with the tall Christmas tree behind me. Its lights stand out against the open sky, beyond the market’s roofline. There is still a large crowd on the piazza, and my closing impression is straightforward: the tree and decorations look phenomenal.

Together, the tree, reindeer, market decorations and live music make a record of one particular November evening. The film leaves room to linger on the performances and look around, rather than rushing from one display to the next.

Watch the 2017 switch-on party

Watch the complete Covent Garden Christmas lights film below. For another evening from the same season, visit the Regent Street angels and fireworks, or follow the month in November in London 2017.