The Trafalgar Square Christmas tree was the destination for this December evening in London. I began beside the London Eye, then headed towards the square for the 2018 tree-lighting ceremony. There were speeches, carols and a crowd waiting to see the lights come on.

This standalone Roberts London video premiered on 25 December 2018. It records the earlier ceremony rather than a visit filmed on Christmas Day. The photographs below come from that original footage.

From the London Eye to Trafalgar Square

At the start of the film, the London Eye glowed red across the river. I looked ahead to its role in the New Year celebrations, but the evening’s destination was a different London landmark. The Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square was about to be lit for the first time that season.

For me, the tree’s appeal was about more than its size or decorations. I described it as a particularly symbolic Christmas tree. Its simple appearance was part of the attraction: the occasion and the tradition gave it a significance beyond the lights.

Waiting for the tree-lighting ceremony

By the time I reached Trafalgar Square, the crowd had gathered and the ceremony was under way. The tree was still dark against the evening sky. The National Gallery was illuminated behind it, making the contrast clear while everyone waited.

Carols and speeches filled this part of the visit. The speakers discussed the gift from Oslo and the friendship between Norway and Britain. The film stays with the ceremony long enough to capture that sense of thanks and shared occasion, rather than showing only the moment the tree lights up.

I watched from among the people in the square. The waiting, the voices and the view of the dark tree all form part of the record. They give the illuminated scenes that follow a little more context.

The Trafalgar Square Christmas tree in lights

Once illuminated, the tree became the focus of the square. Long strings of white lights picked out its shape, with a bright star at the top. I filmed it from several positions, including beside a fountain and across the square near one of the lions.

The fountain’s coloured light made a striking foreground for the tree. Elsewhere, visitors held up phones to take photographs, while the carol singers remained gathered beneath the branches. The National Gallery and the surrounding buildings framed the scene.

These different views are what I enjoy about filming a familiar place. The same tree looks quite different across the water, behind the crowd or beside the square’s monuments. Together, the shots show both the decorations and the people who had come to see them.

Carols and a final look around the square

Near the end of the visit, I spoke to the camera with the tree behind me. I thought it looked phenomenal, and carols were still being sung beneath it. The ceremony had given the evening a clear sense of arrival: Christmas was under way in central London.

This is an archive of that 2018 visit, with its own crowd, weather and views of the square. The film finishes with more London night scenes after the main reflections on the ceremony.

Watch the 2018 tree-lighting visit

Watch the original video below for the walk from the riverside, the speeches, the illuminated tree and the carols. The standalone film runs for just under ten minutes.

This visit also appears in the full December in London episode, alongside the ice rinks and Christmas markets.