The Trafalgar Square Christmas tree lighting ceremony brings a different kind of Christmas spectacle to London. In this December 2018 film, I walk from the London Eye to the square, join the crowd for the speeches and watch the Norwegian tree glow against the night sky. There are carols, wet pavements and some lovely views of the fountains along the way.
This is an archive visit from 2018. The original video premiered on 7 December that year, and the photographs below come from that evening’s footage.
From the London Eye to Trafalgar Square
I begin beside the London Eye, with its red lights behind me. At the end of December it will become a focal point for London’s New Year celebrations. However, this evening’s destination is a little further up the road: Trafalgar Square and its Christmas tree.
The streets are damp, and the lights reflect across the pavement as I make my way towards the square. Traffic continues around the edge while people gather inside. Ahead, the National Gallery provides a bright backdrop to a tree that is still mostly a dark outline.
Why Oslo’s Christmas tree matters
On the walk, I explain why this particular tree means so much. It represents the friendship between Norway and Britain, with roots in the support Britain gave Norway during the Second World War. King Haakon VII and the Norwegian government took refuge in Britain after the invasion of Norway in 1940.
The tree’s significance is what draws me back. It does not need to compete with every extravagant Christmas display in London. Instead, the gift carries a story of remembrance, gratitude and friendship into the centre of the city.
In the film, I describe the 2018 tree as an 80-year-old spruce from one of Oslo’s forests. The ceremony also pays tribute to the people who selected, nurtured, transported and raised it. That work is easy to overlook when you arrive to find a full-sized tree standing in the square.
Waiting for the Christmas tree lighting ceremony
By the time I arrive, carols and speeches are under way. I stop to show the tree in the darkness and explain that we are waiting for the lights. People fill the square, with phones and cameras ready for a first look.
The film includes part of Westminster’s formal thanks to Oslo. The speech returns to the shared history behind the gift and the friendship that has continued across the years. Hearing those words among the crowd gives the evening a sense of occasion.
White lights, fountains and carols
Once the tree is illuminated, I move around the square to film it from different angles. Simple white lights follow the branches down from the top. Meanwhile, the fountain glows purple beside it, adding colour to the water and its reflections.
There is plenty to see without moving far. One view places a bronze lion in the foreground, with the tree and National Gallery beyond. Another brings the crowd closer, showing how the lights rise above everyone gathered beneath them.
Carol singers continue beneath the tree. Towards the end of the visit, I mention the charity carol singing planned through that December. The music and the crowd are as much a part of the atmosphere as the lights themselves.
A December evening in the London archive
I finish by the square, still delighted with how the tree looks. The closing street shots include the illuminated frontage of the Sherlock Holmes pub as the evening walk continues.
For related coverage of the same tree, see my Trafalgar Square Christmas tree and carols film. You can also follow the wider festive season in December in London: Christmas trees, ice rinks and markets.
