It’s been another busy festive season in Cheapside, with a jam-packed calendar of events and activities throughout November & December. Join us as we look back at the festive fun so far in Cheapside.
Christmas light switch-on
We kicked things off on 15th November with the annual Christmas light switch-on event. Taking place on Bow Lane and in the Churchyard of St Mary-le-Bow, we were delighted to welcome the new Lord Mayor & Lady Mayoress to turn on the lights and start the celebrations in Cheapside. This year’s lighting scheme also featured a new installation outside St Mary-le-Bow church – two stunning church bells illuminating the courtyard! We once again welcomed a local School Choir, who entertained the crowds with renditions of Christmas carols and festive songs.
A massive thank you to everyone who also joined us for our business networking drinks that evening. It was fantastic to welcome so many Cheapside businesses for an evening of food, drinks, discussion, and Christmas celebration.
New festive lighting in Cheapside
This year, CBA made a few new additions to the annual Christmas lighting scheme. To compliment the lights across Bow Lane and surrounding streets, CBA installed a new light feature within One New Change, helping to drive footfall through the shopping centre. This new light feature has had brilliant engagement with visitors to Cheapside.
Extending further across the BID boundary, CBA worked with Paternoster Square to install one of our largest light features to date. A giant, immersive Christmas present – perfect for photos with friends & family! This new installation lights up the entire Square and has been a brilliant addition to Paternoster Square’s existing Christmas market.
’12 Days of Christmas’ Digital Advent Calendar
The ’12 Days of Christmas’ Cheapside Advent Calendar was back with a fresh new look, helping to promote businesses across Cheapside this Christmas. CBA partnered with local businesses to offer workers and visitors the chance to win amazing gifts & prizes. Hosted on the CBA website and promoted on social media, the advent calendar offered a different prize everyday from 1st to 12th December. Across the 12 days, we had over 520 entries to the competition, resulting in fantastic engagement for the local business community.
Festive Gardening Club
This year’s festivities saw the introduction of a CBA Gardening Club, inviting local businesses and their staff to take part in wreath making workshops delivered by Jar & Fern, a local company specialising in gardening and floral workshops. Hosted at the stunning Royal Exchange, the workshops were a brilliant way to spread some Christmas cheer amongst the business community. The CBA team are already working on a 2024 calendar of gardening workshops and events!