Christmas lights in London 2005: Regent Street, Oxford Street, Bond Street, Trafalgar Square

2005 CHRISTMAS LIGHTS: Oxford Street

The 2005 Oxford Street lights ceremony was on Tuesday 15th November.
Heart 106.2 presenters warmed up the crowd

The breakfast show's Jamie Theakston ...

... and Harriet Scott, plus ...

... Toby Anstis

Westlife performed their songs "You raise me up" and "World of our own"

Kian

Mark

Shane

Nicky

There are some loyal Westlife fans in the crowd

Face To Face (CD album)
Label: Sony Bmg
Date: October 2005

Westlife - The No.1's Tour (DVD)
Studio: Sony Bmg
Date: November 2005

The 2005 lights:

The 2005 Oxford Street lights

Merry Christmas!

Contestants from the TV competition The X Factor also sang on stage.

Andy and Brenda sing a duet ...

... then it's Nicholas' turn, and finally ...

... it's Chico time!

X Factor - The Greatest Auditions Ever (DVD)
Studio: Sony Bmg
Date: November 2005

The 2005 lights were turned on the day before the annual London to Brighton Veteran Car Run.
Many of the cars (which are over 100 years old) paraded on Regent Street during the afternoon.

The first Christmas lights to be turned on were those of the toy shop Hamley's.

At 5pm the main lights were turned on by Lee Ryan (formerly a member of the pop group Blue).

In 2005 the theme of the Regent Street lights is the film Ice Age 2.
The main characters can be seen among the lights:
Manny (a woolly mammoth), Sid (a sloth), Scrat (a saber-tooth squirrel) and Diego (a saber-tooth tiger).

Diego, Manny and Scrat (left to right)

Sid

Ice Age [2002] (DVD)
Studio: 20th Century Fox Film Corporation
Date: October 2002

Ice Age 2: The Meltdown [2006] (2 DVDs)
Studio: 20th Century Fox Film Corporation
Date: October 2006

Members of the cast of the West End musical Scrooge performed on the stage. The musical is based on Charles Dickens' story "A Christmas Carol", and was performed at the London Palladium.

Bananarama sang their new single Look on the Floor (Hypnotic Tango), as well as Venus (one of their most popular hits from the 1980's).

Members of the cast of Mamma Mia performed several Abba hits from the show.

The cast of Scrooge

Bananarama

Scrooge [Soundtrack] (CD album)
Label: Jay
Date: April 2004

Drama (CD album)
Artist: Bananarama
Label: Absolute
Date: November 14, 2005

Sid (the sloth) and Scrat (the saber-tooth squirrel) appeared - they are two of the stars of the Ice Age films.

Lee Ryan (who turned on the lights) sang a couple of songs, including his latest single Turn your car around.

Lee Ryan (CD album)
Artist: Lee Ryan
Label: Bmg
Date: August 2005

Turn Your Car Around (CD single)
Artist: Lee Ryan
Label: Bmg
Date: October 2005

The 2005 event on Bond Street was called Bond Noël.
To start, carol singers warmed up the crowd with a selection of favourite Christmas carols.

The Mayor of Westminster and his wife appeared on the stage (outside the Louis Vuitton store on New Bond Street).
A boy and girl from Great Ormond Street (a children's hospital) helped Jodie and Jemma Kidd to turn on the lights.
Raffle tickets sold in the Bond Street shops helped to raise money for the hospital.
Jodie Kidd (pictured wearing a hat) is a popular British "supermodel".
Her elder sister Jemma Kidd is a former model who now runs a make-up school.

Father Christmas went to greet the children, while his reindeer took a rest in their pen ...

People on stilts, monocyclists and jugglers entertained the crowds

In 2005 the ceremony started with singing
both by the Oslo Cathedral Boys Choir ...

... and by the Norwegian singer
Sissel Kyrkjebo

They were then joined by the choir of St Martin-in-the-Fields

The Norwegian and British choirs sing together

The mayors of Westminster and Oslo made short speeches ...

... before turning on the lights of the tree

The lights are all white,
which is the tradition in Norway

The Trafalgar Square fountains
were turned on

Bell ringers play in celebration

Merry Christmas!

	Study, work or travel in the UK. British culture and life.
Homepage	Search	A-Z index	Message Board	Contact us
Britain	Course	Life	Work	Links
English	Prepare	Personal	Travel	Ideas






< Up	Ideas / Album / Christmas Lights 2005
Christmas Lights in London in 2005