Christmas is a time for cities to transform themselves in preparation for the biggest period of spending throughout the year. Millions of shoppers want to go out into the streets and see the magic of Christmas decorations and lights.
From the welcoming Christkindlmarkts with Christmas delicacies and foaming pints of German beer, to dazzling light displays that add a touch of celebration to the high street and make a shopping outing something special for the family.
In this article we’ll take a look at some of the best Christmas decorations in some of the most important cities in the world and how they are transformed for the Christmas festival to entice shoppers out onto the high street.
Harrods: Dolce and Gabbana’s Christmas decorations
The great Italian designers Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce will this year work on a the most opulent, and most expensive Christmas decoration at Harrods as part of a store takeover, giving London a Christmas experience that brings out the very best of Christmas in the British capital.
D&G are completely transforming Harrods using the very best Christmas decorations and interior design. The Christmas tree will feature as part of the market and is an understated, classical Christmas tree with gold ribboning and colourful lights. The designers have incorporated an Italian theme into their Christmas decorations, with animated Sicilian puppets and cuckoo clocks. The D&G Christmas decorations will bring life and fun to the centre of London.
Harrods is one of the most visited shops in London over the Christmas period, and they know the Christmas decorations have to live up to the expectations of their visitors.
So in this £7milion project, D&G will be recreating Christmas in each of the 23 display windows at Harrods. The takeover gives a huge amount of publicity to fashion brands and Dolce and Gabbana showcase their latest apparel, which is seen worldwide and will become one the centrepieces of Christmas in London giving a huge amount of recognition to the D&G brand.
The Trafford Centre Manchester: The world’s largest indoor shopping centre.
The Trafford Centre in Manchester has over four miles of indoor shops, it is the biggest attraction for Christmas shoppers across the whole of the UK and for the annual the Christmas decorations, the designers spare no expense in making them the best that they can be.
The sheer number and grandiosity of the Christmas decorations at the Trafford Centre is spectacular, and the centrepiece of it all is the world’s biggest Christmas chandelier measuring 9 metres in height and 5 metres in diameter hanging beneath the famous Trafford Centre Dome.
The whole project of Christmas decoration takes a huge level of management by KD Decorations, who are contracted to carry out the project. Yet yearly the Trafford Centre is completely transformed for the Christmas revellers who will spend tens of millions over the Christmas period.
There over 400 Christmas trees dotted throughout the Trafford Centre, each one is individually decorated, and there is a Santa’s Sleigh with reindeers which is also suspended from the ceiling. For the 1 million shoppers that will go to the Trafford Centre in the build-up to Christmas, no expense is spared in making sure the Christmas decorations are dazzling.
The Rockefeller Center: New York at Christmas
The Christmas tree in the Rockefeller center, New York is iconic and is known all over the world. This year over 125 million people will see it. At 75 feet-tall and weighing 12 tons, this year’s Norwegian Spruce was sourced in Pennsylvania and will be transported 350 kilometres across the states.
The Rockefeller center Christmas tree is one of the most traditional Christmas decorations in the world and has featured in many Hollywood Christmas movies. The cold wintry frost of New York, towered over by the Rockefeller Christmas tree inspires millions and is true Christmas tradition that goes back to 1933.
Every year, the Rockefeller Plaza is decorated with Christmas lights and an ice rink beneath the tree, the perfect place for New Yorkers to spend time out doors with the family and enjoy a famous Christmas in New York
Hyde Park’s 2017: Magical Ice Kingdom
Over four months of ice sculpting in temperatures of -10º will result in the Deep Sea Adventure Christmas decorations in the Magical Ice Kingdom at Hyde Park.
Made completely from ice, the Magical Kingdom is the biggest ice sculpture in the world, using over 250 tonnes of ice, this whole area of Hyde Park is transformed into a medieval kingdom featuring over 100 individual pieces from life size knights to exquisitely detailed dragons.
The Ice Kingdom features one of the most beautiful Christmas markets in the world, you can drink at the tavern themed ice-bar and the children can play on ice slides. Every year the Christmas decoration of Hyde Park becomes bolder, and this year it is the biggest ever.
Two-hundred and fifty artists create an atmosphere through their sculptures that is perfect for Christmas outings. Adults and children can experience a place that is truly like no other.
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