Christmas around the world

Christmas is a time when we transform our homes with decorations and displays, and whilst some take the opportunity to be bold and try new things, many like to stay with tradition and enhance an existing theme.

When it comes to Christmas in our cities, its tradition that usually leads the way. The big annual ‘switch on’ is often the time for local residents to start their annual festivities and visiting tourists enjoy the experience of famous seasonal sights.

Here are some of our favourite displays in some of the world’s most exciting cities…

The Japanese don’t officially celebrate Christmas, but the xmas lights in Tokyo are spectacular. The city has embraced the festive traditions with an enthusiasm you would expect and the Midtown Starlight Garden is a must visit attraction; a football field sized display of blue LED Christmas lights set to music.

Central to Munich’s Christmas decorations is a 30m high tree covered in 2500 lights. Standing proud, in front of the city’s town hall the tree provides the perfect focal point for the historic Christmas markets that date back to the early 14th century.

Singapore is a city that transforms into a sparkling fairyland at Christmas time with glittering lights, decorated xmas trees and competition for the best dressed building facade along the 2.2m stretch of Orchard Road. A sight that simply takes the breath away.

In Paris the Champs Elyses is illuminated every night in a style and elegance that would be expected of the French. Millions of LED xmas lights adorn the 400 trees that line the city’s glamorous avenue, creating a truly enchanting display and attracting millions of tourists each year.

London boasts spectacular light displays on famous city roads such as Oxford Street, Bond Street and Regent Street, and the London eye is even more spectacular than usual, illuminated with twinkling lights and forming the focal point to festivities on the South Bank.

Who could forget Father Christmas clinging to the tower of Manchester Town Hall? He’s changed a bit over the past few years, now with a bit more Zippy about him, but he’s still the same friendly face that visitors to the city love to see.

And last but by no means least…how could we miss out the magnificent Christmas tree that is erected each year outside New York’s Rockerfeller Centre. A stalwart of tradition and one that has appeared in countless films and TV programmes.

Here at Bents we love researching and discovering new ideas from around the world and aim to bring our thoughts and designs back to the Garden Centre. Our displays may be smaller than those lining the streets of the world’s biggest cities, but they still provide as much inspiration so why not check out what we’ve created for 2018.