This is a sponsored article on behalf of The Yards Covent Garden.
A free, festive event comes to central London on three evenings this Christmas, pairing live music and immersive performances with beautiful decorations and seasonal shopping and dining, all in one handy location.
Lantern Light Nights take place at The Yards Covent Garden on three Thursday nights this November and December, with a different theme each time. If you've wandered through the area — just a couple of minutes' walk from both Covent Garden and Leicester Square stations — recently, you'll have noticed it's looking all kinds of festive.
The pedestrianised shopping and dining streets are festooned with giant, glowing lanterns, offering an ideal festive selfie spot — and a rather enchanting place to get some Christmas shopping done. On Mercer Walk, the towering Christmas tree has a Guinness theme (more on which below), and is decorated with twinkling lights and golden decorations, topped with a large, glowing harp.
All this makes a glorious backdrop for live performances. Swing by after work on 27 November for Festive Community Voices, a community Christmas singing event which promises goosebumps and grins in equal measure. Inclusive West End choir Sing Space teams up with The Baked Bean Charity, a local London charity with a DJ training hub for people with learning disabilities, to offer a singalong session open to everyone. Join them to hear and sing-a-long to your favourite musical theatre hits and Christmas tunes, from The Greatest Showman to Winter Wonderland.
Catch a magical ballet spectacular on 4 December, in the family-friendly Strings of the Season. Stars from Pineapple Dance Studios don Nutcracker-inspired costumes for a free ballet showcase, as well as a performance by world-renowned harpist Valeria Clarke that's set to create an ethereal soundscape. Throw in the spectacular lantern lights backdrop and it'll be quite the atmospheric evening.
Finally, on 11 December, the long-awaited Guinness Open Gate Brewery London throws open its doors, bringing a taste of the brand's iconic Irish heritage to the capital through brewery tours, masterclasses and more. As is the Irish way, the brewery will be welcomed as The Yards' newest resident with an authentic Ceili-themed music and dance experience (all free).
Hear lively Celtic tunes from the Blag Band, and harpist-fiddler Maggie Mae Henegan, and see Irish step dancers from Pineapple Dance Studios showing off their skills in Riverdance-style performances on the outdoor stage, against the twinkling backdrop of The Yards' huge festive lantern lights installation.
Whichever Lantern Light Nights you attend (heck, it's free — why not go to all three?), the range of stylish shopping and dining options give you more than enough reason to make a night of it at The Yards Covent Garden this Christmas.
Lantern Light Nights at The Yards Covent Garden take place on Thursdays 27 November and 4 and 11 December, 5pm-8pm. Entry is free, no booking required, and everyone is welcome. Share your pictures from The Yards using @TheYardsCoventGarden.
