Festive freedom
This Christmas promises to be the first since 2019 without Covid-related restrictions , but while that has sparked increased confidence and investment in winter events , there are new challenges . Access explores how the season is shaping up .
Words : Joe Gallop
At last we have a Christmas events season that looks set to be uninterrupted by pandemic related restrictions . Familiar festive favorites are returning en masse , such as Winter Wonderland at London ’ s Hyde Park , and Edinburgh Christmas and Hogmanay , while new events are springing into the market .
With experience in organising Winter Wonderland , the Natural History Museum Ice Rink and Windsor Great Park Illuminated , IMG is a major player in the festive events market . Its new event Glide is set against the backdrop of London ’ s iconic Battersea Power Station , which finally reopened to the public in October following a £ 9 billion renovation . The event features live music and an open-air ice rink , while private igloos are available to book within Glide ’ s festive village .
IMG event director Daniel Filmer says , “ It ’ s exciting to see the numbers that the venue is getting each day at the moment . The quality of the redevelopment is clear to everyone who goes down there . When you look at that building , how unique it is , the space on the front , the footfall they get , it was something that we really wanted to jump on .”
IMG is using Ice World for its ice rinks and Ascot Structures for its Orangeries . “ That ’ s what I ’ m most excited for . I don ’ t think there ’ s anything like it in the UK ,” says Filmer about the impressive glass temporary structures .
With the cost of living crisis involving rising prices and reduced consumer spending power , launching a new event is a brave move . “ You have to go in to it with your eyes open ,” says Filmer . “ We obviously have to be considerate with the environment which we find ourselves in . We ’ ve had an incredibly tough few years . It just makes it more exciting to be working on a project like this , to open a completely new experience for visitors to enjoy after the two years that they ’ ve had .”
Hogging the limelight After Angels Event Experience could no longer deliver on the terms of its contract to stage Edinburgh Christmas , Edinburgh City Council approved revised plans for event producer Unique Assembly to deliver both Edinburgh Christmas and the Hogmanay festival this year . Created and delivered by Unique Events from 1992 until 2017 , Edinburgh ’ s Hogmanay will feature live music for the first time this year , with Sophie Ellis Bextor and Pet Shop Boys set to perform to around 30,000 people .
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