Christmas lights go up in London’s Oxford Street ahead of the big switch-on in November

• The event is expected to run from early November to early January 

The lights on Carnaby Street are also set to be switched on just a few days after Oxford Street’s, on a date around November 7. 

It may only be September, but Christmas has come early for some as the first decorations are now going up in Oxford Street

The lights are set to be turned on in early November and stay lit until a date in early January 

The event saw 5,000 star-shaped lights introduced with over 300,000 energy efficient LED lights, which are 75 per cent per cent more efficient than standard bulbs

Last year’s Christmas lights switch-on, which was the first since the pandemic hit, saw a shift to be more eco-friendly. 

A bid to manage energy consumption was in large part due to skyrocketing bills and Britain’s cost of living crisis, which meant that the lights were on for a shorter period of time than usual each day. 

The event saw 5,000 star-shaped lights introduced with over 300,000 energy efficient LED lights, which are 75 per cent more efficient than standard bulbs.

The 5,000 lights and 300,000 energy efficient LED lights are again expected to create the ‘beautiful sky of stars’ this year, with the cost of living and high energy costs still looming.

Just like last year, the lights will be made from recycled polymer, meaning they are 100 per cent recyclable. 

Last September, Hadas Kulcsar, Campaigns and Events Manager at New West End Company, which puts on the light display, said: ‘In the current climate, it is also important that we reduce our energy consumption and help to promote a more sustainable Christmas in line with our ambitions to make Oxford Street a leading sustainable district.

‘The reduced hours of our Christmas lights are a great step forward to achieving this.’ 

Last year, a video posted on TikTok of workers putting up the lights , which was captioned ‘not them putting the lights up in Oxford street when it’s not even October yet’, racked up 85,000 views 

Last year, a video posted on TikTok of workers putting up the lights, which was captioned ‘not them putting the lights up in Oxford street when it’s not even October yet’, racked up 85,000 views.

Some users wondered if it was a joke, while others called the hanging up of lights so soon ‘crazy’.

Meanwhile, some angry commenters expressed their disapproval at the move.

Several asked who will be footing the bill for the lights, as taxpayers struggle to cover their own rising costs.

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