Columbia Road Christmas market back without carols that were so popular they had to be cancelled

Stewart Carr

15 November 2024 at 9:54 am·2-min read

Customers buy flowers on stalls at Columbia Road Flower Market, in east London on January 7, 2024. (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP) (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images) — -Credit: (Image: HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP/Getty Images)

London's 'most Christmassy' street festival is back - but has been repackaged as a 'calm festive environment' without carols after the event was 'hijacked' by TikTok influencers last year. For over a decade, Columbia Road in Shoreditch spread Christmas cheer with its 'free mulled wine and carols' event on each Wednesday throughout December. The tradition was started by shopkeepers who wanted to thank loyal customers by offering free mulled wine, and longer opening hours. St Peter’s Church in Bethnal Green then joined the enterprise and brought in carols.

The event was praised by locals for its warm family atmosphere and for bringing footfall to the area in the run-up to Christmas. But that all changed last December, when TikTok influencers began filming clips and uploading them onto the platform. After a video of the first December carols event garnered over 500,000 views, the following Wednesday was swamped with a crowd of 7,000 people clogging the street.

St Peter's Church in Bethnal Green, one of the organisers, then announced that the carols would not go ahead for the two remaining Christmas Wednesdays, for safety reasons. Now, it has been announced that Columbia Road's Christmas Wednesdays are back - but without the carols service.

Columbia Road Flower Market posted on Instagram: "We’re looking forward to welcoming you to the #columbiaroad Christmas Wednesdays from 27th November. We couldn’t be more excited to celebrate with you all!

"The late shopping opening times remain from 5pm to 9pm on Wednesdays November 27 and December 4, 11 and 18. Let’s celebrate the local Christmas shopping plus food and drink in a calm festive environment (no carols or other entertainment)."

News that the carols service has been dispensed with disappointed some readers. One person posted: "The carols were so magical! Been coming since 2009!" Another posted: "No carols, so sad but looking forward to the late shopping."

Others took a swipe at TikTok, with one person writing: "Thanks to TikTok they [the carols] are now gone". But another was more cheerful, noting: "They’ll be back! TikTok types will forget!"

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