On Thursday 25th November we celebrated the beginning of the Christmas season with an afternoon of festive craft workshops, live music performances, and a spectacular neon lighting display inspired by the iconic British film, Love Actually.

Our lighting display has seen the Tree of Love, Joy and Hope (situated at the junction of Connaught Street and Kendal Street) receive a yuletide makeover with well-known quotes from the film fashioned into dazzling neon signs. Famous quotes include To me you are perfect, First lobster, All I want for Christmas is you, and of course I feel it in my fingers!

Connaught House School Choir kick-started the afternoon of celebrations with an open-air performance of classic Christmas carols mixed with a few modern hits that got everyone into the festive spirit.

Throughout the afternoon and into the early evening, we held a series of complimentary crafting workshops in the village. Visitors had the chance to make their own Christmas tree even more special this year by customising their own set of baubles in a decorating workshop. Plus lino card printing and felt decoration making (family-friendly), both of which were great creative alternatives to the traditional Christmas card.

Shops, galleries, and restaurants also pitched in with their own festive treats and celebrations too. In Mud Australia, the team were handing out Christmas themed macarons and biscuits baked by the wonderful @lockdownloavesbristol. Trust us, these cute festive macarons were too tasty to miss!

That’s not all, we also offered a complimentary gift wrapping service with bespoke Connaught Village x Love Actually designed paper.

Shoppers were able to enjoy special discounts at delicious restaurants and shopping throughout the evening. Take a look at the list below to find out what happened on the day:

– Abasto – Guests enjoyed 30% off their entire bill when dining in or taking out on the day.

– Bombay Palace – Diners treated themselves with 10% off their entire bill when dining at Bombay Palace for dinner.

– Buchanans Cheesemonger – Buchanans made delicious mini Gorgonzola cones to takeaway and had complimentary cheese tasting in-store all day.

– Casa Malevo – Diners enjoyed 10% off their entire bill when dining at Casa Malevo on the day.  Additionally, when following @casa_malevo on Instagram diners received a takeaway glass of prosecco for £4.

– Connaught Cellars – Shoppers enjoyed 15% off all wines in Connaught Cellars on the day.

– Dellasposa – Visitors enjoyed complimentary festive drinks and mince pies when admiring the artwork in Dellasposa. Additionally, they were treated to a festive discount of 15% off on Dellasposa Editions.

– Duke of Kendal – Guests enjoyed mulled wine and mince pies inside the pub.

– Fé Hair & Beauty – Visitors enjoyed complimentary mini manicures with all hair appointments booked on the day and a complimentary Face Glow treatment using their amazing LPG Endermologie machine.

– Lacquered + Stripped – Hosted a manicure and mulled wine event where Lacquered + Stripped unveiled their Christmas nail art designs, offered festive manicures and served complimentary mulled wine.

– London Chocolate – Shoppers enjoyed 30% off London Chocolate’s entire range and a special price of £3.50 for a warming hot chocolate and a delicious truffle to takeaway!

– Mud Australia – Shoppers took home a complimentary Mud Christmas ornament when spending over £30 in store on the day.

– PM Flowers – PM Flowers sold ready-made bouquets in-store with 15% off all day.

– Saint Aymes – Visitors treated themselves to ginger bread cookies, hot chocolate and mulled wine in Saint Aymes.

– Simon Carter – Shoppers took home complimentary festive cufflink gifts when they spent over £50 in store on the day.

– The Dresser – Visitors enjoyed festive tipples, mince pies and discounts on the evening.

– The Place – When spending over £100 in store, shoppers took home a complimentary Mini Heart Address Book as a gift with purchase.

Please tag @connaughtvillage in your snaps of the neon light installation for a chance to be featured on our Connaught Village Instagram page.