Pedestrians flock to VIP weekend in Oxford and Regent Street
Published: 14 December, 2011
Over one million people descended upon Regent Street and Oxford Street last weekend for two days of festive shopping and entertainment at the annual Shop West End VIP Weekend 2011.
The Very Important Pedestrians (VIP) weekend sees the iconic London streets become traffic free for two days. Creative event production company Wilde Ones was reappointed by the New West End Company to organise the event and worked closely with all stakeholders including Westminster Council, Met Police, Transport for London and over 80 retailers, to bring the streets to life and create a festive atmosphere.
The event featured a diverse range of entertainment to appeal to all audience demographics including Christmas-themed attractions located across six sites within the area. These included vintage buses, a traditional fun fair, large nutcrackers, a horse drawn Victorian bus ride, a Carol-A-Thon in Oxford Circus and finale fireworks on Sunday evening.
Celebrity appearances included X Factor winner Joe McElderry, sixties icon Twiggy and the Lord Mayor of Westminster, Councillor Susie Burbridge.
New West End Company’s head of partnerships Sally Humphreys, said: “This VIP event is the most important event in our calendar. It creates a really welcoming atmosphere for shoppers, and being traffic free, it makes Christmas shopping so much nicer and attracts people from across the UK and abroad. From a retailer perspective it really gets them involved – many participate and put on entertainment and special offers.”
“Live events and entertainment play an important role in retail,” added Wilde Ones’ production manager, Dean Parker. “We were delighted with how the weekend went, it had a brilliant atmosphere and really engaged both shoppers and retailers, increasing footfall and ensuring that the Oxford Street and Regent Street area remains one of the leading destinations to shop in at Christmas, and throughout the year.”
High Street retailers Selfridges and House of Fraser contributed to the vibrant atmosphere with performances from gospel choirs and steel bands outside the stores. T-Mobile’s Snowglobes, Sebago’s giant shoeboat and promotional Christmas huts from lead sponsor American Express were also part of the attractions.
