Christmas Deluxe at Covent Garden

London’s famous Covent Garden is really getting into the festive spirit with a programme of special events from now until 23 December under the title Christmas Deluxe.

Covent Garden’s cobbled piazza and market draw huge numbers of people throughout the year and Christmas Deluxe aims to be another reason to visit by adding a gourmet food market for 12 days, 12-23 December, in the East and West Piazzas offering among other things four-bird roasts, plum and figgy puddings, mince pies, mouth-watering chocolates, organic seasonal vegetables and fruits, smoked fish, oysters, Stilton, the best pork and cranberry pies and hot spiced cider.

If you’re looking for different decorations but don’t want to spend a lot of money you can bring your old ones to the Christmas Decoration Exchange to swap or buy with other people. The Decoration Exchange is open daily until 23 December from 12noon-8pm Mon-Sat, 12noon-6pm Sun, and is located in the Central Avenue of the Covent Garden Market Building.

Also on the Market Building’s Central Avenue is the Couture Gift Wrapping service where you can bring anything, whatever shape and size, and get it gift wrapped by the pros to make your presents look special. Couture Gift Wrapping is again open daily until 23 December, 12noon-8pm Mon-Sat, 12noon-6pm Sun.

Throughout Christmas Deluxe there are special entertainment performances by the likes of contemporary aerial circus Cirq U Aerial who’ll be giving multiple shows on the days they perform, acrobatic group Heliosphere who use giant balloons to take their performers aloft to put on their stunts, London gospel choir Hot Butter Soul Collective, the London Gay Men’s Choir and Australian aerial theatre troupe Strange Fruit. They’ll also be storytelling afternoons for children in the North Hall and street performers throughout the month. Here’s the full schedule of events and below a clip of Heliosphere in action.