The Harrods Christmas windows on the Brompton Road will set the scene for a world of moving puppets and performers. Inspired by the store’s “Once Upon a Christmas” theme, each window will feature a stage complete with performers, lights, scenery and red velvet curtains. Meanwhile, “hidden” beneath the floorboards is a magical world of Christmas mice, with Peter Pumpernickel returning to lead the entertainment as they play and prepare for their Christmas celebrations.
ALEXANDER WELLS-GRECO, HEAD OF VISUAL MERCHANDISING AT HARRODS, SAID: “This year, our customers are invited to become the audience and enjoy the festive season’s ultimate show. We want to continue to engage with families – children in particular. To achieve this, we raised the windows by 60cm to create the underfloor theatre scenes of Christmas mice preparing for the festivities, installed directly at a child’s eye level.”
Along the Brompton Road, Burberry’s window depicts its Thomas bears enjoying a night at the theatre, while Balenciaga’s window houses a swinging circus performer who introduces key Christmas accessories from a trapeze. A production line of mice work on Christmas orders in their workshop in the Stella McCartney window, while Bottega Veneta’s AW15 handbag collection appears alongside the strongman’s weights in the Magical Marionette circus tent. An oversized gingerbread house created by Rosalind Miller takes over one of Harrods’ windows, delivering a Hansel and Gretel twist. The house stands nearly two metres tall and three metres wide. Constructed of more than 42 gingerbread tiles (weighing a total of 40kg) and with around 200 sugar roof tiles, it took 33 hours to bake and involved 20 hours of hand-piping. Alongside the house, an array of festive fare from Godiva, East India Company and Ladurée is featured in the wintry forest scene.
To coincide with the launch of the famous Harrods windows, the Festival of Christmas begins on Friday 6th November with the arrival of Father Christmas and the opening of The Harrods Christmas Grotto. Meanwhile, in Hans Crescent, festive characters will be dropping by over the weekend and there will be a variety of entertainment on offer for children. Families can meet Father Christmas’ reindeer, visit Snowball Alley, and have fun with the Wheel of Fortune and a festive photo booth.
In-store, each department will be running a number of activities, including face painting with Disney in Childrenswear on the Fourth Floor; sock monogramming at Pantherella in Menswear on the Lower Ground Floor; and calligraphic personalisation and monogramming across Crème de la Mer products in the Beauty Halls on the Ground Floor.