Trafalgar Square’s Christmas Tree

For all its contemporary design and fast-pace of modern life, London’s a traditionalist at heart, and none more so than around Christmas. None of these traditions is more famous than the massive Christmas tree that stands in Trafalgar Square and has its annual lighting-up ceremony on Thursday 2^nd December.

Every Christmas and New Year, Trafalgar Square becomes the centre of London’s festive celebrations. At the heart of all the parties taking place here is a massive Norwegian Spruce, usually around 20 ft high and transported from the forests outside Oslo. The tree is usually around half a century old and has been pre-selected, sometimes, as much as years in advance.

The tree has been a London fixture since 1947, when Norway donated the first Spruce as a symbol of their gratitude for Britain’s help during World War II. This help extended to housing Norway’s exiled King Haakon II during the war. The King and his Cabinet moved here in 1942, and ran the Norwegian government in exile from Windsor between 1942 and the end of the war.

Every Christmas they were here, the Norwegian resistance managed to smuggle a Christmas tree, thankfully not as large as the one in Trafalgar Square, out to their banished monarch. It became an important morale boost for the Norwegian people, as King Haakon remained a crucial figure for the resistance, even while in England.

In late November, the tree is ceremonially felled at a ceremony attended by the British Ambassador in Oslo, the Lord Mayor of Westminster and the Mayor of Oslo. It’s then conveyed to Britain and simply decorated with lights in the traditional Norwegian style.

Throughout December the tree becomes the focus for a carol singing programme. Most afternoons in December London singing groups and charities lead carols under the tree to spread some Christmas cheer, and hopefully raise some awareness and money for their good cause.

So if you find yourself in Trafalgar Square this Christmas, take some time to admire this majestic symbol of Norwegian-English friendship, and maybe sing a carol or two to celebrate the season! 

For more hidden London, visit London Treasure Hunts.