Christmas carols are still off the cards two years after a viral Tiktok clip attracted thousands of people
One of East London’s most beloved Christmas events is coming back, but its famous Christmas carols remain off the cards two years after a viral TikTok clip attracted thousands of people. Columbia Road Christmas Wednesdays are an offbeat festive celebration with mulled wine, mince pies and late-night shopping for revellers to find the perfect Christmas gift.
This year’s event will run at Columbia Road in Shoreditch from 5pm to 9pm on Wednesday, November 26 , and the following Wednesdays of December 3, December 10 and December 17. But while nearly every aspect of the usual Christmas event is coming back for attendees to enjoy, the Christmas carols service courtesy of St Peter’s Church in Bethnal Green will be cancelled for a second year running.
Dating back to the 1860s, Columbia Road is the UK’s longest street of independently owned shops, and is also home to the East End of London’s famous Sunday Flower Market. For many years, its shops have stayed open for late night Christmas shopping on Wednesday in the build up to December 25, giving shoppers an opportunity to pick up some unique gifts in a festive local environment.
The tradition was started by shopkeepers who wanted to thank loyal customers by offering free mulled wine, and longer opening hours. St Peter’s Church in Bethnal Green then joined the enterprise and brought in carols. The event was praised by locals for its warm family atmosphere and for bringing footfall to the area in the run-up to Christmas.
But the tenor of the event changed in December 2023, after a viral TikTok clip of the carol service attracted over half a million hits. The following Wednesday saw a crowd of around 7,000 people descend on Columbia Road – leading to safety fears and the quick cancellation of the carol service.
At the time, members of the public voiced their disappointment at the decision to dispense with carols. One person wrote on X: “They cancelled Christmas carols because too many people showed up. They say that’s “a threat to public safety”. Let people sing carols if they want to. How is that a threat to public safety? They allow marches for Palestine but won’t allow carol singing?”
Another person said it was a sign of “how broken” London is, adding: “Lots of places get swarmed because of TikTok, but usually the viral thing is something novelty or extravagant… This time, it’s just the feeling of community that went viral. It’s literally people standing in a street singing songs together. I find it jarring that people feel so far removed from such a basic need – local community – that even the appearance of that can get big on Tiktok.”
Columbia Road Christmas Wednesdays takes place from 5pm to 9pm on November 26, December 3, December 10 and December 17.
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