Regent Street goes car-free for 'festive mile'

Regent Street goes car-free for 'festive mile'

Regent Street was closed to traffic on Saturday

Regent Street banned traffic for the first time since 2020 to free the road for Christmas shoppers and festive celebrations.

The central London street was pedestrianised between Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Circus from 14:00 to 21:00 GMT on Saturday and transformed into a "festive mile" of shopping, entertainment and refreshments, according to organisers.

There were three vintage, red buses parked along the street, with activities including a selfie station, gift-wrapping station and a disco hosted by refugee charity Choose Love featuring live music.

The street was last closed to traffic at weekends in the lead up to Christmas in 2020 in a bid to encourage shoppers.

Red buses parked on the street hosted events like gift-wrapping and a disco

"We want that festive cheer and having Regent Street closed to traffic enables that, so it does bring people back," said Karen Baines, marketing director of The Crown Estate, who planned the traffic-free event.

"For retailers and restaurants, this is the golden quarter, this is so important to them," she said.

Ms Baines estimated that about 73 million people a year visited the central shopping hub.

When asked if there would be more events throughout the year, she said "time will tell with this, but already it is very busy".

Regent Street is home to Grade II listed architecture and several flagship stores like Burberry, Apple, and Armani.

Regent Street busy with traffic and people in November

Oxford Street went car-free for a day in September as part of a trial to see how the mayor of London's plans for banning traffic on the stretch of road could work.

The mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL) have set out a pedestrianisation plan from Oxford Street between Orchard Street and Great Portland Street.

A consultation on the mayor's plan was launched in November, and runs until January 2026.

The pedestrianisation of Regent Street on Saturday is a separate one-day event organised by The Crown Estate.

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