Health and Safety: Mount Street Christmas Lights

Background

OPS have been working with Grosvenor since 2016 to help them deliver their broad range of events safely.  The annual Mount Street Christmas Lights Switch-on event is a highlight of the calendar.  The event coincides with the unveiling of the Connaught Hotel’s artist-designed Christmas Tree and features late night shopping in the street’s many high-end retailers.

The event also includes stalls serving mince pies and mulled wine, performances from a local choir and speeches from the CEO of Grosvenor and the artist who has designed the tree.

Challenges

• The event is promoted to local residents and businesses and is free to attend and un-ticketed, taking place on public streets.  Historically the event has occurred without a road closure, with staff managing the crowds and vehicle movements at the peak switch on time.  However, year on year the event has become busier and busier and the decision was made following 2021’s iteration that a road closure would be required to safely facilitate the delivery of the event. 

• Whilst the majority of the event could take place without the road being closed, the switch on moment is when the largest crowd is present and the instinct of the audience is to spill in to the road to observe the lights and take photos of the tree.  This period only really lasts for 20 – 30 mins but is still busy enough to warrant closing the road.

• Closing a popular road in Westminster presents various challenges, particularly when the retailers on the street are used to chauffeurs dropping and collecting their customers right outside their stores.  Additionally, the 5 Star Connaught Hotel’s guests required constant vehicle access to and from the premises.

Delivery

• Onsite Health and Safety during element of the build, break and live show

• Event Risk Assessment

• Supplier Auditing

Results

• Successful delivery of the switch on event. 

• The road closure allowed for the nature of the event to expand from the previous format; allowing for tenants and retailers to ‘pop up’ on the street as well as providing space for an attractive bar provided by Nyetimber’s vintage bus.