- Free festive gift-wrapping service across all terminals, for last minute present-purchasers
- Surprise visits from Santa, his elves and a North Pole polar bear
- Hundreds of prizes to be won at Heathrow, including gifts from Charlotte Tilbury, Hamleys and Bollinger
- 58 Christmas trees installed across terminals 2, 3, 4 and 5
Exactly one month before Christmas Day, Heathrow has announced its unmissable events and activities for all ages to enjoy at the airport before jetting off on their adventures. This week, Heathrow will be transformed into a winter wonderland, full of festive fun.
Decked out with decorations and sparkling trees, Heathrow will host magical events including visits from Father Christmas and his elves, a roaming polar bear, showstopping musical performances and a digital caricaturist.
- By popular demand, Father Christmas and his elves will return to Heathrow throughout December to meet and greet passengers across all terminals. Whether on the naughty or nice list, passengers can share their holiday wishes with The Man Himself, at Heathrow.
- This December, Heathrow passengers will take home unique Christmas keepsakes to remember their festive journeys. A Digital Caricaturist will visit Heathrow’s terminals during the holidays to create free personalised portraits, sent direct to travellers’ phones.
- From 19 to 23 December, passengers will be jingling all the way home after enjoying performances from quirky choral quartet, The Jingle Belles, in all four terminals. What better way to ring in the season as Christmas makes its final approach into Heathrow?
- Give Christmas presents an extra special touch this year by making the most of Heathrow’s complimentary gift-wrapping service, available in all terminals, including personalised ribbon printing.
- Have yourself a crafty little Christmas while waiting to embark on a magical overseas adventure by visiting Heathrow’s Christmas Fairies. From 9 to 30 December, kids can get stuck into mess-free seasonal arts and crafts activities, led by some magical friends. Heathrow’s fairies will be on hand to help children with Christmas card making, scratch art, themed colouring projects and crafting their own version of Father Christmas.
- This Christmas, Heathrow passengers can take home instant-win prizes from some of the most exciting brands available across the airport, including Charlotte Tilbury, Hamleys and Bollinger. Arcade-style claw machines will be placed across the terminals so passengers can challenge their gaming skills and set their journeys off to a winning start.
- Make the most of one of Heathrow’s biggest hidden gems- its complimentary Personal Shopper service. With the launch of a new luxury shopping suite in Terminal 4 this month, each of Heathrow’s terminals now offers its own calm and exclusive space to enjoy some retail therapy. Passengers can give themselves a well-deserved Christmas treat by booking an extra-special shopping experience led by an accredited stylist, away from the hustle and bustle.
- Wow the kids this winter by introducing them to Heathrow’s iconic, lifelike polar bear, Bjorn. Fluffy and friendly, Bjorn must be seen to believed. Snap a jaw-dropping photo with Bjorn as he returns on dates throughout December to give passengers a magical start to their festive adventures.
- A brand-new complimentary shopping service set to make last-minute gift hunting a breeze, no matter who you are buying for. Hunting for presents before a flight can be stressful, especially when faced with a huge range of brands to choose from. Heathrow has launched a present-picking quiz on its website that passengers can use to discover the perfect gifts to collect before boarding. The digital quiz is available here: www.heathrow.com/at-the-airport/christmas-2024.
- Brand-new decorations have been installed across the airport, including 29 ft Christmas trees, giant glowing presents and Christmas wreaths adorning the terminals. There is an impressive total of 58 Christmas trees across terminals 2, 3, 4 and 5.
Fraser Brown, Retail Director at Heathrow, said: “Winter is a special time at Heathrow as we help passengers on their way to reunite and celebrate with loved ones. Throughout the year, our team has been planning festive surprises so the celebrations can begin at the airport. We are proud to reveal a range of exciting retail offers to make gifting easier, visits from iconic Christmas characters and entertaining activities to make every journey better.”
Like Father Christmas’s elves, Team Heathrow has been working all year round to prepare for the winter season. Experts from the Met Office use the latest innovative technology to provide Heathrow with weather forecasts months in advance, along with minute-by-minute updates. An impressive fleet of nearly 1,100 winter operations vehicles are on standby, ready to clear snow from Heathrow’s airfield, taxiways and runways so flights can get safely off the ground in wintry weather. To cover all bases, Heathrow also has over 2.5 million litres of de-icer stockpiled for airport and airline use, enough to last nearly 2 weeks.
To make future holiday adventures even smoother, Heathrow is also working behind the scenes to upgrade security. While the work is ongoing, it may take slightly longer to make your way through the airport, but help is always on hand at Heathrow. Please let a colleague know how they can help you when arriving at the airport to jet off on your winter adventure.
For more information, visit www.heathrow.com
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About Heathrow
Heathrow is the UK’s international gateway and the largest airport in Europe – connecting to 234 destinations in over 85 nations and regions. The airport welcomes over 200,000 passengers on roughly 1,300 flights each day, and serves as Britain’s hub for trade, tourism and investment. Approximately 90,000 colleagues work at Heathrow – the airport directly employs about 10% of them, with the rest working for Team Heathrow partners including airlines, ground handlers and retailers.
