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In the mid-1950s the shops in Regent Street, London, decided to entice more customers to the area (and into the shops) by having a lavish display of Christmas lights. They were motivated by an article in the Daily Telegraph in late 1954 which stated that London was "drab" despite it being Christmas time.
The first Christmas Lights were little more than lanterns on the fronts of the buildings, but with the passage of time (aided by technology) the lights have become more and more extensive, elaborate and sophisticated.
Despite the success of the lights in attracting people to the area, in 1971, the economic downturn saw them discontinued and it was not until 1978 that they returned.
The fact that they were a success was not lost on the shops in Oxford Street (which meets Regent Street at Oxford Circus) and the traders there, in 1959, launched their own Christmas lights.
Since those early days, lights at Christmas time have spread to other areas of the capital, especially the West End, where up-market traders and theatre-land merge. So, in 2006, Christmas lights also featured in the street decorations of Covent Garden Market and Bond Street, as well the area around the Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square.The lights now are not just fixed to the facades of buildings. They stretch across the road, suspended above the traffic, and follow an increasingly sophisticated (and commercial) series of themes.
There is often intense competition to get a "hot" popular entertainer or celebrity to perform the "switch-on" each year, and now the events resemble a concert, often with the roads closed to traffic, live singers, bands and musicians, or big screens showing excepts from stage shows or recent movies.
The main beneficiaries of the display, the traders themselves are no longer having to bear the whole cost - which has been heavily criticised in recent years as being anti-environmental - as they are getting the "man in the street" to sponsor individual bulbs, and large corporations to sponsor huge tableaux.
From early November until early January, the lights are a major attraction in themselves – 24 hours a day in Oxford Street, from 2pm until 2am in Regent Street and at various times elsewhere. Some 40 million people are estimated to view the lights in London (2006 figures) which are estimated to stretch for over 2 miles.
The Lancashire coastal town of Blackpool became a tourist attraction with the development of the railways, firstly as a place for cotton workers and their families from the mill towns of East Lancashire to spend a day on the golden sands, and later as a place for them to spend a whole week beside the sea.
Nowadays, people flock in their ten of thousands for almost 10 weeks each Autumn to see the dazzling illuminated display of lights and tableaux along the seafront promenade. Blackpool Illuminations are now one of the biggest tourist attractions in the United Kingdom, with coachloads of
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Whilst much of England and Wales has been battered by torrential rains causing wave upon wave of flooding, Scotland - not normally renowned for great weather - has completely escaped the severe downpours and has been enjoying a notably drier summer than its Southern counterparts.
Each year between July and September, Edinburgh plays host to the largest arts festival in the world, drawing crowds from all over the world to indulge in an eclectic collection of culture, music, films, books and comedy on show across various venues within the city. Commonly referred to as the Edinburgh Festival, the event is
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Although Carnival has almost universal appeal wherever the Roman Catholic Church has a substantial presence, the level and extent of celebration varies enormously, ranging from hugely popular, highly developed, commercially supported, tourist-inspired events down to small celebrations within a locality which may only involve a few small villages or a small town.
Some of these events are Carnival in its traditional sense, but many have elements of local folklore integrated. The event in Sydney is a Gay & Lesbian Carnival. Some are promoted as Mardi Gras, although not necessarily limiting themselves to the day before Ash Wednesday. Most start two weeks
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Thousands of species of fish and other sea life abound in the Great Barrier Reef that spreads across the northern coast of Australia. The reef, composed of sea creatures from multi-colored fish to the living coral is the habitation of underwater animals and plants. No wonder scuba divers and snorkelers go over the top to marvel at this amazing environment. In the midst of this breathtaking beauty, however, the fiercely poisonous blue ringed octopus hides in the clear waters of the reef.
This octopus is tiny in size and has special glands
producing two types of poison that is secreted into its
saliva. On scenting danger, this dark yellow creature turns
into
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As one of Europe's leading cultural cities Berlin offers many museums, historic sites and other places for a memorable visit. Many landmarks remind us of the long history of Berlin, the remains of the destruction during World War II and its history when it was divided between East and West.
Even though Berlin is a large metropolis, orientating yourself in Berlin isn't hard at all. There are three prominent landmarks: the Church of Remembrance (the Gedächtniskirche), located in the West on the Kurfürstendamm, the Brandenburger Tor in the city district of Mitte, and the Fernsehturm (TV-tower) at Alexanderplatz in the
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