“Enchanting Voyage Aboard the Peninsula Express”, Hong Kong
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All aboard the Peninsula Express! To kickstart the holiday season, The Peninsula Hong Kong is taking inspiration from the golden age of rail travel and transforming their lobby into the historic Grand Salisbury Station. The enchanting space will host a night of festive tunes and a lively theatrical performance of a themed story, followed by the Tree Lighting Ceremony. Ticket holders will end the night with a feast curated by The Peninsula’s culinary team comprising festive delicacies from four of the hotel’s dining destinations: Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant Spring Moon, The Verandah, Imasa, and Swiss chalet Chesa. Part of the proceeds from the event will go towards local charity ImpactHK, who support the homeless and underprivileged in the city. If you can’t make it to this festive extravaganza however, swing by for some holiday pictures in front of The Peninsula — their facade has been decked out in larger-than-life Chanel pearls.
Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon; peninsula.com
Shibuya Ao no Dokutsu Illumination, Japan
Perhaps one of the most popular illumination spots in Tokyo, the Shibuya Ao no Dokutsu or Shibuya Blue Cave Illumination is a beautiful display that spans an 800 metre stretch from Shibuya Koen-dori to the main attraction at Yoyogi Park’s Keyaki-Nimiki (row of zelkova trees) . Around 600,000 LED lights are used to create a mystifying blue glow that is reflected off the ground to create a wholly enveloping experience. Additionally, there’s a projection mapping show this year that will be synchronised to music. The Shibuya Blue Cave Illumination will run from December 8 all the way until Christmas Day.
Yoyogi Park Zelkova Trees, 1 Chome-5-11 Jinnan, Shibuya City, Tokyo; shibuya-aonodokutsu.jp
Giant Lantern Festival, Philippines
Christmas is easily the biggest holiday for the Philippines, a nation where Catholicism pervades much of larger society. Festivities begin as early as September, with department stores dedicating significant floorspace to Christmas decor, radio stations blasting festive songs, and homes illuminated by the glowing colours of the parol, a Filipino Christmas lantern. Symbolic of the nation’s Christmas spirit, the parol has an entire celebration dedicated to its craftsmanship, known as the Giant Lantern Festival. Held annually in the city of San Fernando, Pampanga, the festival sees a kaleidoscopic display of handmade lanterns crafted by competing districts. The up to twenty-foot lanterns are typically exhibited from mid-December to January.
Robinsons Starmills, San Fernando, Pampanga; Giant Lantern Festival
Harbin Ice Festival, China
Harbin’s Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival is the largest of its kind and regarded as one of the top winter celebrations worldwide, and it’s not difficult to see why. The city-wide festival sees over hundreds of ice and snow related activities take place, and encompasses five major theme parks. When speaking of the festival, most typically refer to Harbin Ice and Snow World, a theme park that truly transforms 750,000 square metres into an enchanting glacial kingdom. Towering ice sculptures of enormous life-sized proportions are on view to the public starting from late December, with an official opening ceremony in January. There’s no official closing ceremony for the Harbin Ice Festival — you simply bid farewell when the ice begins to melt.
Zhaolin Park, Daoli District, Harbin, Heilongjiang; icefestivalharbin.com
Distillery District Winter Village, Canada
Photo: Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images
Originally the former production site of Gooderham and Worts whiskey during the 1800s, the once robust area fell victim to desolation during the period of late 20th century deindustrialization. It was left untouched for the most part until it was bought out by real estate developers and renewed into the hip pedestrian-only neighbourhood it is today. Home to the largest collection of Victorian-era industrial architecture in North America, the Distillery district is rife with culture. With its cobblestone streets, indie bars, boutiques and art galleries, the location lends the atmosphere of an idealised past to the annual Christmas market, which has now grown into an entire Winter Village. This year, the event is sponsored by Dior, Samsung, Amazon music and Google.
55 Mill Street, Toronto, Ontario; thedistillerywintervillage.com
Rockefeller Centre Christmas Tree, USA
For over eight decades now, the Rockefeller Centre Christmas Tree has served as a hallmark of Christmastime in New York. Foregrounded by an open-air skating rink, the tree is a sight to behold; the spectacle not unlike something you’d come across in an illustrated festive postcard. This year, the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony will take place on November 30, and will feature festive performances from Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton, Alicia Keys, Andrea Bocelli and his children Matteo and Virginia Bocelli, the Muppets of Sesame Street and more. While the largest tree in Rockefeller Center’s history was from 1999, standing at 100 feet tall, this year’s is no less spectacular. Hailing from Queensbury, New York, the 82 foot tall Norway Spruce will be decked out in more than 50,000 LED lights and topped with a 900 pound Swarovski star.
45 Rockefeller Plaza, New York; rockefellercentre.com
Christlekindlesmarkt, Germany
Originators of the beloved Christmas markets of the world, Germany hosts more than 2,500 of them during the yuletide season. Among the oldest and most famous is Nuremberg’s Christlekindlesmarkt. Wooden booths bear miscellaneous traditional (and often handmade) Christmas decorations and gifts, as well as well-known German culinary delights — picture juicy helpings of Nuremberg bratwurst grilled on open beech wood fire and gingerbread larger than your face.
Hauptmarkt, 90403 Nürnberg; christlekindlesmarkt.dechristlekindlesmarkt.de
Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, England
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This is undoubtedly London’s ultimate Christmas destination. What started as a humble Christmas market over 15 years ago, has since grown to become a winter wonderland extravaganza. Hyde Park’s massive Christmas fair boasts a plethora of street food stalls, roller coaster and kid-friendly rides, shows and workshops, an ice rink, a Christmas market of course, and finally, a giant ferris wheel. The carnival is currently in full swing, and will operate until January 2 of next year.
Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, Hyde Park, London; hydeparkwinterwonderland.com
Strasbourg Christmas Markets, France
Dubbed the French Christmas Capital for its incomparable festive spirit , Strasbourg is home to numerous Christmas Markets including one of the oldest in Europe. The historic Christkindelsmärik, inspired by German Christmas markets, dates back to the late 1500s and takes place at Place Broglie on Grande Île, a UNESCO world heritage site. It’s also the biggest of the markets in Strasbourg with over 100 stalls offering handcrafted merchandise, Christmas decorations and other precious knick knacks. Particularly noteworthy however, is the food; have your fill of freshly-baked pretzels, crepes, gingerbread and the best mulled wine you’ll ever have. Other Christmas markets in Strasbourg include one at the Cathédrale Notre Dame de Strasbourg, one of the most magnificent Gothic cathedrals in the country; the International Christmas market, which sees a different guest country take over every year; and the Small Producers of Alsace Christmas market that features artisanal local fare, a must for foodies.
Grande-île de Strasbourg, Strasbourg
Santa Claus Village, Finland
Come Christmas, there’s truly no place better than home — except for Santa’s maybe. Opened in 1985 and declared the official hometown of Father Christmas, the Santa Claus Village is one of the most popular family-friendly travel destinations in the world. It’s here that one can revel in the full winter wonderland experience of expansive forests blanketed in snow, Finnish Reindeers, the Arctic Circle, husky sledding, phenomenal Northern Lights, and of course, Mr and Mrs Claus themselves. The amusement park is open to visitors every day of the year as well, but there’s no doubt that a winter visit far surpasses a trip in the summer.
Tähtikuja 1, 96930 Rovaniemi, Lapland; santaclausvillage.info
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Alyanna Raissa J. PayosCredit
Lead Image: @newverest via Instagram
