Soho Kids Xmas Lights 2025

The child co-designed light project returns to Soho for its 5th annual edition!

Presented by award-winning Architecture for Kids CIC, the Soho Kids Xmas Lights is a joyful, creative, and community-led project that transforms the streets of Soho into a glowing gallery of child-designed Christmas lights. Now in its fifth year, the project was founded in 2021 by Antonio Capelao, in collaboration with Soho Parish Primary School, and inspired by a long-standing tradition in Newburgh, Scotland. The success of Soho Kids Xmas Lights has since inspired similar initiatives, including Wigan’s Icons (2023) and Brixton Winter Wonder Lights (2024). In January 2024, Cardiff Council’s Child Friendly Cardiff invited Antonio to co-create the inaugural Cardiff Kids Xmas Lights in Canal Quarter, with secured funding for three consecutive years.

Each year, pupils from Reception to Year 5 are invited to co-design original light panels based on three core themes:

Lighting
Identity of Place
A changing annual theme — this year: Women in Soho

These themes are explored through four days of hands-on workshops led by Antonio Capelao, with support from a team of educational and cultural partners including Hannah Peaty (Deputy Head, Soho Parish), Sophie Draper (RIBA Head of Learning), Clare Lynch (audio producer and local historian), and Jane Hamlyn (Frith Street Gallery).

This year’s theme, Women in Soho, invites pupils to explore the often-overlooked stories of women who have shaped the area’s cultural and creative identity over the past three centuries. Focusing on Golden Square, children learned about four pioneering 18th-century women in the arts—Elisabetta de Gambarini, Angelica Kauffman, Dorothea Jordan, and Frances Alsop—who worked and/or lived in Soho. They also discovered the contributions of four contemporary women continuing that legacy today: Jane Hamlyn (Frith Street Gallery), Nica Burns (Nimax Theatres), Mieko Shimizu (Street Records), and Jasmine Morris (BBC Young Composer of the Year 2020 and former Soho Parish pupil). Through this theme, the project encourages all pupils to recognise and celebrate the achievements of women in their community—past and present—and to see Soho as a place where creativity, diversity, and inclusion thrive.

Over 100 designs are submitted each year. A community jury—made up of residents, artists, educators, and professionals—selects six winning entries. This year’s jury included representatives from RIBA Learning, The Soho Society, The National Gallery, Westminster City Council, the Institute of Education UCL, the Bartlett UCL, Welsh School of Architecture Cardiff University, and local businesses, and stakeholders. Some designs are awarded by RIBA for outstanding creativity.

The winning pupils, along with other colleagues, then curate the final exhibition in a special workshop supported by Frith Street Gallery. Their designs are transformed into bespoke LED light panels by Floodlighting Electrical Ltd and installed by Sparkx.

Inspired by the ground-breaking project in Newburgh, Scotland, which sparked this entire movement, our initiative is rooted in legacy and sustainability. Each year, we add new lights to those co-designed in previous editions, keeping the spirit of collaboration and creativity alive. The Soho Kids Xmas Lights has led to vibrant community projects such as Wigan’s Icons in Wigan, Brixton Winter Wonder Lights in Brixton, and Cardiff Kids Xmas Lights in Cardiff—with Walworth Road Kids Xmas Lights coming next year!

The Soho Kids Xmas Lights brings together 61 vibrant light panels, each one a unique expression of children’s creativity and their bond with the Soho community. This year, from 19 November to 5 January, you’ll see 51 panels illuminating the streets of Soho—including six brand-new designs and 49 from previous years. The remaining 10 light panels will soon light up a new location, to be announced shortly.

Please consider contributing and sharing our message here: GoFundMe