Oxo Tower gets festive

Fancy a day of pomp and circumstance, then a few fireworks, topped off with a bit of shopping 'til you're dropping?

Great. Then the Oxo Tower Wharf on the South Bank, is the place for you. On Saturday, after you've followed the Lord Mayor's Show around the City of London (or not, as you wish!), turf up at around 5pm to watch the end-of-parade (free) fireworks display from a barge on the River Thames from this perfect vantage point.

When it's all done, you can shop in the area's lively, buzzing environment where designer shops and the exhibition hall (the.gallery@oxo) will be open until 8pm - the perfect way to escape the Christmas shopping crowds of central London.

Not only can you rummage around for a sexy party dress for Christmas, you can also find some great ideas for kiddies' presents.

With 30 contemporary design shops full of original ideas, from handmade clothes and jewellery to fairy lights and luminous coasters, you're bound to find what you're looking for!

At the.gallery@oxo a collection of contemporary and traditional toys, games and puzzles for adultsand children will be showcased in a pre-Christmas selling exhibition by the British Toymakers Guild.

And after all that you're sure to be hungry and thirsty, so just pop next door to Gabriel's Wharf where you'll find a whole host of restaurants, bars and cafes to refresh those parts others eateries cannot reach.

Oh, and there's a small funfair going on as well, just to keep the little ones happy, too.

The Lord Mayor's Show is back and revamped: the traditional procession involving 6,000 people and 200 horses, with bands and floats, leaves the Guildhall for Mansion House at 10.50am and then departs Mansion House at 11am for the two-and-a-half mile trip to the Royal Courts Of Justice in the Strand.

Celebrations end at 5pm with the magnificent firework display from a barge on the Thames between Waterloo and Blackfriars Bridges.

Bit of advice: don't even attempt to take the car.

The Lord Mayor's Show, Guildhall, Gresham Street, EC2.
Sat 10 Nov
CLICK HERE for more information.

The Oxo Tower festival: for more information on the design shops and festive oxo events call 0207401 3610 for a free copy of directory 8 and the festive oxo leaflet.
Thedesign shops are usually open 11am-6pm Tuesday-Sunday; the restaurants,cafes and bars are open daily till late.
How to get there
Oxo Tower Wharf is located between the Royal National Theatre and TateModern on the South Bank.
Nearest tube/train stations are Blackfriars,Waterloo and Southwark, all of which are approx 10 minutes walk from OxoTower Wharf.
There are public car parks on Upper Ground.