2024 Living Advent Calendar

It may only be July, but plans are already beginning to shape up for Christmas around the Royal Borough… and included in that is the ever popular annual Windsor and Eton Living Advent Calendar. 

The event is based on an original idea from Stockholm. Like a children’s Advent calendar, a different business window or door is opened each evening, and at 6:15pm promptly a minimum 15 minute “live” performance is given. This could be song, carol, music, poetry, book excerpts, notes from local history or folklore, sketches, dance etc., all have to have a Christmas theme. It is then customary that the venue invites guests in for some Christmas treats and nibbles. Last year there was cup-cake decorating, magic and craft making - very often 60-80 people will turn up.

It is down to each venue to decide what they would like to present or perform (however we can assist in matching up businesses with local performers if required).  You will be surprised how many businesses find budding stars within their own workforce prepared to deliver a performance!

We let the public know the date and the venue, via social media posts on MyRoyalBorough, VisitWindsor and printed event schedules, but the actual performance we keep secret, so the more unusual and surprising the performance, the better.

This is a collaborative project organised by The Windsor,  Eton and Ascot Town Partnership, bringing together 24 businesses and over 300 performers most years.

If you are new to the Living Advent calendar, you may wish to have a look and see what other businesses have done in the past, there is a dedicated Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Windsor.Eton.Living.Advent.Calendar/  here you will find lots of video clips and photos of our 2023 programme, and previous years.

The Calendar provides a wonderful opportunity to celebrate Christmas and bring together local community organisations/groups, families, and businesses.  One of the truly great things about the event is that it can be anywhere; any venue, building , space, doorway, window or courtyard. Locals have come out in their hundreds to see and often take part in performances, so the more unusual, fun, intriguing and surprising the better. 

A number of businesses have already requested dates which they have linked to their own customer events or late-night promotions already planned. So do enquire and let us know as soon as possible if you’d like to get involved - spaces will fill up quickly!

As every year, we will be producing a special loyalty card which attendees can have stamped each night and we ask all participating venues to donate a prize which will go into a grand prize draw on Christmas Eve after the final performance.

If you would like to take part, please email Mike Brown at RBWM with a preferred date, if you have one.  Your business will be featured in the programme schedule, and in social media posts during the run up to Christmas, and throughout December.