The lights, the glitter, the dressing up, the elaborate preparations, the sense of anticipation as the main event draws near… So when Fortnum’s  went searching for inspiration for their Christmas windows, a theme of ‘Showtime!’ seemed an obvious candidate.

Fortnum’s itself has often been compared to a theatre, thanks in part to its elegant and historic façade, its red carpets and tailcoats and the general air of luxury and elegance that lifts one out of the everyday world. To that end, there are mannequins in the store as well as in the windows, including a spectacular display of showgirls suspended in gilded bird cages that descends right down through the atrium.

Each of the windows looking out on to Piccadilly shows a different scene, each set in the theatre – inside a dressing room, outside the stage door, a cab dropping off the star dancer, dancers chatting on stage just before the curtain goes up, and so on. Thus giving a sense of mounting excitement about to happen in store.

Once the interior decorations were in place, the windows along Piccadilly and Duke Street were shrouded and emptied and the team worked flat out to make sure everything was ready for the grand unveiling on 10th November, and the dancers were revealed to the Piccadilly crowds. To accompany them, a soundtrack was recorded that includes the noise of the theatre – audiences clapping and calls from behind the scenes – as well as some jazzy show time music.

The finishing touch is a spectacular, neon-lit Christmas sign installed on top of the main canopy, in place of the usual Christmas trees. And now, with all the lights ablaze, the dancers in position and the music playing, there’s no doubt that the Christmas season has well and truly started.