Let it glow! Warwick steps into Christmas

Deadline season briefly became festive season on Wednesday 26 November as Christmas officially kicked off on campus with the annual light switch-on, fit with society performances and even an appearance from Santa himself.  

The festivities began with the ever-popular Christmas market, with stalls this year offering everything from bracelets to dog treats, and candles to doughnuts – certainly enough Christmas present inspiration for students desperately looking to buy gifts.  

As the day went on, the events continued across campus with festive food and drinks available at both the food trucks and Curiositea, Christmas crafts taking place in The Nook, and a Labyrinth Light Trail illuminating the Chaplaincy. 

[Warwick Tech Crew] streamed the event using ‘state-of-the-art broadcast studio’ equipment borrowed from the Warwick Arts Centre

The culmination of the festivities, however, took place on the Piazza’s big stage with the build-up to the light switch-on bigger than ever this year.  

Crowds started gathering in front of the stage from 3:30pm, as Warwick’s very own music societies – including Brass Society, Music Theatre Warwick, and Chamber Choir – took to the stage to entertain students on what was an icily-cold afternoon.  

Students not wanting to brave the cold, or those who wished to view from afar, could do so by watching the event live on YouTube. Technical and production support from Warwick Tech Crew, who streamed the event using “state-of-the-art broadcast studio” equipment borrowed from the Warwick Arts Centre, meant that the event was a spectacle both in-person and online.  

Giving The Boar a peek behind-the-scenes before the event kicked off proper, Technical Manager, Maximus Leighton, said that Tech Crew had done stuff they had “never done before” to prepare for the event, ensuring it was “a bit bigger and a bit better” than last year.  

We’ve come so far in such a short time, from overseeing just technical theatre […] then to, all of a sudden, doing stages like this twice or three times a year

Maximus Leighton, Technical Manager, Warwick Tech Crew

A new stage was designed, along with extra speakers, lighting, and a tower assembled overnight by Tech Crew which doubled up as a snow machine to make the event even extra festive.  

Leighton celebrated the society’s “professional” efforts throughout the year to prepare for the event, which planning started for back in February: “We’ve come so far in such a short time, from overseeing just technical theatre […] then to, all of a sudden, doing stages like this twice or three times a year.”  

“We’ve even got the budget for Santa hats this year”, he joked.  

The new-for-2025 tower, assembled by Tech Crew overnight, added to the atmosphere in front of the busy stage. Image: Nikolai Morton / The Boar

Praising the efforts of his extensive team after Wednesday’s work, Leighton added: “The event would not have been remotely possible without my core team and so many more people who gave up so much time. On Lighting, Olly Murphy; on Sound, Jonathan Ord; our Sound Assistant, Ethan Graham; on Stream, Oliver Smith; our Stream Assistant, Adam Skrzymowski; on Stream Sound, Sean Scholand; and my Assistant Technical Managers, Trin Balkwill and Hannah Hunt.

“We also wouldn’t be able to run the event without support from dedicated staff members who go above and beyond to support students despite their roles having nothing to do with supporting students! Andy from AV services makes all of our fun stream and big screen activities possible, and Jake from Estates brings power to our stages and always has extra effort for student events (including lending us a 15kW space heater for our Tech Tent).”

Play Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want for Christmas is You’ at least 50 times a day. That is like the Bible to Christmas here

John Dalziel, BBC CWR DJ

The stage, this year in a new location to allow students to watch over proceedings from the warmth of Curiositea or the vantage point of T-Bar, played host to the lights switch-on, shortly after 5pm.  

BBC CWR’s John ‘JD’ Dalziel was tasked with switching on the lights this year – even if with the help of Santa himself, who briefly left the warmth of his Grotto in The Nook to signal the start of Christmas at the University.  

Speaking to The Boar before the lights switch-on, Dalziel, who was “born and bred” in the local area, said that he “loves” Coventry and Warwickshire and that events like the light-switch on are not only important for students, “but also for the University to engage with the local community”.  

Asked whether he’d had a chance to try out one of the highlights of this year’s Christmas offerings, the Rodeo Reindeer, JD seemed to be cast back to his own youth: “I remember those kinds of rodeos from my student days… and a lot of the time I’d fling myself off it!”  

Joking aside, the radio DJ went onto praise the events on campus, saying how the day “showcased” student talent: “you don’t get a Z-list band to perform here. This is an event, it’s all about the students, the student talent – and I like that”. 

Radio DJ John ‘JD’ Dalziel was joined by an excited Kris Kringle for the lights switch-on. Image: George Archer

Closing the interview, in what has become a tradition for The Boar, we asked Dalziel whether he had any Christmas message for the students of Warwick.  

“For those that are experiencing their first British Christmas,” he said, “don’t forget to put your tree up, and put your stocking out. Just have the best Christmas. And play Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want for Christmas is You’ at least 50 times a day. That is like the Bible to Christmas here.” 

And that’s exactly how Christmas started on campus – snow falling, students celebrating, and Mariah Carey blasting out across the Piazza.