THE famous Fenwick Christmas window which traditionally attracts thousands of people to Newcastle every year will be unveiled virturally for the first time in its history.

This year the department store is inviting everyone to celebrate the launching of its annual display from the comfort of their own homes by tuning into a very special Facebook Live at 6.45pm on Sunday, November 8.

As a major highlight of the festive season, the Fenwick window unveiling has previously gathered around 2,000 people, all eager to watch the Northumberland Street department store unveil its official animated Christmas window display.

In accordance with current government guidelines, this year Fenwick asks the people of the region to stay home and watch the event unfold online.

Kieran McBride, Fenwick Newcastle store director said: “This year, it’s more important than ever for us to bring the Fenwick Christmas experience to the people of Newcastle. That’s why we’ve been working closely with the local council to ensure we can reveal our unique Christmas window display in a safe way.”

"We will be streaming this year’s entire evening event through Facebook Live with lots of added Fenwick surprises along the way, including the famous curtain drop reveal moment.

"The safety of our customer and colleagues is our top priority, so we kindly ask you not to travel to Northumberland Street to watch the reveal in person. In line with restrictions from Newcastle Council, a section of Northumberland Street will be closed to the public, so the window and surrounding area will not be viewable.”

From Monday November 9, the window will be open to view until 8pm every day. With social distancing measures in place, it is likely there will be a need to queue at certain periods.

All queues will follow the guidance of local and national health authorities to ensure visitors enjoy Christmas at Fenwick in a Covid-19 secure way. A Fenwick Host will greet customers at the start of the window display where they will be asked to use hand sanitiser, which Fenwick will provide. Directional signage and a one-way system will be in operation as well as a list of ‘Elf and Safety’ to advise customers of do’s and don’ts. The window will be cleaned and sanitised each morning and customers will be asked not to touch the window.

Over the years, the Fenwick Christmas window has been inspired by cherished and well-known stories such as the classic children’s book The Snowman in 2018 and Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in 2019.

As the region awaits this highly anticipated event in the festive calendar, this year’s window scenes have been created here in the UK and transported to Newcastle where they will be brought to life by a team of animators, technicians, window dressers and carpenters.

The final window installations are the result of a meticulous and highly intricate creative process which turns the sketches from elaborate artist storyboards into awe-inspiring, animated scenes.

The Fenwick Christmas 2020 window reveal moment on can be viewed on www.Facebook.com/fenwicknewcastle