Friday 16th November saw Smyths Toys Superstore in Staples Corner Retail Park switch on its Christmas lights.

The special event was hosted by Stacey Solomon, star of Loose Women and Queen of the Jungle. Smyths Toys took over a section of the car park outside the store to host its Snow Ball, which included a lighting display, a VIP blue carpet experience and a winter wonderland of fun for the whole family to enjoy.

To celebrate turning on the lights, Smyths Toys hosted a Snow Ball with face-painting, a DJ and character appearances including Oscar, Pikachu, Star Wars Storm Troopers and its charity partner Great Ormond Street Hospitals’ Bernard Bear.

As a surprise at the very end of the night, all guests were asked to wish for it to snow and, within moments, the retail park turned into a winter wonderland for all to enjoy.

Those who attended the event were able to capture a magical family photograph in the larger than life Snow Globe, and pick up goodie bags with cozy L.O.L. Christmas jumpers and gifts from Lego, L.O.L. Surprise!, Pokémon Let’s Go and more. Seasonal treats such as hot chocolate and build-your-own Belgian waffles added to the Christmas feeling of this spectacular event.

Joint head of marketing, Sinead Byrne, commented: “We really wanted to celebrate the magic of Christmas this year and give something back locally to our customers at Staples Corner, it brought absolute joy to see the families faces when it snowed.”

Katie Peake, creative director at Backlash, commented: “It has been amazing working with Smyths, which understands the value of great customer experiences. Seeing the reactions of the guests to the unexpected moments you’ve been hard at work creating makes you realise why you do this job.”