Oxford Christmas Lights Bus back by popular demand

The Oxford Christmas Lights Bus will be back this December to spread festive cheer through the streets of Oxfordshire. 

 Bedecked in twinkling Christmas lights, the bus will tour communities around Oxfordshire playing popular festive hits - and company ‘elves’ will distribute sweets at various stopping locations.

It follows the overwhelming success of previous Christmas Light Bus tours organised by Oxford Bus Company, City Sightseeing Oxford and Thames Travel, which started during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to bring the community together despite social distancing regulations. 

This year the bus operators have partnered with Get Radio to deliver the on-board music to help deliver the festive cheer.

The City Sightseeing Oxford open-topped bus, which will be decked out in festive lights, will stop at multiple locations across three tour dates.

It will tour across Oxfordshire on 7th, 14th and 21st December between 4pm and 8pm and residents are being encouraged to vote for where they would like the bus to visit and stop.

Luke Marion, Oxford Bus Company Managing Director, said: “It’s fantastic to be able to bring the Oxford Christmas Lights Bus back this year and a privilege for us to make a difference. 

“It’s wonderfully popular and helps spreads joy and goodwill across the communities we serve. We first launched it during the pandemic, when people needed a boost and it’s proved so popular we decided to bring it back.

“While we can’t visit every community, we want to make sure we make it as accessible as possible and include as many locations as we can. Therefore, we’ve opened it up to a public vote, so people can have their say on where it tours and stops.

“A big thank you goes to Get Radio and to all our colleagues whose hard work has made this possible. We’re pleased to be able to give something back at Christmas and are looking forward to it."

Hamish Law, Commercial Director at Get Radio, said: "Christmas is a magical time of the year, and it means so much to the Oxford community. At Get Radio, we're delighted to be working with Oxford Bus Company and supporting the return of The Christmas Light Bus. As Oxfordshire's only local commercial radio station our focus is on supporting everyone across Oxfordshire, and the 3 evenings of The Christmas Light Bus across December will bring so much happiness to those who see it. Get ready for some Slade, Mariah Carey and a bit of Wham!"

You can vote on where the Christmas Light Bus visits here.