Skylight, one of London’s favourite rooftop venues, known for its panoramic views across the city’s skyline, is expanding its famous offering this festive season and creating one of the city’s biggest winter destinations, Skylight Christmas at Tobacco Dock.
Launching on Thursday 26th November, Skylight Christmas at Tobacco Dock will be a collection of exciting outdoor and socially distanced festive eating and drinking experiences situated on the rooftop venue and at ground level across the Grade-1 listed warehouses and cobbled lanes of Tobacco Dock.
The iconic venue and event space will play host to a real ice rink, an igloo village, a Feast in the Forest dining experience, spacious Après Ski Lodge bar, Off-Piste Speakeasy bar, Christmas market and Christmas Cocktail Cinema Experience. These exciting additions to Skylight Rooftop’s current igloo offering, combine to create Skylight Christmas at Tobacco Dock.
Skylight Rooftop was created in 2017 by Meanwhile Events. This winter, the Meanwhile team is thrilled to announce this exciting expansion, allowing guests over 50,000 sq ft of additional space to enjoy the company of friends, colleagues and family, at a time where keeping distance is key, while still creating a buzzy atmosphere. Skylight Christmas at Tobacco Dock has been designed with the ever-changing COVID-climate in mind, providing Londoners and visitors alike with a safe and fun festive environment. The venue has both the ‘We’re Good To Go’ and ‘AIM’ COVID-safe accreditations.
“As a venue, we are very fortunate to have vast expanses of outdoor space surrounded by iconic views and a Grade-1 listed heritage building. What better place to still be able to safely meet with friends, colleagues that you don’t get to see often, or your extended family? We have been diligently adapting our service offering since 04 July instituting rigorous Covid secure practices and policies, while maintaining our top service standard and not losing any of that Skylight joy” says Scott McVittie, Director, Meanwhile Events.
For this year, Skylight’s famous Ice Rink will now be found in the shadow of Tobacco Dock’s tall ships, which are berthed alongside Wapping’s canal. Dressed with fairy lights and surrounded by twinkling trees, the ice rink will be open to all ages, with places allocated on a first-come-first-served basis, from £12 per person. Also located on the Quayside will also be a mini Christmas market, serving festive favourites, like spiced mulled wine and warming cider, pretzels, chestnuts, churros and chocolate – whilst filling the air with some of the season’s most delightful aromas.
Igloos will be nestled along the cobbled quayside, the perfect spot for watching the ice skating and sitting under the stars with warming cocktails. Igloos are also located up at Skylight Rooftop (open now until spring 2021) providing incredible views across the city’s skyline. Warmed with mini-heaters, these igloo-bubbles come with warming welcome drinks and alpine-inspired decor, featuring faux-fur rugs and thick blankets for extra cosiness. Guests can also take advantage of full table service and dedicated food and drink offering.
A must-do experience for foodies, Feast in the Forest invites guests to enter a candle-lit clearing in an enchanted woodland, where they can discover a magical dining experience curated by Alison Price executive chef Richard Cubbin, one of London’s leading party planners and event caterers. With a focus on high-quality seasonal and foraged ingredients, this six-course gastronomic journey will also feature delicious pairing cocktails and a specially curated wine list. For guests who want to indulge in a special intimate dinner, the “Chefs Table” experience is available for groups up to 6 – very limited availability.
For those looking for some festive escapism, the Christmas Cocktail Cinema will be showing back-to-back classic Christmas movies throughout the run. The cinema will be an adults-only experience and will serve delicious themed cocktails and gourmet snacks
alongside the movies. Guests can enjoy refreshments before the film begins and also during an interval – allowing for pop-corn top ups and a fresh glass of something delicious. Film showings confirmed so far include Home Alone 1 and 2, Love Actually, The Holiday, Last Holiday, Bad Santa, A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas, Die Hard and Bridget Jones’ Diary.
Off-Piste – a secret speakeasy with exposed-brick walls and burnished copper wall fittings is an intimate space for those in search of a high-end cocktail hideaway. Off-Piste offers three different types of session. These exclusive experiences will serve up top-notch cocktails created by expert mixologist Sebastian Hollingworth. The ‘Ski School’ is a 75 minute introduction session, the perfect way for guests to kick-start their Skylight Christmas Experience, before heading to an igloo later on. For those looking to get more involved, the ‘The Grand Couloir’ is a longer session of 90 minutes, where guests can showcase their creative mixology skills with a build-your- own cocktail experience. And finally, each day concludes with the ‘The Full Shred’, a not-for-the-faint-of-heart 2.5 hour session to take imbibers on the full (white knuckle) run of the cocktail list – no skating (or skiing) allowed after this one.
Brand new for 2020, The Après Ski Lodge is themed around a mountain chalet – with generously spaced low-lit benched seating, fully- decorated Christmas trees and snug sheepskins. Skylight Rooftop will continue to play host to 3 bars across its levels and see the return of its heated outdoor sheltered seating, a firm-favourite for those looking to soak up the views with friends. The bars throughout the venue will all offer an array of beers, wines and spirits as well as an all-new seasonal cocktail menu. The Après Ski Lodge, Quayside Igloos and Skylight Rooftop will share an indulgent festive food menu, ideal for the crisper months, featuring warming Alpine and Bavarian classics, such as Chicken Schnitzel, Beechwood-Smoked Bratwurst, Slow-cooked Beef Cassoulet and Tartiflette, with vegetarian and vegan options also available.
To ensure a smooth visit, Skylight will offer an on-site concierge service, where guests can book various experiences and add-ons whilst they’re at the venue. Allowing the venue to maintain its track and trace systems, the service is perfect for those who don’t want their Skylight experience to end, instead preferring to warm up in an igloo with a mulled wine after a round or two on the ice, or head into Feast In The Forest after an afternoon movie at the Christmas Cocktail Cinema.
Skylight will continue to programme special events throughout the season, which will take place throughout the venue. These include an awe-inspiring New Year’s Eve party, guest DJs and other seasonal activities.
