Trafalgar Square - Kris

Question of the week: What's one of your favourite things about the Trafalgar Square area?

"One of my favourite things about Trafalgar Square is that it has become London's (and to some extent Britain's) gathering space. People filled the square to celebrate the VE Day, and Christmas in Trafalgar Square is a beautiful thing to behold - each year a huge tree is given to the people of London by the people of Oslo to thank them for freeing Norway from Nazi occupation, and a member of the Norwegian royal family comes to turn on the lights!

The gatherings haven't always been peaceful or fun, throughout the 19th Century left-wing movements demonstrated in the square to try to gain rights for the poor and underprivileged. In the 1880s there were even riots in Trafalgar Square because of mass unemployment. There have been demonstrations by all sorts of groups ever since.

Now the square is often used for celebrations, from Chinese New Year to British sporting victories, as well as festivals organized by a variety of groups from all over Britain and the world - recently including the Russian Festival and a celebration of the Vancouver Winter Olympics. There always seems to be something happening in and around Trafalgar Square, and it's just up to you to walk through and participate!"
- Kris

* Photo by Mossaiq, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.