Gypsy & Travellers Community London Christmas Horse Drive, 6th December 2025

Every year for the past decade and a half around mid-December, Gypsy Travellers have converged on London to see the sights, visit Winter Wonderland, and celebrate the festive season.

The drive is a significant gathering for the Gypsy and Traveller communities and their friends, showcasing their horses and carts, and celebrating their culture. I spoke with attendants who had travelled down from Yorkshire and Norfolk, and I am sure others came from even further away!

This year approximately 300 horses, many decorated with tinsel, reindeer horns, and other Christmassy details, trotted through the city, beginning in Wapping at Tobacco Docks, where I joined them with a few other photographers to document their preparations for the day.

After they set off we travelled on the District Line to meet them at Buckingham Palace, then walked to Soho where they often rest at Cambridge Circus.

I left them after this, but they continued their tour of the city, including Borough Market, until concluding back where they started in Wapping.

The Christmas Drive tends to represent the final ride-out of the year for the community.

Photography is usually very welcome in these spaces, and everyone was pleased to be able to show off their horses, fashion, or boisterous moments; there's always such a joy at these events which I hope comes through in the video.
As well as Chris, Phil, and Le in the morning I met a few other photographers out and about, some of whom had just come from the SantaCon, or Christmas Corgi events which took place on the same day.
While walking from Buckingham Palace to Soho we met some people dressed as Christmas Trees (with gifts for shoes) and I snapped a few pictures of them before continuing.