The Elf on the Shelf®

Croydon stepped into the holiday spotlight with a festive first for London—becoming part of the nationwide Elf on the Shelf® experience.
From November 29th to Christmas Eve 2024, a towering 15-foot Scout Elf made its way across some of the town centre’s most familiar locations, delivering a festive dose of joy to Croydon’s businesses, residents, and visitors.

A quick recap:

During the 2024 festive season, an stand-out 15-foot Scout Elf brought holiday cheer to Croydon as part of a collaboration between Croydon BID and The Lumistella Company.

The Scout Elf made stops at eight town centre locations: BOXPARK Croydon, Centrale Shopping Centre, LSBU Croydon Campus, Streeter Marshall Solicitors, Fairfield Halls, Croydon Town Hall, OurSpace Community Hub, and Whitgift Shopping Centre.

Each location turned into the perfect backdrop for a holiday photo opportunity, with many passers-by pausing to capture the moment and share it with friends and family.

To make things even more fun, we invited the community to get creative by naming the Scout Elf through an Instagram competition. With over 170 entries, the winning name, Elfis, perfectly captured the festive spirit!

The event wasn’t just a hit in Croydon—it also caught the eye of national media, securing coverage in publications like The London Evening Standard, The Guardian, Secret London, and Good Housekeeping.

On social media, the response was equally impressive, thanks to teaser videos, live location updates, and drone footage of the elf Croydon BID’s posts reached over 54,000 people, with 2,144 social engagements and 300+ new followers joining the conversation.

The Elf on the Shelf® event delivered something positive for Croydon at a time when the town centre needs it most. With such a warm response from the community, businesses, and media, it’s safe to say that the Elf on the Shelf® experience was a hit for Croydon.

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The results:

300+ new Instagram followers

54k+ social media reach

97m+ total media reach

170 competition entries

The Elf on the Shelf® installation was a fantastic addition to our own festive activations. It created a nice buzz and provided a unique photo opportunity for our visitors. From the number of selfies we saw being snapped, it was clear that shoppers really enjoyed it.