Pop Star Switches On Christmas Lights

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Hundreds of fans turn out for the event

Screaming Mariah Carey fans brought Westfield to a standstill on Thursday (November 19) evening as hundreds turned out to watch the pop diva switch on the Christmas lights.

The crowd screamed and cheered as the singer's car drove slowly up the Southern Terrace. Entering the shopping centre, an hour late for her appearance, the enthusiastic crowd had to be held back by the star's body guards.

Carey said she particularly liked to be in London, rather than her native America, in the run-up to Christmas: "I think London is very festive in the winter. I love Christmas and you guys start celebrating in September. We wait until the end of November, so I like to come over here," she told ITN.

On stage in the packed Atrium, Carey, carrying a fairy wand, sang along to All I Want For Christmas Is You, with a group of school children. The stage was showered with pink confetti and illuminated by pyrotechnics.

Earlier there were claims that Carey had demanded 20 white kittens and 100 white doves for the Christmas lights event, but that the request had been turned down for health and safety reasons.

"We do not allow pets into Westfield - that rule would apply for everyone," Westfield were reported to have said.

But the singer's spokesperson said there was no truth in the claims at all. "It's absolute rubbish and absolute nonsense," the spokesperson said.

Despite the lack of fluffy creatures, Westfield - and parts of Shepherd's Bush - was strewn with butterfly-shaped confetti.

Mariah Carey is in London to promote her new album, Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel.

November 19, 2009