London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 28, 2026

Sir Elton John and family step into Christmas as they surprise onlookers in NYC

Sir Elton John and family step into Christmas as they surprise onlookers in NYC

Sir Elton John and husband David Furnish were joined by their two boys as they surprised New Yorkers by unveiling Saks Fifth Avenue’s Christmas display.

Following a million-dollar donation by the department store to the rockstar’s Aids Foundation’s Rocket Fund, Sir Elton decided to show his gratitude and serenade members of the public who had turned up to watch the famous big reveal.

Stopping traffic on 49th Street, a grand piano was rolled into the middle of Fifth Avenue as the hall-of-famer prepared to take his seat.

Following some quick words from Saks CEO Marc J Metrick, the megastar took time to share his feelings with the crowd: ‘It means a great deal to me to have your support.

‘Thank you so much. I’m so thrilled to kick off the holiday season tonight and to be a part of this spectacular and iconic window unveiling and light show.’

Nodding an all clear, the singer’s husband then ushered their children Zachary, 11, and Elijah, nine, onto the stage to join in the festive celebrations.

Sir Elton John serenaded NYC citizens with the help of his family

The star pitched up in an extravagant golf cart to his waiting piano

A full family affair, the foursome counted down to their loved one’s big performance of his Billboard Hot 100 single Your Song.

After his performance was met with an enormous round of applause, the veteran performer joined the rest of his family in a seated section of the crowd to watch the lights show put on by the iconic shop.

The festive season extravaganza included an homage to the Tiny Dancer singer as it displayed rocket ships that projected on the side of the building’s façade.

The famous couple kept it in the family and counted down to the reveal with their two sons

Sir Elton was supported by his husband for the occasion and the pair watched on after the performance


Accompanying the fantastical showcase was a melody of Sir Elton’s hits that had the man himself bobbing along as he got into the spirit of things.

The light display was upstaged by a later explosion of fireworks that danced across the New York sky to the tune of Your Song, this time a pre-recorded version.

A full-circle moment, the song was influential in the artist’s early career and saved him from a lifetime of struggle – a fact that was shared in the star’s memoir Me.

Fifty years later, the icon watched on as it acted as an anthem for one of the world’s most iconic seasonal events that shut down roads in the middle of New York City.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Nearly 23,000 UK Households Expected to Move Home on Busiest Day of 2026
UK Benefit Payments to Arrive Early Ahead of August Bank Holiday
Reform UK Pledges to Replace GDPR and Cut Tax Administration Red Tape
Andy Burnham Launches Work Experience Plan for One Million Young People Outside Education or Work
Andy Burnham Faces Labour Backlash After Dropping Support for Political Donations Cap
Andy Burnham Announces UK-Wide Summit With Leaders of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
Met Office Warns of Heavy Rain and Flood Risk Across England and Wales After Summer Heat
Bank of England Warns AI Adoption Could Reduce Demand for Automatable Jobs
UK Confirms National Salmonella Outbreak With More Than 200 Cases
UK Airports Handle Record 81 Million Passengers Despite Middle East Disruption
Ofgem Raises UK Energy Price Cap by Four Percent to £1,723
Cyber Attack Hits Customer Data Systems at Manchester, Stansted and East Midlands Airports
TSA Unveils Major Airport-Security Overhaul as It Drops Gold+ Privatization Plan
CIA Chief Warned Russia Against Attacking NATO in Secret Moscow Mission
Raheem Sterling Charged With Dangerous Driving After Lamborghini Crash
The Secret Dolly Parton Kept Until Her Death: "She Was Much Sicker Than She Let On"
Middlesbrough House Fire Kills Woman and Seven-Year-Old Girl
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Return to UK Amid Renewed Media Attention
Raheem Sterling Charged With Dangerous Driving After London Collision
Greenpeace Threatens Legal Action Over Crown Estate Offshore Wind Leasing
Nvidia Revenue Surges to Ninety-Six Point Two Billion Dollars on Artificial Intelligence Demand
Meta Agrees to Global Youth Safety Changes Following Multi-State Legal Settlement
UK Government Plans Autumn Summit With Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish Leaders
CMA Caps Veterinary Prescription Fees at Twenty-One Pounds
Thames Water Pilot Records Forever Chemicals at Thirteen Times the Legal Limit
Kent Meningitis Outbreak Reaches Thirty-Four Confirmed Cases
Forty Children Missing From UK Asylum Accommodation Remain Unaccounted For
UK Court Upholds VAT on Private School Fees
US Designates Palestine Action as Foreign Terrorist Organization
UK Approves Massive New Chinese Embassy Complex in London Amid Security Concerns
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Visits Kyiv and Offers Cruise Missile Designs to Ukraine
Glacier Collapse, Not Earthquake, Triggered Deadly Nepal-Tibet Flood
Andy Burnham Drops Plan to Cap Political Donations
Conservative Leadership Contest Intensifies as Robert Jenrick Attacks Kemi Badenoch
French-Born Defence Secretary Wes Streeting Condemns Homophobic Abuse Since Taking Office
UK Government Delays Commercial Robotaxi Rollout in London Over Regulatory Gaps
NHS Complaints About Autism and ADHD Care Waiting Times Triple Over Five Years
UK Government Launches 10,000 Work Placements for Young People With Sainsbury's
NHS England to Offer Free At-Home Cervical Cancer Screening Kits
EU Biometric Border Checks Cause Delays of Up to Five Hours for British Travellers
US Imposes Economic Sanctions on UK-Based Protest Group Palestine Action
Two Planned UK Datacentres Could Produce More Annual Carbon Emissions Than ExxonMobil's Entire UK Operation
London Surgeons Complete First Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Brain Tumour Removal
UK Services Growth Rebounds as Consumer Confidence Reaches Two-Year High
Ofgem Confirms Four Percent October Energy Price Cap Increase for UK Households
Government Considers Insolvency Law Changes to Bring Thames Water Into Public Ownership
Andy Burnham Signs Artificial Intelligence Defence Pact During Visit to Kyiv
Church of England Faces Renewed Scrutiny Over Historical Safeguarding Failures
Reform UK Proposes £30 Tax Credit for Long HMRC Telephone Queues
Greater Manchester Secures More Than £100 Million to Upgrade Victorian Railway Stations
×