Oxford Street and other areas of Central London such as Bond Street and Piccadilly due to "pickpocketing, fraud and theft". The advent of closed-circuit television has reduced the area's attraction to scam artists and illegal street traders. Every Christmas, Oxford Street is decorated with festive lights. The tradition of Christmas lights began in 1959, five years after neighbouring Regent Street. There were no light displays in 1976 or 1977 because of economic recession, but the lights returned in 1978 when Oxford Street organised a laser display, and have continued every year since. Current practice involves a celebrity turning the lights on in
Beak Street Beak Street Beak Street is a street in Soho, London, that runs roughly east-west between Regent Street and Lexington Street. On its south side, Beak Street is joined by Warwick Street, Upper John Street, Upper James Street, Bridle Lane and Great Pulteney Street. On its north side, Beak Street is joined by Kingly Street, Kingly Court, Carnaby Street, and Marshall Street. Beak Street is a one-way street for traffic. The section between Regent and Warwick streets were once part of an ancient city highway that ran from Piccadilly to Oxford Circus. The street is named after Thomas Beake, later one