Architects create playful gingerbread version of London for Christmas

Gummy bears, licorice and candy canes are on display in London for the delicious Gingerbread City exhibition.

"The theme this year is play, so we're putting play at the heart of urban life," said Melissa Woolford, founder of the Museum of Architecture.

The ninth annual Gingerbread City exhibition features 50 architect-designed gingerbread buildings, including creative spins on some of London's famous landmarks, such as Elizabeth Tower (home of Big Ben) and the House of Commons.

The UHA design team built a licorice-themed parliament display, which the practice's head of brand and creative, Joseph Goodwin, described as their British Parliament re-enactment – in the week that the Chancellor of the Exchequer (finance minister) Rachel Reeves presented the government's new economic plans.

"A gummy bear Rachel Reeves is delivering a licorice-allsort-themed red budget to Parliament, which is covered in other licorice-allsort papers and the rest," he explained.

This year's exhibition opens to the public this weekend and runs until January 4, 2026.