The Festive MINI started as just a bit of fun over three years ago, when Nico covered his own MINI in Christmas lights, after being inspired by a video he saw online. In the last three years, the decorations have evolved and, when we heard about the project, we absolutely had to get involved.

For 2021, the Festive MINI was hand wrapped in over 2,000 smart Twinkly LED lights, to take on it’s five week tour of the UK, spreading festive cheer and raising money for three charities that are important to Nicholas, the original creator of the Festive MINI: the MS Trust, Duchenne UK, and Alzheimer’s Society.

Festive Lights’ role in this project was installing the Twinkly Smart Lighting on the vehicle, mapping the lights and designing all the assets that would be displayed on the car. In total, the Twinkly Kit used on this car was: 2 controllers, 8 sets of 250 strings, 1 power kit (located in the boot of the vehicle), and a LOT of waterproof light installation sticky tabs and cable ties! Check out our behind the scenes video below, giving you a sneak peak into how we completed this project and some design ideas from along the way.

The MINI arrived coated in a matte black vinyl, meaning we could install the lights, and then the lights and vinyl could easily be removed after the Festive tour, without damaging any bodywork. Fitting began with the first set of strings, using a path we had designed around the MINI, which took into consideration the doors and boot to keep them free to open.

Once the first set was in place, the next 3 strings followed the same path, in-between the previous sets so that the lights were double density, for the most impactful display we could possibly achieve. The extra density meant it was better for any animation to play, particularly text, such as the custom animation we created that had the words ‘MINI TWINKLY’ scrolling down the sides of the car.

We would just like to say a special thanks to MINI UK for providing their all new MINI Electric, and to Twinkly for providing us with the app-controlled lights for us to use for this project.

For more information on the Festive MINI,or to donate, you can visit: https://www.festivemini.com/

Did you spot the MINI near you during the festive period last year? We’d love to see your images! Let us know in the comments section, and don’t forget to share your images with us on Twitter or tag us on Instagram, making sure you use our hashtag #ShareTheJoy – and we’ll share our favourites!