Jingle Bell Ball

The Jingle Bell Ball is a concert held every year in December, by the Global Radio-owned Capital network at The O2 Arena. Its been announced that David Guetta will headline the Saturday night with support from Jason Derulo and Years and Years, Sunday is yet to be announced, with headline acts in the past including Taylor Swift, Take That, The Black Eyed Peas, Cheryl Cole, Girls Aloud, Janet Jackson, Jessie J, Katy Perry, Kylie Minogue, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Shakira, and Pink. Other notable acts who have performed at the Ball include Bruno Mars, JLS, Miley Cyrus, The Pussycat Dolls, Taio Cruz, Tinie Tempah, Rita Ora, The Wanted, 5 Seconds of Summer, Ed Sheeran, OneRepublic and The Vamps. A portion of ticket sales profit is donated to Global's Make Some Noise, Capital's flagship charity, formally known as Help a Capital Child and Help a London Child.

2008

It was held over one night – 8 December. David Smyth of the Evening Standard rated it three stars, saying it was "too quick to be boring but too superficial to stick in the mind".

Jingle bell

A jingle bell or sleigh bell is a type of bell which produces a distinctive 'jingle' sound, especially in large numbers. They find use in many areas as a percussion instrument, including the classic sleigh bell sound and morris dancing. They are typically used as a cheaper alternative to small 'classic' bells.

The simplest jingle bells are produced from a single piece of sheet metal bent into a roughly spherical shape to contain a small ball bearing or short piece of metal rod. This method of production results in the classic two- or four-leaved shape. Two halves may also be crimped together, resulting in a ridge around the middle. A glass marble may also be used as the ringer on larger bells.

History

Bells of this type were developed centuries ago for fastening to harnesses used with horses or teams of horses. Typically they were used for horse-drawn vehicles, such as carriages and sleighs. The bell was designed to make sound whenever the horse and thus the vehicle was in motion. The purpose was perhaps to herald the approach of someone important, or likely to warn pedestrians of the vehicle's approach so that they might step aside to avoid collisions and potential injuries. This was especially important for sleighs, which otherwise make almost no sound as they travel over packed snow, and are difficult to stop quickly.