FREE NOW Spreads Joy Throughout Europe
By: Jedida Ravindran
Tags: Christmas, Mobility, Tech, Joy

This is a year unlike any year we’ve had before! Although being in the midst of a pandemic makes it difficult for us to celebrate the holiday season, FREE NOW has made it a priority to keep the holiday spirit alive by bringing Christmas joy to the homes of our users and communities.

Here are some highlights from our Christmas campaigns around Europe:

Hail a Panto: Bringing Christmas cheer right to the doorstep of Londoners!

In a recent FREE NOW study, we found that two-thirds of Brits (66%) believe that communities need the performing arts now more than ever and over a quarter of those surveyed (28%) said they usually watch a Christmas pantomime at least once a year. So we put the two and two together and decided to bring the pantomime right to our users' doorsteps, in a safe and socially distanced way! For those who don’t know about it — A Panto (from the word Pantomime) is a musical stage production that is known to be one of the UK’s most iconic Christmas traditions.

In collaboration with a local performing arts company, just yesterday we brought characters from the well-known pantomime Puss in Boots to perform for communities across London, right at their doorsteps. Leading up to the big day, residents could apply via our website to nominate individuals/families to have a Panto performed right at their homes!

Lucky residents who were chosen watched in delight as the ‘Puss in Boot’ panto cast pulled up one by one in a fleet of black cabs and private hire vehicles.

The full cast of characters included the Third Son of the Miller, the hero, and named by his trusty cat servant Puss in Boots as ‘The Marquise de Caaaabbbhhaabs’, the ‘Old Dame King’ — the Queen of the Blackcab country, ‘The Footman’, ‘The Beautiful Princess Terrust’ … and a socially distanced panto-horse.

Spreading Christmas Joy in Warsaw, Krakow, Wroclaw and Gdansk

For many, Christmas is a time of giving and spreading joy towards others. In Poland, we took it upon ourselves to do just that by bringing joy to the homes of the less fortunate. We partnered up with Szlachetna Paczka (Noble Gift), one of Poland’s largest social schemes, to deliver living essentials and goods from donors to families in need.

With the support of our FREE NOW drivers and energetic local volunteers from Noble Gift, we were able to reach approximately 60 families in Warsaw, Krakow, Wroclaw and Gdansk, all in just 2 days!

Le Voyage de Noël: 24 days of Advent Roulette in France

In France on the other hand, we decided to put a spin on the classic Advent Calendar and give our users the opportunity to win prizes in the 24 days leading up to Christmas. Both in Lyon and Paris, users have been able to locate the Advent calendar on their app and spin the “Roulette de l’Avent” wheel to try and win one of many surprises!

We’ve partnered up with 15 national and international brands that are sure to bring a smile to the faces of our users. Such brands include Les Galeries Lafayette, Le Parc Astérix, JBL, LaMaison du Chocolat, Cheerz and Cabaia! So far, over 7200 gifts have been won

These are just a few highlights of the many warm and thrilling Christmas joy actions that FREE NOW has brought to our users! As the holiday season kicks into full gear and the eventful year slowly comes to end, keep an eye open for more exciting news from us ;)