If you’ve looked around recently, you’ve probably noticed that the soon-to-be-released film ‘Wicked’ has been on a bit of a marketing frenzy lately. There’s a ‘Wicked’ Christmas tree over in St Pancras, and even a ‘Wicked’-themed afternoon tea. And now they’ve only gone and renamed an entire London borough for the film. Ahead of the release in cinemas, Greenwich has become GreenWitch this November.
Now, while the rebranding is only going to confuse matters more for people who already struggle with pronouncing the area’s name (it’s ‘gren-itch‘ by the way) it makes a lot of sense when written out. As such, a whole bunch of street signs around the area have been replaced with the temporary new name.
Everywhere from Greenwich GreenWitch Market to the University of Greenwich GreenWitch has had a name change. They’ve all been “bewitched by Elphaba’s green spell”. GreenWitch Market has also had a makeover to go along with the rebranding. Keep your eyes peeled for the new installation on the roof of the market.
The Mayor of Greenwich, Councillor Jit Ranabhat, even unveiled a plaque on the Greenwich Foot Tunnel, to launch the area’s renaming.
Meanwhile, the University has partnered up Shiz University from the movie. They’ve launched a new waterfall installation, a ‘University of GreenWitch’ globe, and of course some ‘University of GreenWitch’ signage.
Exploring GreenWitch
Visitors to the area can head to the GreenWitch Tourist Information Centre and pick up a map (while stocks last) which will take them on a walking trail around GreenWitch to find all the signs that have changed their names. And if they run out of maps, you can download your own here. The trail begins at the new plaque at the entrance to GreenWitch Foot Tunnel. It then travels along GreenWitch High Road, taking in sights like the GreenWitch Picturehouse, the already perfectly named Green Café, and more.
The GreenWitch walking trail will be available until November 25, or until stocks last. Find out more about the GreenWitch makeover here.
And in the meantime, why not grab a ticket here to go and see the famed musical onstage?
Wicked is released in UK cinemas on November 22, 2024. Join the waitlist to be among the first to see the film.