Decency over debauchery at London’s bank parties

With an ever-lengthening list of scandals and a number of banks still reliant on the public purse, the 2013 Christmas party season for London’s financiers is about decency over debauchery.

Big festive bashes are being eschewed for fear of further riling public opinion. Some events are being switched to January, when it’s cheaper. Some banks are opting for carol concerts to raise money for charity, while at others it will be prosecco rather than champagne that is flowing, say event organisers and bankers.

Before the 2008 global financial crisis, a specially erected marquee in London’s Canary Wharf offered Christmas parties with sit-down dinner, free-flowing champagne, and a band on stilts for banks such as HSBC and Lehman Brothers.