Festive treats coming to the Christmas lights switch-on festival this Sunday
If you are looking for a festive treat or tasty street food this weekend, then we have it all on offer from new market traders visiting the Christmas lights switch-on event on Sunday, November 24 2019.
Cocker-Hoop Creative, organisers of the Lichfield Grub Club and Food Festival, will be bringing a large selection of market traders to the town, as the countdown to Christmas is launched in style with an afternoon of festive fun for the whole family.
Traders will be offering a wide range of tasty street food including Spanish churros, Thai food, burgers, pizza, Indian selection, sweet treats such as fudge and doughnuts; not forgetting festive delights such as Bailey’s hot chocolate and mulled wine. There will be a cocktail bar, hot drinks and Christmas gifts available too.
The annual Christmas Lights Festival, sponsored by Ankerside Shopping Centre, starts at 1pm and promises another jam-packed afternoon of festive fun for the whole family. Activities include fairground rides, live music and dance performances, walkabout characters, stilt walkers, free face painting and lantern parade.
Entertainment will centre around the Touch FM stage in St Editha’s Square with a variety of live performances from 3pm.
Ankerside will have walk-about characters, PJ Masks, making an appearance at intervals throughout the day from 1.30pm.
This year the new spectacular lantern parade will represent the 12-days of Christmas, with the involvement of 12 different community groups. These groups have been involved in making a new and bigger lantern design with each lantern themed with one of the 12-days of Christmas. Families and children that have joined the project and made a smaller lantern can collect their lanterns at 3pm on Sunday, from Unit 49 in Ankerside, prior to the start of the parade.
The free Christmas lights switch-on festival is one of the highlights of Tamworth’s impressive calendar of outdoor events and is organised by Tamworth Borough Council’s Arts & Events team in partnership with Tamworth Christmas Lights Committee. It usually draws thousands of visitors from across the area.
Line up for the main stage:
- Flaxhill Primary School Choir – 3pm - 3.10pm
- Two Gates Primary School Choir – 3.10pm - 3.20pm
- Treyc Cohen Choir – 3.20pm - 3.40pm
- Just Perform Musical Theatre Group – 3.40pm – 4pm
- 12 Days of Christmas sing-along with Tamworth Panto – 4pm
- St Leonard’s Primary School Choir – 4.40pm – 4.50pm
- Meg Benton – 5pm – 5.10pm
- Tamworth Voices – 5.10pm – 5.30pm
- D-Day Darlings Duo and Juniors – 5.30pm – 5.50pm
- Santa, The Bake-Off winner and Tamworth Mayor – 5.50pm
- Lights Switch On – 6pm
Andrew Barratt, Chief Executive for Tamworth Borough Council, said: “We all look forward to the annual Christmas Lights Festival as it marks the start of the main countdown to Christmas.
“We are delighted to welcome new traders to the town who are offering high quality street food and refreshments. Why not come along and help us start the festive season in style with a nice warm mulled wine or festive cocktail?
“This is an incredibly popular event in our calendar of free entertainment for residents and visitors and it’s a lovely festive day out.”
Blue badge parking is available at all public car parks and accessible toilets are available at Ankerside and in St Editha’s Square.
St. Editha’s square will have a designated access area controlled and managed by event stewards. This area will be situated to the south side of St. Edithas church on top of the raised embankment. This is a hard standing level access area reserved for attendees who have additional access requirements.
More information is available from Tamworth Borough Council’s Arts & Events team by emailing TARartsdevelopment@tamworth.gov.uk, or calling 01827 709314.
