This year, in addition to the traditional Christmas lights, there will be nine weeks of festive activities in Liverpool City Centre.
These seasonal celebrations will be co-ordinated by Marketing Liverpool and aim to attract more people to the city centre across the whole of the festive season.
With the switching on of the Christmas lights, there will also be a fairytale-themed lantern parade around Liverpool’s city centre.
The events will include numerous attractions, including the return of Liverpool One’s Ice Festival, and will continue until January 4.
There will also be a Snowflake Trail in the city from November 20 to December 28, while the city will host “Alive after Five” every Thursday to encourage Christmas shoppers. Merseyrail, one of the organisers supporting the programme, will be offering savings on train tickets.
December 4 will see real reindeer making an appearance in Liverpool, with further entertainment and a school snowflake-making reveal. They will then return on December 11 to form part of a Father Christmas procession.
December 18 will see another procession for “Everton Blue Christmas” take place in the city centre.
Marketing Liverpool has worked in conjunction with numerous private sector funding partners, including Liverpool BID Company, Merseyrail, Geraud Markets Liverpool, the Albert Dock and Liverpool ONE.
Chris Brown, director of Marketing Liverpool, said:
“The outstanding programme of family festive entertainment could not be delivered without the help of all our partners. Together we are creating a festive line-up that will position Liverpool as a magical short break destination this Christmas”.
Bill Addy, Liverpool BID Company chief executive commented:
“It’s fabulous how much effort our partners and businesses have put in this year to make the season a truly memorable experience.”
Words: Peter Cribley