A day of fun and shopping at Christchurch Christmas Festival

People coming to Christchurch for the Christmas Festival on Saturday 5 December can be sure of an entertaining day out as activities are planned throughout the day.

The Christmas Market opens at 10am in the pedestrianised High Street with a host of food, drink and gift ideas in stalls lining the street. The market continues until 7pm. Parking will be free of charge in all town centre car parks from 10am for the rest of the day.

10am also sees the start of a day of entertainment in the marquee in Saxon Square, courtesy of Christchurch Community Partnership. During the day there will be performances from Christchurch Music Centre, Stourvale Mummers, Ring of Eight dance group, Mudeford Infants, Swing Unlimited Big Band, Funky Little Choir, Pure Funk dance group, U3A Vintage Brass Band, Treehouse Theatre, a magician and the Lighthouse band.

Treehouse Theatre, who specialise in drama, music and storytelling for the under 8s, will also be appearing at Christchurch library from 10.30 to 11.30.

Bargates gets into the swing of things when Santa’s Grotto opens at Zooma Kids at 10am and Wessex Autistic Society will have raffles, games and goodies.

The Priory is holding its Christmas Fayre in Priory House with mulled wine, stalls and gifts from 10.30am to 1pm while The Priory School in Wick Lane also has its own Christmas Fayre, open from 11am to 2pm, with a cafe, cakes, tombola and gift stalls.

Local band State of Undress will be performing in the High Street during the day from around 1pm.

Back in Bargates, the Baptist Church is holding a ‘messy Christmas’ from 2pm to 4pm while Zooma plays host to their very own High Street Musical cast. Zooma’s Troy and Gabriella perform at 2.30pm while Zooma’s Hannah Montana will join them at 2.45. There will be another chance to catch them at 3.45pm.

In the afternoon the ‘Crystal Creatures’ will be visiting Christchurch from a distant land of ice and fantasy. These stiltwalkers will be in High Street in the early afternoon before going to Bargates and later will be outside the Priory while people wait to see Santa’s reindeer.

Santa himself will be flying in with his reindeer to parade from Peeks Partystore, leaving at 4.15pm, down Bargates to join the Mayor, Cllr David Flagg along with David and Caroline from Heart’s breakfast show, on the balcony of the Mayor’s Parlour in the High Street for the Christmas lights switch-on at 4.30pm.

The reindeer will then move to a pen outside the Priory to be fed and petted before their long journey back to Lapland. The Priory will also be having mulled wine and a chocolate fountain in the North Porch from 5.30pm.

The main sponsor of this year’s Festival is Bournemouth Airport.

For a full programme of events during the day go to www.visitchristchurch.info and enter ‘Christchurch Christmas Festival’ in the search box.

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