It’s the countdown to the Big Christmas Lights Switch-on event in Dumfries Town Centre on Friday 14th November.
As usual, the focus is the Plainstanes at the Midsteeple, with rides and attractions in Queensberry Square and illuminated tractors down the High Street, by the Loreburne Shopping Centre entrance plus demonstrations from Queen of the South FC and Solway Sharks players.
Mark Smith, from Dumfries Partnership Action Group; the organisers of this year’s event, said, “Dumfries folk love to turnout in their thousands to celebrate the start of the Christmas season, with the switch-on event. As usual, we’ve tried to include something for all the family, with the star attraction being Santa, the elves and his reindeer! We’re grateful to the Cairngorms Reindeer Centre for their help with making sure Santa’s actual sleigh-pullers with be here.
“We’ll have two big screens, so everyone can see the action on the stage, with performers ranging from crowd-pulling DJ Connor Nelson, kicking off the live performances at 4pm, through Dumfries Community Choir, the Pantomime cast from the Theatre Royal, the Town Band as well as local singers, dancers and performers.
“Rosehips, aka ‘Producer Rose’, from Clyde 1 in Glasgow, will lead us up to the actual switch-on at 6.30pm, and the finale at 7pm. At 6.30, the Santa Parade will move through the High Street, down Friars Vennel, along the Whitesands and back to the Plainstanes via Bank Street, by 7pm. Everyone’s invited to join in the parade and Rosehips will have everyone bopping to some great Christmas tunes for the Plainstanes finale!”
This year’s switch-on also marks the beginning of this year’s Lights of Hope array of white lights around the town and Whitesands, which will remain in place well into the new year, to help brighten the dark, dreary January and February evenings which can be so depressing for many.
Alive 107.3fm’s presenter Lee Medd and others from Dumfries’s local radio station, will be introducing the acts and going amongst the crowd. It’s also hoped that Matthias Nerlich, the Burgermeister of our twin city of Gifhorn, will join live from Germany on the big screens, just before the switch-on. Reigning Queen of the South, Macy True, will push the plunger to launch the lights and proclaim the start of Christmas in Dumfries!
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