Belfast Council has released details of its Christmas programme, including the Christmas lights turn-on, the Christmas Market and themed activities across six weeks.
The Christmas Lights Switch-On event will take place on Saturday November 16 and will be a free-of-charge ticketed event.
A committee report for Belfast City Council states the event will have a “stage providing family-oriented entertainment including local musicians and performers culminating in the switch on of the lights by our Lord Mayor.”
Belfast’s Christmas celebrations will officially begin on Saturday November 16 with the switch-on event which will take place from around 6:30pm to 7:30pm.
The stage programme will consist of walkabout performers entertaining the audience at each three entrances, Donegall Place, and Donegall Square East and West.
The council report states the proposed stage programme will have “a variety of short acts celebrating the best of Belfast performers, both professional companies and community organisations, all supported by council.”
The stage show will be compered by a “media partner” with a young musician opening the event playing bagpipes. It will also have a live local band, Christmas musical and theatre performances, a “Rock Choir” singing carols and “uplifting” rock songs, and a primary school choir.
The 2 Royal Avenue Christmas programme will include a Winter’s Den beginning on Saturday November 16 and running throughout the Christmas period. It will also include a variety of “sustainable” festive workshops, Christmas carolling and musical sing-a-longs.
There will be Jazz afternoons for seniors, family theatre and performances, and celebrations from around the world including art, storytelling and dance. The space will also have baby sensory sessions, with autism and disability friendly events such as sensory workshops, activities and storytelling.
Additionally, on Saturday November 16, 2 Royal Avenue will offer a dedicated sensory area, sensory decoration making workshop, a relaxed silent disco and walk about characters. An “alternative tree lighting” ceremony will also take place in the venue for those unable to manage the crowds at City Hall.
Over the festive period there will be a Santa’s Post Office, Christmas tea dances, choir performances, a festive ceilidh, traditional performances and markets including the Potters market and Twilight markets.
The Christmas Market will run this year from Saturday November 16 to Sunday December 22. Market Place Europe Limited, who currently holds the Continental Markets contract, will be celebrating this year 20 years of the Belfast Christmas Market and plans Dickensian themed weekends.
There will be over 100 stalls and the new contract also sets out the requirement for 40 percent local traders and 60 percent continental traders. There will be a Santa’s Grotto supporting the Lord Mayors Charity and a return of free school educational tours.
Regarding the switch-on event, the council report states:
“As with 2023, our approach to ticketing involves a number of strands, for which we have engaged Visit Belfast due to their service offering. The site capacity is for 10,000 in a comfortable manner.
“Therefore, the ticket allocation will be slightly above this figure to allow for a percentage of ‘no shows’- normal industry practice even for paid events. There will be a staggered release, both a morning and evening release, as per 2023, to accommodate working parents.
“There will be a further allocation of tickets held back for those with no access to computers, tablets and smartphones, to call in to collect tickets. Each year, there is an accessible platform erected, with spaces booked by telephoning Visit Belfast.
“Tickets will be capped to five per booking. Furthermore, Visit Belfast will provide visitor servicing and support staff on the evening of the event to assist with ticket queries and the scanner technology used to expedite entrancing on to the site.”