A launch event has taken place to promote the first Brighton Christmas Festival which starts towards the end of this month.
David Hill, the founder of festival organiser E3 Events, said that it was vital to celebrate Brighton and Hove and show the wider world what the city was about.
Mr Hill, whose company is based in Palmeira Square, Hove, said that it was also crucial to involve the community in the five-week festival in the heart of Brighton.
At the launch event at the Royal Pavilion, Mr Hill told the 100-plus guests: “It is really important that we encourage people to visit Brighton and Hove this winter.
“This is a city-wide experience aimed at boosting the local economy and I have every confidence that we will achieve this.
“We want people from away to experience our city and the vast attractions that we have to offer as well as involving the local community.
“The Brighton Christmas Festival has to be a city-wide experience.”
The festival is due to start on Friday 26 November and run until Friday 31 December in the Old Steine and Victoria Gardens area – by the ice rink in the grounds of the Royal Pavilion.
Mr Hill said that the main attractions included
- A traditional Christmas village and market
- The first Christmas panto at the Brighton Centre – Aladdin, starring EastEnders legend Anita Dobson
- A 50-metre observation wheel in Old Steine
- Santa’s grotto for the children
- A big-top theatre with live shows
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Mr Hill said that community was at the heart of the Christmas festival and that there would be something for everyone – young, old and families with children.
His company, E3 Events, is running the festival under a three-year contract awarded by Brighton and Hove City Council.
The Christmas fayre and fairground will be in Old Steine alongside Britain’s “tallest observation wheel”.
The Christmas market will be in Lower Victoria Gardens, with a variety of stalls, many of which are being run by local traders.
And as well as a magical Santa’s grotto in the Christmas village, there will also be a pop-up crazy golf course.
The organisers have planned a “Community Celebration Square” with a “Community Festival Stage” and a promise of heated benches to enable those watching performances to be more comfortable.
Aladdin star Anita Dobson has been booked to switch on the lights for the opening night.
But, on each evening during the festival, unsung community heroes will be invited to switch on the lights again.
An “Apres Ski Zone” is planned for the area closer to St Peter’s Church with a “big top” staging a variety of shows.
These include the Nutcracker, Jongleurs comedy nights and the a family festival show – The Elves Save Christmas – from Friday 26 November until Wednesday 22 December.
Aladdin then runs at the Brighton Centre – the first time that the venue has staged a panto – from Wednesday 22 December until Monday 27 December inclusive.
Another attraction is Eurovibes – a raucous Christmas Party night with a Eurovision theme where guests are served German bratwurst and trimmings before the cast take to the stage to start the dancing. Eurovibes starts on Friday 26 November and runs until Thursday 23 December.
The main bar will be called the Ski Lodge, located in the Apres Ski Zone, and will serve a range of speciality beers perfectly complemented with live music and DJs.
The organisers have promised a variety of food and drink from festive mulled wine, Christmas cocktails and hot chocolate through to gourmet steak burgers and crepes for dessert.
Mr Hill said: “This really is going to be an amazing five weeks for our city, both for local people who we want to come and enjoy the event, but also for our visitors.
“There is a major push to attract people to Brighton from much further afield, to boost business for our hotels, the retail sector and our unique attractions like the Royal Pavilion and the BAi360.
“Please come and be part of it. It may be the first year but it is going to be simply amazing. We can’t wait to get started.”
To be part of the Brighton Christmas Festival, contact E3 Events via the company’s website.
For full details of the event, visit the Brighton Christmas Festival website.
