Talent judge is to get city into festive mood
A BIG name celebrity is set to get Coventry in the festive spirit this year as singer and TV judge Alesha Dixon will switch on the Christmas lights.
The Britain’s Got Talent judge will be the special guest at this year’s event in Broadgate on Wednesday, November 22.
Coventrians may know Alesha as the 2007 winner of Strictly Come Dancing as well as from her stint as a judge on the show.
She rose to fame as part of girl band Mis-Teeq and has been a regular in the charts as a solo performer.
The lights switch-on will take place between 5pm and 8pm and Alesha will be hitting the stage to perform her hits, which include The Boy Does Nothing, from 7.30pm.
“I am so pleased to have been invited along to Coventry to switch on the Christmas lights for 2017,” said Alesha.
“I cannot wait to perform for everyone as I’m told that it’s an excellent family event and Coventry puts on a fantastic celebration.
“I am a huge fan of Christmas and I am really looking forward to getting on that stage, entertaining the crowds and making sure everyone has a great time.”
Free Radio favourites JD and Roisin will host the extravaganza and the lineup will also include some of the area’s top talent and appearances from local sports stars.
The Christmas Lights Switch-on is organised by Coventry Business Improvement District (BID) and supported by Coventry City Council.
Trish Willetts, manager of Coventry BID, is urging everyone to head down to the city centre and enjoy all the entertainment.
“Alesha Dixon is a household name and we are absolutely thrilled to have her coming to Coventry,” said Trish.
“This year’s Christmas lights switch-on is going to be absolutely fantastic and having Alesha joining us just makes it all the better.
“We have so much planned for the evening, including plenty of local music and dance talent to round out the event and it’s going to be a wonderful way to start Christmas.”
Councillor Abdul Khan, cabinet member for events at Coventry City Council, added: “I’m sure once again the annual Christmas switch-on will be a very popular event in the city as it officially marks the start of the festive season in the city centre.
“Hosting an evening event such as this always attracts thousands of people into the city centre and we hope the evening will attract lots of people to enjoy the shopping and restaurants while they are here. We know the Christmas period is a key time for businesses and we hope that announcing the big switch-on date and its headline act will help make it another successful and busy period for all our traders.”