Why not spread out our big festive events?

Dear Editor In response to last Friday’s letter on the Christmas lights ‘turkey’ event I feel I have to respond, at least in part to that comment.

I didn’t think the event was bad enough to call it a turkey. There were brilliant pockets of activities throughout the day and the lights event at Norie-Miller Walk was a fantastic addition to the programme.

While it might not to be everyone’s taste, the Christmas lights switch on is a worthy part of the winter programme.

Sure, the costs of staging such events are important, and we should be given details of that, but I have to say I never quite fully agree with the surveys of the impact of these types of event, so however the council and its backers deliver the response has little bearing. You can tell yourself what you like.

Applying my concentric circles of visits and how much I spent in Perth city centre that day, most of the money will not have gone into the shops but on bus fares for myself and my kids. We three did, however, add to the footfall.

Finally, while praising the Christmas lights weekend, I have another observation. Why is it all just in one weekend?

The event clashed with another couple of switch on or winter events launches elsewhere in Scotland- but the thing is for cities such as Edinburgh these are continuing.

After November 19, yes, we had a chocolate festival, Santa run and the torchlight parade and the St Andrew’s Day parade. They weren’t very well advertised, but more importantly for me it provided an anti-climax when they were all over, because the events went on, people went home and packed up. Surely getting people to come to Perth requires getting them to stay too?

Perhaps there are some lessons to be learned? The Norie-Miller lights event was something, for me, to be staged over a different weekend and that would also help with parking. Cramming it all in to one weekend, or at least the big draw events anyway, doesn’t help spread its impact.

Anne Wilson by email