Santa’s coming to town to light up festive season
SANTA Claus will switch on Rochdale town centre lights next Saturday, November 26.
There will also be family entertainment, a craft workshop and special Christmas storytelling sessions for children.
The market opens at 1pm, with a range of stalls in the Great Hall.
Seasonal food and drink will be served in the Christmas Café and Wardle Community Brass Band will be playing carols and yuletide favourites.
Outside the town hall from 2pm there will be food and drink, activities from the Travelling Light Circus and a penalty shoot-out competition with Rochdale AFC.
Visitors can also try circus tricks with Skylight Circus and a host of local acts will perform throughout the afternoon, including singer Gem O’Reilly, Rochdale Music Service, and Rochdale School of Rock.
The town hall will be bathed in colourful lights and there will be a special appearance by Father Christmas who will be turning on the Christmas lights from the town hall balcony.
Other festive activities will be taking place at Rochdale’s shopping centres with Bjorn the Polar Bear, an animated, lifelike puppet at the Wheatsheaf Centre, alongside a craft workshop where little ones can make their very own polar bear mask.
At Rochdale Exchange Shopping Centre there will be a lantern making workshop from 11am – 3pm, with families invited to create their own lanterns which will then form part of a parade to the Christmas lights switch on.
It will start from Home Bargains in the centre, where giant snowmen will begin the parade to the town hall.
After the big switch on, entertainment continues at Touchstones Arts and Heritage Centre with a ceilidh from 7.30pm raucous barn dancing and socialising and fun.
No experience necessary, all the dances will be explained beforehand by the live band.