The town centre will light up tonight (Fri, December 3) to mark the official launch of Bolton’s Countdown to Christmas.
Four-weeks of Christmas activities are planned, including the ‘Big Weekend’, which will see four incredible days of festive fun.
This year’s Christmas activities have been planned with COVID measures in mind, creating a safe environment for all visitors with appropriate precautions to keep everyone safe.
Anyone attending a Christmas event this year is asked to take a rapid home COVID test before visiting the town centre.
Attractions will include an Advent Trail, along with free Game and Craft zones (featuring arcade games, face painting and arts and crafts) located in the former Hays Travel and Specsavers shops, along with traditional fairground rides and a welcome return of the ever-popular Reindeer each weekend.
On the Weekend of December 11 and 12, the festivities will continue further when the Festive Bar opens.
The large, heated space, which has a canopy to protect you from the coldest of wintry conditions, will be situated in Victoria Square and will be open right up until Christmas Eve.
The bar will feature live music from a host of local artists.
From December 16th a traditional Christmas Market will see over 50 traders across four days selling a huge range of seasonal gifts and treats.
And this year we have an extra special treat for the little ones, as Santa’s Studio opens its doors.
Here they can meet Santa’s Helpers and even speak to Santa via a live video link to his North Pole headquarters!
The Studio is open on December 11-12 and again from 18-24.
Ideal for younger visitors, tickets are available online for just £5 per child or £10 for a family of up to three children (pre-booking is essential and children must be accompanied by an adult).
This year’s Christmas events are supported by the council’s partners The Bolton Gin Company, Robertson Facilities Management, Bolton Arena, Step Places, The Octagon Theatre, The University of Bolton, Bolton School and Bolton’s Community Champions.
Neil Hutchison, Managing Director of Bolton Arena said:
“We are proud to be a partner of Bolton's Countdown to Christmas this year.
“We have been working hard across our communities to support people's health, fitness, and wellbeing as we recover from the pandemic.
“The Christmas Festival is set to build on that and be a great celebration for the town and its people to move positively towards 2022.”
Harinder Dhaliwal from Step Places said:
“The team at Step Places are looking forward to seeing Bolton’s Council’s Countdown to Christmas and the festive season ahead, after a challenging couple of years for everyone.
“It will be great to see the festive season bringing smiles and cheer back to everyone’s lives”.