The famous Cairngorm Reindeer are due to arrive in Morecambe on 1st December as EDF Energy, Morecambe BID  and Morecambe Town Council bring you the Morecambe Sparkle Community Christmas Lights Switch On!

This year will be a fun-filled, festive event to switch on the Christmas Lights in Morecambe on Saturday 1st December. Produced by More Music and Morecambe BID, the switch on will form part of a full programme of entertainment taking place throughout the town from 12 pm.

In addition to the entertainment, many town centre shops are taking part in the Christmas Treat Trail. Grab a map from the White Elephant Gallery in the Arndale Shopping Centre and collect stamps and treats as you make your way around the participating shops, cafes and pubs.

During the day, across the town centre, customers will be entertained with free, family-friendly Christmas fun including Ghost Caribou from Thingumajig Theatre and Christmas Elves on Stilts!

Look out for the One Man Christmas Band, the Pancake Steel Band, The Wierdstring Band and Rockitt 88 plus more.

There will be Christmas Craft workshops from Lancaster & Morecambe College and don’t miss A Christmas Carol from Inner State Theatre.

Join the parade, and Cairngorm Reindeer sleigh pull Santa Claus from Central Drive at 4 pm arriving in New Town Square for the Christmas Tree lights switch on at 5 pm.

Morecambe was one of the first seaside resorts in the United Kingdom to introduce an illuminations scheme. They ran from 1919 until 1996 until budget cuts and safety issues caused them to be cancelled.

This has been brought about by nostalgia and a genuine demand by the local population to have some form of light show in Morecambe over winter.

Due to the overwhelming acceptance of the initial Morecambe Sparkle in 2016, in 2017 BID continued investing in spectacular spaceflowers which can be seen for up to 10 miles.

In 2018 BID has invested further in street lighting and, for this first time, the Central Drive Retail Park will have their own Christmas display that will certainly attract attention.

It is also BID’s intention to permanently light the Barclays building in Euston Rd, and the old church on Chapel Street in multi-coloured LED lights. Both these building are of architectural significance, and the lighting will enhance their appearance at night.

John O’Neill, Manager of Morecambe BID, said: “We will continue to invest in lighting schemes in Morecambe as we believe it will not also benefit the local and night time economies for residents and visitors alike, but will also add to a sense of well-being amongst the local population. We have a couple of exciting installations planned in future, but these things take time from conception to installation”.

Morecambe BID would like to thanks the local sponsors and partners who have managed to make it happen again this year – EDF Energy, Morecambe Town Council, More Music and last, but not least, all the BID levy payers.

Morecambe Sparkle

EDF Morecambe