Living Lerwick is hosting their Winter Festival again and this year it will be bigger and better. The festive season is taking shape in the town centre. The Christmas lights have been hung up and are ready for the big switch-on parade on Sunday 30thNovember at 3.30pm. Town centre businesses will decorate the fifty small Christmas trees again but this year. In Harrison Square, there will also be a big Christmas tree which was bought by the town centre businesses through Living Lerwick and shipped free of charge by Northlink. Thanks to a competition run by Shetland Wool Week, the big tree will be decorated with knitted baubles.
As part of a town centre wide advent calendar, businesses will be decorating their advent boxes, each revealing what’s inside on their specific day. You can vote for the best decorated box by liking the photos on the Living Lerwick Facebook page. A ‘Spot the Trow’ competition will also be held, where twenty shop windows will hold a ‘Grand Pabbie’ trow of Disney’s Frozen fame. This should create an interesting mix of decorations throughout the town centre during December.
Many of Shetlands top musicians will be appearing over the coming week. Davie Gardner is co-ordinating the music in Harrison Square every Sunday until the finale on the 21st of December.
The Winter Festival will begin on 30th November with what will be a day of fun for everyone. It will start with live local music in Harrison Square from 1pm to 5.30pm, followed by a parade beginning at Charlotte Street at 3.30pm, travelling along Commercial Street, down Church Road, along the Esplanade and ending in Harrison Square where the lights for the big tree will be switched on. Santa, Peerie Foxes nursery, the Jarl Squad, Brass Band and other groups will be dressed up and part of the parade. The Peerie Foxes will be switching on the lights as they pass in the parade with their magic wands. The parade is for everyone to enjoy - fancy dress is optional and the more the merrier, so you can join in too!
For the safety of those taking part in the parade, pedestrianisation of Commercial Street will be in force and the police will block Church Road and part of the Esplanade for the short time the parade is travelling through.
The music in Harrison Square for the Parade day will start at 1pm with the Shetland Fiddlers Society, followed by Lisa Ward at 2pm, Liza Fullerton & Alison Kay Ramsay at 3pm and First Foot Soldiers after the parade.
Most of the town centre businesses will be opening late till 9pm every Thursday until Christmas and Sundays from 1pm to 5pm to give plenty of extra time for Christmas shopping.
Further details of all the events planned during the winter festival are on the Living Lerwick website, and Facebook page. Watch the Living Lerwick Facebook page for band line-ups and other updates.
Come along and have some festive fun in your town centre!