Harrogate Christmas lights switch-on: Everything you need to know

The lights will be switched on at 6pm tonight.

Harrogate's Christmas lights will be switched on tonight, Thursday. Build-up starts at 4pm outside Victoria shopping centre, and the lights go on at 6pm, with the Mayor of the Borough of Harrogate, Coun Bernard Bateman, and Mayoress Linda Bateman pressing the button with Father Christmas.

John Fox, who chairs the Harrogate at Christmas Group which organises the switch-on and raises funds for the lights, said: “The big switch-on is a great family event, it’s free, and you get to see some fantastic local talent perform. It makes a great start to Christmas.”

At 5.50pm, 80 children from St Peter’s CofE Primary School will make their way along back James Street and onto the piazza, carrying lanterns in a special parade.

John said: “We are extremely excited that this year it will form part of the big switch-on. The lantern parade is kindly sponsored by the Victoria Shopping Centre, and we hope that the parade will grow over the next few years.”

The full timetable for tonight’s switch-on: Build-up with Stray FM from 4pm. 4.10pm, performance from Albert Stott; 4.30pm, performance from the All Together Now choir; 4.50pm, PJ Mask and Paw Patrol dance; 4.55pm, Youth Jazz Orchestra; 5.15pm, Albert Stott (set two); 5.30pm, Greatest Showman medley; 5.50pm, Harrogate Theatre pantomime cast performance; 6pm, countdown and switch-on.

The Harrogate at Christmas Group and CNG will be collecting funds for the St Peter’s project on the night, which provides the most vulnerable people in our community with a breakfast every morning, and at night the church team hands out food parcels.

This year, more than £30,000 was raised to fund Harrogate’s Christmas lights, with dozens of businesses and residents pledging their support.

John Fox said: “We are extremely pleased with this year’s response from local residents and businesses. Through the How Big is Your Bauble appeal we do with Stray FM each year, we raised £30,370 which is great.”

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