Plymouth loves Christmas!

Plymouth Loves Christmas and is set to transform the city centre into a winter wonderland offering visitors a truly magical festive season.

Sparkling with magic the festivities, which start on Thursday 12 November, will be bigger and better than before as Plymouth City Council and Plymouth City Centre Company have invested in many new features.

Brand new stunning gold and white lights with snow falling affect features will be installed throughout the city centre and will be turned on at the yearly Christmas Lights Switch-on event, taking place on the Piazza from 4pm on Thursday 12 November.

Sam Bailey, X-Factor winner from 2013 and Disney characters including the Ice Queen, Ice Prince, Cinderella, Belle, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel and Snow White will be this year’s special guests switching the lights on. Also making a special appearance will be local personality John Allin, aka ‘Birdman’.

Another addition to the city will be the Nutcracker Trail which will see 20 8ft Nutcrackers placed in secret locations around the city centre. Children can pick up a trail booklet and follow the map to find the names of each Nutcracker and enter a competition to be in with a chance of winning one of 12 iPAD Mini’s that are up for grabs.

Holly Reynolds, Assistant City Centre Company Manager, said: “We are very excited to be introducing the Nutcracker Trail as part of the Christmas fun in Plymouth this year. This creative trail is going to provide a fun, interactive activity for children to get involved with and we have 12 iPAD Mini’s to give away for those that post their trail cards back to Santa.

“Adults and families can also have fun by taking pictures of themselves with the Nutcrackers and posting them on Facebook or Twitter using #FindtheNutcrackers.”

The Herald is running an additional competition where visitors to the city can win a Family Ice Skating session on the Plymouth Winter Ice Rink.

To enter pictures need to be taken with the Nutcrackers and either tweeted using the hashtag #FindTheNutcrackers, posted to the Herald’s Facebook page at facebook.com/theplymouthherald or emailed to pictures@plymouthherald.co.uk

The Plymouth Winter Ice Rink will be returning to the Piazza from 19 November, under new management by Blue Martini, providing an authentic outdoor Christmas experience.

A new Christmas Craft and Food Market will be a centre-piece in the city centre from Thursday 26 November until Sunday 6 December, making it easier to find the perfect gift for Christmas.

Partnering with Miss Ivy Events and Taste of the West, a wide selection of independent businesses will be situated in log style cabins along Armada Way providing everything from traditional Christmas puddings to unique gift ideas .

The log cabin style stalls will be decorated with highly visible Christmas lights and traditional garlands creating a magical festive experience that will attract visitors from all over the region.

Peter Smith, Deputy Leader of Plymouth City Council, said: “It may feel like Christmas has come early but the lights get switched on next month and there is so much going on in the city this year that we want to shout about it.

“This year it’s all about ‘the new’ - new lights, new location for the switch-on event, new Christmas market, new Nutcracker Trail, new ice rink operators - it’s going to be amazing.”

The popular giant Snow Globe will be returning to Armada Gardens where people can step inside and create their own Christmas scene. Children will also be able to visit Santa in his Grotto at Drake Circus or RumpusCosy on Derry’s Cross.

More information about the Plymouth Loves Christmas campaign and what’s on in the city centre from Thursday 12 November is available online at visitplymouth.co.uk/christmas.