Melton's Christmas Big Weekend 2016

Event organisers have clubbed together to create a co-ordinated event package for maximum impact to encourage residents and visitors to flock to the High Street.

The star attraction on Friday evening is a stunning Christmas tree, complete with its very own real life Aerial Angel. The act combines the beauty of ballet, amazing aerial acrobatics and the magic of Christmas in a fully lit, colour-changing LED costume.

The stage will be host to a huge array of local schools, bands and artists over the weekend, including star performances from soprano singers Patricia Hammond, Lily Taylor-Ward and Emily Brown plus George Simpson, Yolanda Offodile, Matthew Bloomfield and Charlie Russell.

The Christmas bonanza starts at 6.45pm on Friday with the Victorian Christmas lights switch-on event, where the star studded cast of Melton Theatre’s Wizard of Oz, will turn on the lights with the Mayor of Melton, Councillor David Wright, followed by an awe-inspiring firework display.

The main man himself, Santa, will be transported to his new Grotto by Melton’s local Trumpton and will be in residence throughout the whole weekend with a huge sack of Christmas gifts.

The hugely successful Victorian Christmas Fayre will be in town on Saturday and Sunday with over 150 stalls clothed in Victorian attire for a truly Dickensian market.

This year there will be some excellent street entertainment including shows from the snow Queen, Silver Lady and the immensely popular Street Beggars. Queen Victoria will be mingling with crowds over the full three days.

New for 2016 is Mr Alexander’s Variety Show which is a family afair on a Victorian theatre stage. The show involves magic, juggling, unicycling, balance and illusion and is a colourful eye-catching, crowd-pleasing spectacle all choreographed to vintage jazz.

Don’t forget to visit St Mary’s Christmas Tree Festival, the Sage Cross Festival of Cribs, Victorian Crafts in the library, Melton Carnegie Museum’s craft fair and not one but three Christmas pantomimes at Melton Theatre. There will also be late night shopping Friday and shops open all day on Sunday.

To complete the weekend, Melton Borough Council has waivered car parking charges and there will be free parking in all of the long stay car parks over the three days.

Councillor Pam Posnett, leader of the council, said: “Melton’s festive Big Weekend will be fantastic for our High Street, encouraging locals and visitors to shop in Melton. Melton Borough Council is proud to work in partnership with the Victorian Christmas Fayre and the Melton BID to create this truly great event which will encourage shoppers to shop local and increase High Street footfall.”

For more information about the Christmas events visit www.melton.gov.uk/events or facebook/meltonbc and www.victorian-fayre.co.uk/