Accrington set to be transformed for free to attend festive spectacle this Thursday

Thousands of people are expected to head to Accrington Town Centre for the #AmazingAccrington Christmas Light Switch On this Thursday.

Getting underway at 4pm on Broadway, the event will be headlined by Spandau Ballet star, Martin Kemp, who will perform his extremely popular ‘Back to the Eighties’ show on the main stage.

The free-to-attend event will feature food and craft stalls on Broadway and Union Street, with a wide range of food and items on offer including churros, doughnuts, food from around the world, winter hats, stocking fillers and much more, while there are fairground rides on Broadway and Union Street.

Accrington-based business Tiger Lounge will be attending the event to launch their brand-new Tuk Tuk bar, which will be serving beers, mulled wine and alcoholic hot chocolate at the event, while there will be Vimto for the children.

There will be plenty of activities and entertainment taking place in the Arndale, with charity stalls, singing from Maggy Conanan and the Brave Church Choir, plus photo opportunities with Santa. There will also be a meet and greet with footballers from Accrington Stanley at the OASST shop from 5pm, as well as a football giveaway.

A special competition is also being run, with U12s from across the borough being asked to submit their favourite thing or place about Hyndburn or Accrington. Entries are being delivered to schools and must be submitted into the draw box next to the main stage on Thursday, with the winning entry to receive a £100 voucher for the Accrington Stanley Club shop and second place to get tickets to Stanley’s big FA Cup match at the Wham Stadium this Saturday.

Before that and the main stage entertainment on Broadway will get underway with the Collective School Choir, led by Helen Davies from St Christopher’s CE High School. Over 300 primary school children will perform together from schools from across Hyndburn including Baxenden St John’s CE, Benjamin Hargreaves C of E, Green Haworth C of E, Rishton Methodist, Woodnook Primary, West End Primary, St John’s Stonefold C of E, Mount Pleasant, Peel Park, All Saints C of E, Huncoat and St Mary’s RC. Each child will also receive a selection box, sponsored by the Cardboard Box Company.

A special spoken word performance will then take place at approximately 4:35pm, ahead of the football giveaways at 4:50pm.

A special Christmas dance performance will take centre stage at 5:05pm, before the eagerly anticipated Snow Sisters perform their Children’s Frozen Tribute at 5:20pm, which will be followed by a meet and greet.

With a big screen also part of the main stage, those attending are guaranteed a good viewing point, with the Christmas fire breathers showcasing their incredible talents at 5:40pm. There will also be an open top double decker bus on Broadway, providing another viewing point for what the organisers are saying is set to be the biggest and best event of the year.

The magical Sing Space Musical Theatre Choir will follow at 5:55pm and they will be followed by the exciting LED Drummers, who are returning to Accrington to wow the crowds after performing at the Accrington Christmas Light Switch On back in 2021.

The party continues with an ABBA Tribute Band at 6:35pm, before the crowds are invited to join talented local singer Maggy Conanan in a Christmas sing-a-long, ahead of the headline performance from Martin Kemp.

A grand finale sing-a-long will follow at 7:30pm, ahead of a spectacular fireworks display at approximately 7:40pm (weather permitting).

Murray Dawson, chair of #AmazingAccrington, said: “Everything is set up for another fantastic Christmas Light Switch On in Accrington Town Centre.

“We have activities and entertainment for all the family, it is a free-to-attend event, and we are looking forward to seeing people attending in their thousands for what will be an amazing start to the Christmas season.”

Eddy O’Brien, CEO of iMEP International Music Event Production, said: “It has been great to get involved in this event by sponsoring the headline act. We were keen to support and ensure an international star would be performing here in Accrington Town Centre.”

Ahead of the Christmas Light Switch On event, there will be a special Blessing of the Crib featuring Accrington St Mary Magdalen's Church of England Primary School at 2pm. This will take place next to the main stage on Broadway.

The event is sponsored by Hyndburn Borough Council, brsk and Financial Affairs, while the main act is sponsored by iMEP International Music Event Production.

To keep up-to-date with the #AmazingAccrington Christmas Light Switch On, visit: www.amazingaccrington.co.uk