Thousands turn out to see East 17 at Christmas grand finale

Thousands of people visited Great Harwood’s Christmas Extravaganza on Saturday, with the event acting as the grand finale to a trio of Christmas events which have taken place in the town over the last few weeks.

It was the perfect opportunity for visitors to get into the festive spirit with less than two weeks to go until Christmas Day.

Free-to-attend, the Christmas Extravaganza had a mega video stage located outside Mercer Hall and that is where one of the best-selling boybands of the 90s, East 17, wowed the crowds with their headline performance featuring the very popular, Stay Another Day.

A spectacular silent laser sky display was to follow and that brought the curtain down on three fantastic weeks of festive events in Great Harwood.

Funded by UK government’s High Street Accelerator Pilot Programme and delivered by Hyndburn Council, the events were organised with the aim of taking more people to the town to celebrate Christmas and they have been deemed a great success, with over 1,000 people alone taking advantage of a free ice rink and free snow globe earlier in December.

With free buses put on by organisers from neighbouring towns and East 17 drawing the crowds to the East Lancashire town, there was a full day of festive activities for the full family to enjoy.

Alongside the main stage entertainment, there was funfair rides, free children’s wreath making and dance workshops, a free reindeer rodeo, festive craft stalls, food and drink stalls offering everything from mulled wine to venison and wild boar burgers, princess meet and greets, plus there was even a special visit from Santa, who helped give out some of the 500 selection boxes available on the day.

There was also plenty of opportunities to get some last-minute Christmas presents, with the Great Harwood high street brimming with activity throughout the day, while there was also chance to enjoy a drink and a bite to eat from the many bars and eateries in the town centre, including Finch Bakery, Brie Mine, Holy Cannoli, Mellows and many more.

The Christmas Extravaganza also witnessed a special procession including current and former Great Harwood Rovers footballers. The procession, which ran from Towngate to Mercer Hall, was led by local ska band Blowjangles and was to commemorate the football club’s 50th anniversary, which ended with a commemorative photograph outside Mercer Hall and a free selection box for under 16s.

For what was a magical ending to the Christmas events in Great Harwood, the mega video stage featured over seven hours of free, live entertainment including dancers, singers, sing-a-long shows, a tribute to Taylor Swift and headliners East 17.

Cllr Kimberley Whitehead, portfolio holder for culture, heritage and arts, said: “Wow what a special grand finale this has been to our Christmas events in Great Harwood.

“Over the last few weeks we have had everything from ice rinks and snow globes, to festive market stalls and even East 17! East 17 were a childhood favourite of mine, so there was a big turnout of my generation, but we were also impressed by the Taylor Swift Tribute and all the acts on the day.

“We would like to thank everyone for supporting these events and for supporting the high street. It has been a magical Christmas in Great Harwood and today’s Christmas Extravaganza has been an incredible way to complete the festivities ahead of the big day.”

Lauren Maguire, owner of Brie Mine, and who is part of the panel who appointed Scott Dawson Advertising to run the events, said: “On the behalf of the panel, we are so happy with the results and footfall over the last three weekends. We have been rushed off our feet and it has brought a lot of new families into see the great high street we have here in Great Harwood.”

Follow Great Harwood Events on social media for more coverage from the event: www.facebook.com/greatharwoodevents

These events are part of an exciting events programme delivered by Hyndburn Borough Council and funded by UK Government’s High Street Accelerator Pilot Programme.