Chichester's sell-out Christmas events provide plenty of festive cheer!

The events were organised and funded by Chichester District Council to complement the city's Christmas Market and other city centre activities, and attracted around 1,400 people over the nine-day programme.

The events included a pantomime, music, art and craft sessions for families and storytelling for children, plus silent discos to link in with The Novium Museum's new exhibition, 'I Grew up 80s'.

In addition, there was a beautifully crafted willow Christmas tree outside The Guildhall, which formed part of the Chichester BID's Christmas Tree Stroll around the city.

Despite the awful weather and Storm Darragh on the first weekend of the festivities, more than 400 people enjoyed the 'Get Creative' art and craft sessions, organised through the Culture Spark programme. People of all ages enjoyed making festive decorations and artworks as part of various sessions run by local artists. Afterwards, stars that were made in the sessions were added to the Wintry Woven tree outside The Guildhall. The Little Christmas Choir, put together on the day by Emily Barton, filled The Guildhall with amazing sounds and made the most of the amazing acoustics, while both of the drumming workshops with Alonso Mendoza were sold out.

La Diva (The Bishop Luffa School Show Choir) put on a fantastic carol concert performance, which was completely sold out.

The children's storytelling session was another big success, with more than 25 toddlers sitting down comfortably to listen to Chris North bring several traditional festive children's stories to life, including 'One Snowy Night', 'The Night Before Christmas', and 'We're Going on a Polar Bear Hunt'.

The 1980s-themed and family-friendly silent discos were a hit, with people of all ages dancing the evening away. The 1980s inspired disco marked the arrival of the 'I Grew Up 80s' exhibition at The Novium Museum.

The specially commissioned local pantomime was also very popular, with most shows at capacity by the start of the first show. With plenty of local gags, mischief and mayhem, the shows were incredibly well received by everyone who attended.

Katie Bennett, who played Fairy Sparkle in the pantomime, said: "We were so thrilled at the reception for the Priory Park Panto Experience. Audiences of all ages loved it, and it was wonderful to bring some Christmas cheer to so many families as well as to see Priory Park come to life with panto magic! With six sold out shows and over 845 people in the audience over the three days, we couldn't have asked for more."

In addition, the programme also featured a relaxing festive soundbath and a festive jazz café featuring 'Mike Carey's Big House Jazz Band' and actors and poets.

"We've received some amazing feedback about the events that we organised, and we hope that many of those who attended were also able to enjoy the Christmas Market before and after the events as well," says Councillor Harsha Desai, Cabinet Member for Growth, Economic Development, Communications, Events and Licensing at Chichester District Council. "It was great to see people of all ages coming together in such a beautiful venue to enjoy the music and shows, or to get involved and be creative themselves.

"I'd like to give a really big thank you to everyone who was involved in enabling the events to take place — from the musicians, actors and artists themselves, to those who helped behind the scenes and with front of house duties. It has been a fantastic festive programme and I hope that everyone has an amazing Christmas!

"Although the weather hampered the very start of the Chichester Festive Market, I'm really pleased to say that over the nine days the market was on, we saw lots of people flock to the city centre and there were some excellent stalls, with everyone working hard to bring some festive cheer!"

Visitors to the market and the Priory Park festive events are being invited to share their images and videos from the event on the council's social media channels to capture the season's entertainment and activities. To do this, people just need to upload their pictures or videos through our 'Christmas events' Snapsea link (opens new window).

For regular updates on events and activities across the district, don't forget to sign up for the council's monthly email newsletter, initiatives+.

Date of release: 19 December 2024

Reference: 4418