Stockton Sparkles: Everything you need to know about town's Christmas events
Feel the Christmas spirit with the welcome return of the magical Stockton Sparkles festival!
The ever popular winter event promises to bring some Christmas cheer for all the family over two weekends, and celebrations get underway with the Christmas lights switch-on in Stockton town centre on Thursday this week. Yule be sorry to miss any of it, so here’s everything you need to know to enjoy all the festive fun!
The countdown to Christmas begins with a launch night on November 28, packed full of entertainment, including the annual Christmas lights switch-on. But there’s so much more on offer this year and other festival highlights include a free Victorian Christmas Fair, Sparkles Christmas Market, Stories with Santa and festive singalongs, plus seasonal crafting, delicious food and drink, and face painting guaranteed to delight all the family! The stunning Lantern Parade will also be back to brighten up a Sunday night.
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What’s happening on launch night?
For one night only, Stockton’s famous Santa on Wheels bus will be rolling in to town to start our Sparkles Christmas Lights switch-on, before he returns on 30 November and 1 December for a very special Stories with Santa. Stockton High Street will come alive for Sparkles launch night, with entertainment from 5pm and the moment everyone has been waiting for - the Christmas light switch-on!
Hosted by BBC Tees presenter Rachel Teate families can enjoy heaps of entertainment both on and off stage from Creature Feature, Markmark Productions, Poppins Presents, and A Bird in the Hand Theatre.
Expect music, magic, merriment, and an aerial hoop performance alongside Func on the Rocks, our stage house band. The Deputy Mayor of Stockton, Cllr Stephen Richardson, will switch the lights on at 6.30pm, with Walkabout Street Theatre continuing until 7pm.
Enjoy Stories with Santa!
Join Santa as he parks his Santa on Wheels Bus in the town centre for a special Stories with Santa. You can find Santa on Stockton High Street on Saturday 30 November and Sunday, December 1 from 12pm to 5pm for free stories and festive singalongs, plus seasonal crafting, tasty food and drink, and face painting in our festive marquee! There will be BSL interpretation of stories and songs on the Saturday.
All the fun of the Victorian Fair
Ride the 50-foot Ferris wheel, carousel and more, all for free, at the fantastic Victorian Fair which will be on the High Street on Friday and Saturday, 6 & 7 December, from 10am to 6pm and on Sunday 8 December from 11am to 5pm. This year the Victorian Fair has moved to the Sparkles Christmas Market weekend so people can enjoy the fair and get some lovely things to eat and drink while shopping for Christmas gifts too!
Find that special gift at Sparkles Christmas Market
The three-day Christmas Market runs from Friday, December 6 until Sunday December 8 on Stockton High Street, offering tasty treats and festive goodies from local artists, makers and traders, all housed in traditional winter wonderland wooden cabins. The market is open from 10am to 6pm on Friday and Saturday and 11am to 5pm on Sunday.
The Lantern Parade!
Stockton's annual Illuminated Lantern Parade will bring the festive cheer when it returns to the High Street on Sunday December 8. Hundreds of school children and community groups will dazzle their way along the High Street from 4pm, sporting a glittering array of community created lanterns, supported by street theatre and atmospheric festive music.
Councillor Steve Nelson, Stockton Council ’s Cabinet Member for Health, Leisure and Culture, said: “The welcome return of our much-loved winter festival offers a wealth of fun festivities for all the family, and I’m sure both residents and visitors from further afield will turn out in force to enjoy themselves and help make this a magical Christmas to remember.
“Stockton Sparkles is one of our most popular events and it’ll be great to see the High Street come alive with Christmas spirit once again. There’s plenty to enjoy for young and old alike, so make sure you don’t miss any of it! Once Stockton Sparkles has got you into that Christmas spirit you can then look forward to Santa’s welcome return when he’ll be travelling around the Borough from Thursday 12 to Sunday 15 December for his annual Santa on Wheels – with more details to follow!”
Parking
There are over a thousand parking spaces in Stockton plus Wellington Square car park. The Shambles car park will be unavailable from 4pm to midnight from Tuesday November 26 until Saturday November 30, Tuesday December 3 and Wednesday December 4 and from Friday December 6 until Sunday December 8.
High Street Car Park North will also be unavailable from 6pm to midnight on Wednesday November 27 and Thursday November 28 and from Wednesday December 4 to Sunday December 8. For a full list of parking options click here.
Road closures and buses
Some road closures will also be in place, including the High Street, for launch night (Thursday November 28) and the Lantern Parade (Sunday December 8). A full list of road closures can be found here. This will also affect bus stops so visit the Connect Tees Valley website to help you find the best options for your journey.
Stockton's regular Wednesday, Friday and Saturday markets will still be on during Sparkles, but traders will temporarily relocate between Shambles car park and the Town Hall.
For full dates and times and to see everything Sparkles has to offer visit https://teesvalley-ca.gov.uk/visit/whats-on/events/stockton-sparkles/.
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