Aberdeen set to glisten this Christmas
06 November 2019
Aberdeen is set to glisten this Christmas as the city comes alive with a host of seasonal activities and events.
Aberdeen City Council along with Aberdeen Inspired, will officially kick off the festive season on Thursday 21 November with the opening of a bigger and better Aberdeen Christmas Village, delivered by Codona’s Amusement Park, in and around Aberdeen’s civic space on Broad Street.
In addition to the Christmas Village, visitors will be pleased to see traditional favourites in the festive events line-up which include:
Christmas tree lights switch-on - Thursday 21 November 2019 Christmas Village - Thursday 21 November to 31 December 2019 Christmas lights switch-on Parade - Sunday 24 November 2019 12 Days of Christmas Sculpture Trail - Sunday 1 December to Wednesday 25 December 2019 Nativity service - Monday 2 December 2019 Carol concert - Saturday 14 December 2019 Hogmanay celebrations - Tuesday 31 December 2019The switch-on ceremony for Aberdeen's Christmas tree, which is gifted by the city's twin city of Stavanger in Norway, marks the start of all things festive. The ceremony will be carried out by the Lord Provost of Aberdeen Barney Crocket and the Deputy Mayor of Stavanger Bjorg Tysdal Moe. The ceremony will then glitter with entertainment as Tutti Voices Choir (Aberdeen Performing Arts) and Gospelkoret Abraham, a choir group from Stavanger, sing Christmas carols to embrace the festive spirit.
The Christmas buzz will continue with the lights switch-on parade on Sunday 24 November. The colourful parade from Albyn Place down Union Street to the Castlegate will be led by the Lord Provost.
One of the highlights for Christmas in Aberdeen 2019 will be the 12 Days of Christmas Wooden Sculpture Trail. This year the 12 unique and striking totem poles will don a letter, encouraging Christmas buffs of all ages to hunt down and solve the popular Christmas anagram. The sculptures will be located across the city centre from Friday 1 December to Sunday 24 December and you can download an activity sheet from the website.
If you wanna have a good time the festive season will draw to a close with the Hogmanay celebrations featuring live music from One night of Queen by Gary Mullen and The Works. The open-air stage will host the ultimate Aberdeen street party on Schoolhill on Tuesday 31 December, with live music from a local performer followed by 101. The evening will come to an end with a spectacular firework display from His Majesty’s Theatre rooftop at midnight.
Aberdeen City Council Culture spokesperson Councillor Marie Boulton said: “Christmas in Aberdeen is shaping up to be a truly magical time of year, with an outstanding events line-up that is bigger and better than ever.
“Through our City Centre Masterplan Aberdeen City Council is committed to making Aberdeen an even more vibrant place to live, work and visit – and Christmas in Aberdeen creates over a month of activity that has something for everyone, but importantly encourages people into the city centre boosting the leisure economy.
“Collaborative working is vital to the success of events like our festive line-up, and through our Aberdeen 365 Events Programme, partnerships such as the one we have with Aberdeen Inspired demonstrate the commitment of our local and national partners in supporting our vision of development and sustainability of the city.
“Our vision for the city is to create a programme that provides an opportunity to promote and enhance the long-term economic prosperity of Aberdeen and the wider region by attracting visitors, both local and from further afield.”
Full details of the Christmas in Aberdeen events can be found at www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/christmas