The Magical Christmas Procession will lead out from Society Street to start its route on Bishop Street at 7pm and finish at Victoria Market after passing through Guildhall Square and Waterloo Place.
Large 40 foot Christmas trees have been erected at Ebrington Square and Waterloo Place while a giant 60 foot tall tree, the biggest of its kind in Ireland, has been built in Guildhall Square.
Santa and the Mayor will be joined by a number of festive characters, as they lead the bespoke magical Christmas procession through the streets of the City Centre, switching on the lights as it passes.
Mr Claus visited the Mayor at her parlour in the Guildhall earlier this month to confirm his plans to visit the City and District this weekend.
“The Derry lights switch-on is one that Santa doesn’t want to miss,” revealed Mayor Barr. “The countdown to the lighting of the giant tree in Guildhall Square and the magical moments when the lights come on for the first time as the procession passes are among his personal highlights for the build up to Christmas
“The excitement has been building around the city over the last couple of weeks with the installation of beautiful trees around the town centre and Council’s maintenance and electrical teams have been working hard to ensure the city is sparkling on Friday night.
“The route is long enough to ensure that everyone gets an up-close view of Santa and his magical procession as they pass by – note there are a few tweaks to this year’s route, so I’d urge people to familiarise yourself with it and pick your spot along the way.”
The full procession on Friday leads out of Society Street and starts on Bishop Street at 7pm – from Bishop Street it will travel around The Diamond on to Ferryquay Street turning left down Linenhall Street onto New Market Street, turning left on to Orchard Road and Water Street (Note the dual carriageway section not for public viewing) – the procession will arrive on Whitaker Street where it pauses for the Countdown to Switching On the Tree on Guildhall Square – it will finish by moving through Guildhall Square and Waterloo Place turning right onto Strand Road to finish at Victoria Market.
Those attending the event and switch on procession are urged to line the route to get a view of Santa switching on the Christmas lights as his magical procession passes – large crowds are expected to congregate in Guildhall Square so it is worth remembering you have the opportunity to see Santa Clause as he passes the procession route.
City Centre and Waterside car parks are all open on Friday night however, where possible the public are strongly advised to use the public transport system or to consider walking to the event.
Details of all buses can be found by visiting www.translink.co.uk/Routes-and-Timetables.
The eagerly anticipated Guildhall Craft Fair returns to the Guildhall from 22nd - 24th November with all goods on display are exclusively handmade in Ireland Friday 22nd 10am – 5.30pm; Saturday 23rd 10am - 6pm; Sunday 10am - 6pm.
The Guildhall Craft Fair and Derry and Strabane Switch-Ons this weekend mark the start of Council’s Christmas programming for 2024.
Plan your Derry Strabane Christmas experience by accessing the full programme at derrystrabane.com/Christmas.
You can support and follow Council's support local campaign using the hashtag #GiftLocal on social media.
