This is Plymouth -- A BLIZZARD hit Plymouth yesterday as the city centre gears up to welcome in the festive season. A touch of Hollywood has come to the grass and trees on Armada Way, which have been covered with a layer of fake snow. Along with more than 250,000 light bulbs and hundreds of metres of cable, the snow makes up part of the city's Christmas celebrations, which begin tonight with the official switching-on of Plymouth's light display. The paper-based snow was provided by winter effects company Snow Business, which has also worked on films such as Alien vs Predator, The Holiday, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Snow White and the Huntsman. Planning for the Christmas Festival of Lights began in July, and the thousands of lights which make up the displays were installed in late October. A series of tests will be carried out tomorrow to make sure the lights are fully operational for tomorrow night's switch-on, which is the culmination of five months of work. Tomorrow night's event will kick off with a lantern parade, which will feature 18 spectacular giant lanterns and 200 hand-lanterns made by local primary school children who have been working with Stiltskin Creative Arts and Theatre. The parade will do a figure of eight route around the city centre, before finishing at the reindeer pen at Frankfort Gate. The Deputy Lord Mayor of Plymouth and his guests, including 16-year-old Ash Jackson, will switch the lights on from the stage at the top of Cornwall Street at around 6.15pm. Ash, a Pride of Plymouth nominee, was born with serious abnormalities to his legs and spine and his parents were told he would never walk. But after 14 operations Ash has now set his sights on hand-cycling in Rio in 2016 and becoming the city's next top Paralympian. There will also be live entertainment from the stage at tomorrow night's celebrations, starting at 4.30pm with local school choirs singing Christmas songs, followed later in the evening by the Military Wives Choir, Music of the Night Choir and the Salvation Army Band. Entertainment will include face painters, donkeys, ice dance performances and street entertainers. This is just the first of seven weeks of celebrations, which end when the lights are switched off on January 6. Santa's Grotto, a reindeer pen and the Winter Wonderland Ice Rink will be in the city centre throughout November and December, and more events are planned such as Plymouth's annual Thanksgiving ceremony on November 28 which will bring a taste of America to the city and raise awareness of the upcoming Mayflower 400th anniversary celebrations in 2020. There will also be two late-night shopping evenings on the Barbican, on Wednesday, December 4 and Wednesday, December 11, when a whole host of independent shops and galleries will remain open until 8pm. The Barbican Christmas Festival, from November 30 to December 1, will see street entertainers and a Christmas market take over at The Mayflower Steps. Christmas will also come to Royal William Yard on December 7 and 8. Supported by Urban Splash, the Grade 1 listed Melville building will be home to an indoor Christmas market full of festive gifts and local food producers, live entertainment, face painting, huskies and a visit from Santa.
Reported by This is 3 days ago.
This is Plymouth -- A BLIZZARD hit Plymouth yesterday as the city centre gears up to welcome in the festive season. A touch of Hollywood has come to the grass and trees on Armada Way, which have been covered with a layer of fake snow. Along with more than 250,000 light bulbs and hundreds of metres of cable, the snow makes up part of the city's Christmas celebrations, which begin tonight with the official switching-on of Plymouth's light display. The paper-based snow was provided by winter effects company Snow Business, which has also worked on films such as Alien vs Predator, The Holiday, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Snow White and the Huntsman. Planning for the Christmas Festival of Lights began in July, and the thousands of lights which make up the displays were installed in late October. A series of tests will be carried out tomorrow to make sure the lights are fully operational for tomorrow night's switch-on, which is the culmination of five months of work. Tomorrow night's event will kick off with a lantern parade, which will feature 18 spectacular giant lanterns and 200 hand-lanterns made by local primary school children who have been working with Stiltskin Creative Arts and Theatre. The parade will do a figure of eight route around the city centre, before finishing at the reindeer pen at Frankfort Gate. The Deputy Lord Mayor of Plymouth and his guests, including 16-year-old Ash Jackson, will switch the lights on from the stage at the top of Cornwall Street at around 6.15pm. Ash, a Pride of Plymouth nominee, was born with serious abnormalities to his legs and spine and his parents were told he would never walk. But after 14 operations Ash has now set his sights on hand-cycling in Rio in 2016 and becoming the city's next top Paralympian. There will also be live entertainment from the stage at tomorrow night's celebrations, starting at 4.30pm with local school choirs singing Christmas songs, followed later in the evening by the Military Wives Choir, Music of the Night Choir and the Salvation Army Band. Entertainment will include face painters, donkeys, ice dance performances and street entertainers. This is just the first of seven weeks of celebrations, which end when the lights are switched off on January 6. Santa's Grotto, a reindeer pen and the Winter Wonderland Ice Rink will be in the city centre throughout November and December, and more events are planned such as Plymouth's annual Thanksgiving ceremony on November 28 which will bring a taste of America to the city and raise awareness of the upcoming Mayflower 400th anniversary celebrations in 2020. There will also be two late-night shopping evenings on the Barbican, on Wednesday, December 4 and Wednesday, December 11, when a whole host of independent shops and galleries will remain open until 8pm. The Barbican Christmas Festival, from November 30 to December 1, will see street entertainers and a Christmas market take over at The Mayflower Steps. Christmas will also come to Royal William Yard on December 7 and 8. Supported by Urban Splash, the Grade 1 listed Melville building will be home to an indoor Christmas market full of festive gifts and local food producers, live entertainment, face painting, huskies and a visit from Santa.
Reported by This is 3 days ago.