In pictures: Christmas Cracker goes with a bang!

19 Nov 2024

St Albans city centre was packed with thousands of people keen to mark the start of the festive season.

Sunday’s Christmas Cracker street festival included live music, fairground rides, Santa’s grotto, street entertainers and around 100 market stalls selling hot food, drinks and seasonal gifts.

Festive decorations and installations were illuminated throughout the event and there were guest appearances from some of the stars of this year’s Alban Arena pantomime, Cinderella.

The Christmas Cracker was organised by SADC, sponsored by St Albans City Centre BID and part-funded by the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Cllr Anthony Rowlands, lead for events, said: “This was a fantastic occasion to get the festive season underway and I was delighted to see so many people out and about, enjoying themselves.

“The run-up to Christmas is a vital time for many of our local businesses – shops, pubs, restaurants and market traders.

“The Cracker provided a boost to the local economy by attracting so many residents and visitors to the city centre and hopefully they will have been encouraged to come back for more in the weeks leading up to Christmas Day.”

St Albans BID manager Vivien Cannon said: “Christmas is well and truly launched! We welcome you back into our city centre to continue enjoying the festive spirt and to tick off the items on your Christmas shopping list.”

Building on last year’s purchase of new freestanding decorations, additional lamp column wraparounds, and overhead festoons, this year the BID has invested in a new Christmas tree to welcome visitors to the city and get people in the festive spirit.

The giant 7.5m tall Christmas tree has been installed outside the Museum + Gallery with the intention that it will remain a festive centre piece for future years.

Vivien added: “Christmas lighting is an integral part of the festive city centre experience, creating a warm and joyful welcome to visitors as well as the opportunity to dwell and capture memories. In the past we’ve lacked a centre piece, and feedback highlighted that people wanted a very visible tree in the centre of the city. We’ve moved our freestanding decorations around and have two new locations. Managing expectations and ensuring value for money on budget spend for decorations means we need to be considered in what we deliver. As well as making St Albans a welcoming destination, the longevity and repeat usage of our decorations is part of our thought process.”

The BID has also launched a new Christmas trail across the city centre running right up to the big day.

The trail features characters from the children’s book – Felipe The Sheep, an original story launched by St Albans Cathedral last year. The book is written by Andrew Baird, a congregation member at St Albans, and is illustrated by Liz Cherrett.

To take part in the trail collect a free trail map sheet from the visitor desks in St Albans Museum + Gallery or St Albans Cathedral. Find all the characters and collect 13 letters to complete a festive sentence.

Jo Kelly-Moore, Dean of St Albans explained: “’Felipe the Sheep’ is a delightful, home-grown St Albans Christmas story, set against the beautiful backdrop of the Cathedral. This festive trail invites visitors of all ages to follow Felipe’s journey and discover the wonder and hope of Christmas. Along the way you’ll find moments of joy and discovery, and you can pick up a copy of the book in the Cathedral gift shop to take home. We hope you’ll join Felipe in celebrating the spirit of the season!”

Vivien said: “Our trail this year is intentionally home spun. The story book of Felipe The Sheep is locally written using the backdrop of our Cathedral. It’s a tale that will be very familiar with families whose children may have felt like Felipe when performing in a school play. Trail goers will weave their way through the city centre to discover the locations of the characters, it’s a perfect opportunity to enjoy St Albans this Christmas and spend time with family and friends and capture memories by taking photos along the trail and with our story selfie frame.”

There’s also a chance for one lucky winner to win a Felipe The Sheep book, a Cathedral tour for up to eight people and a £50 St Albans Gift Card, with two runner-up winners receiving a copy of a Felipe The Sheep book and a £50 St Albans Gift Card each. To enter, complete the entry form on the trail map sheet and post it in one of the trail post boxes in the Museum + Gallery or Cathedral.

All photos by John Andrews.