Scarborough Sparkle, the town’s winter festival, returns from Friday, November 28th, to Sunday, November 30th. The event will fill the Open Air Theatre with funfair rides, food stalls and live performances.
North Yorkshire Council is organising the festival, which opens with a lantern parade at 5.30pm on Friday in Peasholm Park, led by Animated Objects and local community groups.
Visitors can ride a festive train, enjoy marshmallows and music in a tipi bar, and watch performances on the main stage hosted by This is the Coast radio station. Local choirs and bands will perform, alongside competitions. Funfair rides, a snow machine, a Christmas tree, Santa’s sleigh, the Grinch and Frozen characters will also be on site. O’Briens is sponsoring the rides, catering and stage hire.
The North Bay Railway will transport visitors to the event, and Shoreline Suncruisers will run a free bus service from Eastfield.
Cllr Simon Myers, North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for arts and culture, said: “Scarborough Sparkle is a magical and enchanting wonderland, sure to get everybody into the festive spirit and offers entertainment for people of all ages. With an array of independent traders selling their products, it’s the perfect place to dive into the festive spirit and get a head start on Christmas shopping. The free bus service from Eastfield makes it easy for local people to attend, and we expect to see an increase in visitors from further afield at what is usually a quieter time of year for tourists.”
Local schools have formed choirs for the event. Claire Barber, headteacher of St Martin’s Primary School, said: “We are busy rehearsing and getting our performance ready for this fantastic event. We have taken part for many years now and we always see the Sparkle event as our start to Christmas in school. The lantern parade is a special feature for us and the children can’t wait to wrap up warm, add their glowing lights and take in the wonder that is Scarborough Sparkle.”
Animated Objects will stage the lantern parade for the ninth year, with help from community groups. Lee Threadgold, artistic director, commented: “We’re absolutely thrilled to be able to be bringing back this ever-popular event. There’s a lot of new lanterns to see this year, including a huge section based on The Twelve Days of Christmas to get everybody into the festive spirit. We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has taken part in our workshop sessions over the last few months to make this one of the most colourful parades yet.”
Admission is free. The festival runs 5pm to 9pm on Friday, 11am to 8pm on Saturday, and 11am to 5pm on Sunday. The free bus runs from Eastfield via Crossgates, Falsgrave and Scarborough town centre to Peasholm Park on Saturday and Sunday.
More information is at www.visitnorthyorkshire.com/events/scarborough-sparkle
