Places features

The centre of Norwich will come alive on Thursday, 20 November, 2008, when the sky is filled with fireworks and the streets are illuminated with festive cheer as the city's Christmas lights are switched on.

A family event

The annual event, organised by Norwich City Council, takes place outside City Hall from 5pm.

"It's a brilliant night for families. It doesn't go on very late so people can come and see Father Christmas, all the lights, fantastic fireworks and get the little ones home at a reasonable time," said Richard Balls from Norwich City Council.

"It's a great opportunity to see the fireworks from the roof of City Hall and Jarrolds. People who have been to the event before will know that the fireworks are quite a sight," he added.

Credit crunch

With the country facing a recession, businesses as well as individuals are having to scale down events to keep on top of their finances. Norwich City Council believes that events like the 'switch on' provide welcome relief from such worries.

Jarrolds lights up for Christmas

"People look forward to it. It's one of those events that signals the start of Christmas in the city. We're not scaling down the events we do. A lot of the events are annual and we're keen to keep improving the events as we go along," said Richard.

"I think it's very important to provide public events as not everywhere does it. It's one thing that Norwich City Council really does well - providing high quality events for free," he added.

Activities

The evening's entertainment includes a performance by the Norwich Young People's Theatre Voices Choir, who will be singing a variety of Christmas songs.

"They are performing traditional hymns, such as Oh Little Town Of Bethlehem as well as more modern songs like Jingle Bell Rock. They have certainly never faced a crowd like this before," said Richard.

"Some of the children are quite small, so this will be a massive thing for them to be performing on the steps of City Hall with lights and fireworks," he added.

Children wanting to hand their Christmas list to Father Christmas will have the chance to meet the man himself. There will also be a post box in the information tent beside St Peter Mancroft church, where letters will be sent directly to the North Pole.

Transport

To encourage people to attend the 'switch on' from outside the centre of Norwich, there will be an extended bus service.

"The service runs from the Airport, Postwick and Thickthorn Park And Ride sites. The Sprowston, Harford and Costessey sites are also operating, with the last bus leaving the City Centre at 8.30pm. That gives everyone plenty of time to enjoy the whole event and get home safely," said Richard.

For more information on the extended bus timetable visit www.norfolk.gov.uk/parkandride or telephone 0844 800 8003.