The Top 5 Christmas Events in Bournemouth, UK 2013

Christmas is a fun time of year with lots of festive events being held up and down the country. Bournemouth is one of the most vibrant locations in the UK to visit over Christmas and is home to many festive activities, attractions and events. It is a popular location for those seeking a short family break, as there are a number of family hotels in Bournemouth that are located in close proximity to the festive events. This article will look at five of the top Christmas events in Bournemouth.

1. The Gardens Of Light

The Gardens Of Light is Bournemouth’s premier Christmas attraction and is located in the beautiful Bournemouth Lower Gardens. The Gardens Of Light is open from 16th November 2013 till 6th January 2014 and features an assortment of eye-catching lights and colours. The three main attractions in the Gardens Of Light are the Garden’s Outdoor Ice Rink (a large outdoor ice rink suitable for ages 4+ which allows people to skate under the stars), the Light Pods (a selection of 10 attractive lighting installations which are amazing to look at and fun to explore) and Santa’s Grotto (a great attraction for younger children that allows them to visit Santa and his team of elves).

2. Bournemouth Christmas Market

The Bournemouth Christmas Market is another huge festive attraction to look forward to in the area. It is held from 14th November 2013 till 6th January 2014 in Bournemouth’s Town Square and is packed full of many exciting stalls. Three of the main highlights include an authentic German charcoal BBQ that serves up a range of tasty foods, the Moose Bar that serves German lager and mulled wines under a talking moose and a traditional Victorian carousel. In addition to this, the Bournemouth Christmas Market is packed full of gift stalls which sell hand crafted seasonal items and other food stalls which offer plenty of hot treats.

3. Royal Marines Christmas Spectacular

The Royal Marines Christmas Spectacular is a world famous event where the Band Of Her Royal Majesty’s Marines perform a combination of big band hits, festive music and military marches. The event takes place on 21st November 2013 at the Bournemouth International Centre & Pavilion.

4. Christmas Lights Switch On

The Christmas Lights Switch On is an annual event in Bournemouth that takes place a month before Christmas in Bournemouth Town Centre on 24th November 2013. The fun starts from 3pm where Welshy and the JACK Pack from the popular south coast radio station JACK FM will be entertaining the crowd with live music, competitions, free prizes and more. There will also be celebrity appearances from Eastenders actor Scott Maslen (who played the character Jack Branning on the well known soap) and the famous piano player Bobby Crush. Then at 5pm the Christmas lights will be officially switched on and followed up by an impressive fireworks display. As this is one of the festive period highlight events, it would be a good idea to arrange Bournemouth accommodation for families, couples or groups in advance, as places will fill up quickly.

5. Santa Parade

The Santa Parade is a fun family event that takes place in Bournemouth town centre on 1st December 2013. From 3pm, Father Christmas will make his way through the town riding high on his sleigh, which will be pulled by his reindeer and accompanied by his team of elves. Santa will be giving out lots of sweets and other treats as he travels through the town and will be followed by lots of other floats, local groups and marching bands.