Following the success of Wilmslow's first Christmas Festival, plans are already underway to ensure that this year's event is bigger and better.
At Wilmslow Business Group's (WBG) first meeting of 2011, Denise Valente, the driving force behind last year's festival, updated WBG members on plans which are being put in place for this year.
The Christmas Market will be extended to run the length of the service road from Sainsbury's through to MultiYork and it will run for 17 days, from Friday 25th November through to Sunday 11th December.
WBG are hoping to have wooden huts, similar to those at the Manchester Christmas markets and they are currently in negotiations with suppliers who will build these bespoke for Wilmslow, on the condition that the festival runs for the next 5 years. The supplier of the market will also provide 30% of these chalets for use by local businesses and tradespeople.
Santa's Grotto will return to the Romany Caravan and be open each weekend in the run up to Christmas and, following the incredible response last year, an ice rink will be located on Bank Square from Friday 25th November to Sunday 11th December.
New for this year, WBG are intending to provide children's entertainment at Parsonage Green, which they are hoping will include a variety of children's rides such as a carousel, merry-go-round, football, tea-cups and a bouncy castle.
Cheshire East Council have also agreed, in principle, to provide new Christmas lights for Wilmslow town centre. The proposal is to put new column lights on Water Lane, tree Lights along Alderley Road and street lighting on Grove Street.
Suppliers of festive lighting will be asked to submit proposals and quotes which will be reviewed by the new Town Council in May. New lights will be provided for Wilmslow town centre but it depends upon budget as to whether all three roads will have them.
Denise said "Wilmslow Business Group worked really hard to make this work last year, we learnt a lot and I am confident that putting those lessons into practice will result in a remarkable event for 2011."
