Bath and North East Somerset prepares for the festive season

Work is underway to install Christmas lights and illuminations across Bath and North East Somerset with the first switch-on taking place next week.

Bath & North East Somerset Council has recently announced new four-year framework contracts for the provision of Christmas lighting throughout the area. This includes illuminations on streets and historic buildings in the City of Bath.

Traditional Christmas lights will be added to the illuminations during Bath’s Christmas Market, which opens to residents from the evening of 23 November. 

The council is also providing traditional lights to the Bath communities of Combe Down, Weston, Moorland Road and Larkhall as well as working in partnership with the three town councils on the provision of lights.

Keynsham's Winter Festival on 25 November includes an official switching on of the town’s Christmas lights. Radstock’s lights will be turned on from the Miners’ Wheel on 26 November.

Midsomer Norton’s lights, with the focal point on a new Christmas tree in the Hollies Garden will be lit from 24 November onwards.

Field & Lawn, one of the UK’s largest and leading independent providers of festive lighting, will be providing the traditional Christmas lights across Bath and North East Somerset and Fineline Lighting Ltd is supplying the projections and illuminations in Bath.

The new contracts allow the flexibility for partners like town and parish councils, local businesses and sponsors to contribute to enhance Christmas lights in future years.

Local residents and visitors to the area might have noticed that it is taking a little longer this year for some lights to be installed, this is due to longer manufacturing processes for some of the special, bespoke illuminations and the ongoing impact of driver shortages on the process.

Councillor Kevin Guy, who is council Leader, said: “The switch-on of Christmas lights and illuminations in city and town centres is an exciting moment when it really feels as if the festive season is under way, creating a special atmosphere in our local communities in the run up to Christmas. Thanks to our partners across the area who are working with us to provide some fantastic Christmas lighting.”

To learn more please visit https://bathchristmasmarket.co.uk.

(Image courtesy of MIH83 and Pixabay)