A
event
on Friday 11th November. The event starts at 20:00.
Bristol City Centre will switch on its Christmas lights in spectacular style this year with a breath-taking fire-themed show on Friday 11th November, marking the start of the festive season.
Shoppers in Cabot Circus will be treated to a dazzling performance combining acrobatics, fire and theatre as the countdown takes place - and the Christmas lights are switched on throughout the centre of Bristol. New Christmas illuminations and decorations will be revealed in Cabot Circus and Quakers Friars and many other parts of the city centre.
Staged by Bristol-based Cirque Bijou, the show will begin under the iconic glass roof at Cabot Circus, where stilted performers will work their way through the crowd, building anticipation and festive cheer. Visitors will then be treated to an acrobatic spectacle, culminating in an astonishing routine which will include fire staffs and a human catherine-wheel display, before the new lights are switched on for the first time.
Celebrations will then continue in Quakers Friars, as the performers' stage a high-energy fire show to mark the opening of the eco-friendly skating rink, which returns to the area for the festive season. The historic Friary buildings - which house Raymond Blanc's restaurant Brassiere Blanc - will also be lit up by a special light projection show, with snowflakes dancing to music every 30 minutes.
Young visitors will also get a magical surprise as local iconic characters including Wallace & Gromit, Blackbeard and Mr Brunel entertain the crowds.
The city centre shopping area will also welcome two Christmas markets that combine a traditional German theme with a locally inspired Christmas market. The quaint wooden chalet style stalls will offer visitors unique gift ideas, original handmade crafts, festive German food and drink, decorative items and a yuletide atmosphere. They will be located throughout Broadmead and will feature a spectacular Christmas pyramid, bar, cafe with seating area, 30 German traditional wooden chalets, decorations, lights and a nativity scene. The German market will run from 10 November until 22 December.
The'12 days of Christmas' market will offer a selection of locally sourced produce and will be located next to the German Christmas Market from 9 until 20 December.
Inside The Galleries, the Peter Pan-themed Santa's Grotto will complement the Hippodrome Pantomime this Christmas. Santa's Grotto will open on 12 November until 24 December.
Cabot Circus Centre Director Kevin Duffy said: 'This year Cabot Circus is joining forces with Destination Bristol to put on a spectacular show for all the family and celebrate the beginning of the Christmas shopping season in Bristol City Centre. Cirque Bijou has performed this routine on the X Factor, at the Royal Albert Hall and Wembley, and will now amaze audiences closer to home.'
John Hirst, Operations Director at Destination Bristol added: 'Christmas in Bristol is set to be bigger and better this year with a fantastic Christmas lights display illuminating the whole city centre shopping area plus St Nicholas Market, the Centre Promenade, College Green and Park Street.
'The Christmas lights switch-on event will mark the start of an exciting programme of festive activities taking place throughout the season in Bristol, making it the premier retail and leisure destination in the South West.'
The Bristol City Centre switch-on takes place on Friday 11 November and the event will begin at 6:00pm.