All set for Bexhill's Christmas Festival

Day-long festivities are set to attract hundreds of residents and visitors from afar into Bexhill town centre on December 15.

That s the day Bexhill puts on its party hat for an afternoon of free Christmas celebrations.

"It s going to be a Christmas spectacular," said Brian Storkey and Sue Spice, partners in Bexhill Promotions and organisers of the event.

The organisers said: "The Christmas Festival looks like it will be the largest event in Bexhill after the Bexhill 100, and it is focused on the main trading roads in the town centre.

"The traders can only benefit but we do need them to enter into the Christmas spirit of the day and to encourage people to enter their premises.

"This is a great opportunity for traders to turn this day, with a considerable amount of visitors expected to come into the town, into a good public relations exercise for Bexhill, themselves and their businesses."

Sue has been keeping an eye on events in Hastings and Eastbourne that day and believes the Bexhill event exceeds anything to be seen elsewhere.

Organisers this week urged town traders to join in the celebrations.

Sue Spice and Brian Storkey said: "We would really like to see traders offering hospitality along the lines of Welcome Host - dressing up in the spirit of Christmas or pantomime, or simply playing Christmas music in their premises."

The promotions group s appeal follows news that major shopping streets Western Road and Devonshire Road will not have Christmas lights this year.

They said: "The lack of festive lighting in the town does not mean that the town is not entering into the festive spirit, but it does mean that we are all having to put in more effort to make this Christmas a success."

The biggest feature will be the Grand Christmas Parade winding its way round the main streets, starting at 4.30pm.

It will be led by the Hastings Bonfire Boys with flaming torches, followed by the Morgan Train with Santa on board, veteran buses, hot rod cars, panto characters, a marching band, Beatles on stilts, a steel band, and dancers.

Then there s a pipe band, Flying Carpets, carnival queens, carol singers, the Wizard of Oz pantomime float, unicyclists, Leonard the Seagull, Sovereign Squirrel, and local organisations. There ll even be some horses.

And before the parade there will be lots to enjoy. From noon to 7pm the town will be hopping with jugglers, clowns, a jazz band, carol singers and pantomime characters, plus free rides with Santa on the Morgan Train.

The afternoon kicks off with carol singing for the children at the De La Warr Pavilion at noon, where there s also a craft market and children s roundabout.

The festival is produced by Bexhill Promotions Group on behalf of Bexhill Regeneration Partnership Town Centre and Tourism Action Group and Rother District Council.