Stratford's Christmas lights switch-on is switching to a Saturday

STRATFORD'S Christmas lights switch-on event is moving to a Saturday.

Previously the lights have been turned on to illuminate the town centre and celebrate the start of the festive season on a Thursday – usually the last in November.

The event also marked the start of late-night shopping in the town.

However, this year the event is planned for Saturday, 19th November, with the lights going on at 5.15pm.

According to organisers, the new day has been chosen for three main reasons:

- To merge two switch-on events into one. In previous years there have been separate switch-ons for the town centre and for Bell Court.

- A Saturday means events can be staged during the entire day, bringing more footfall to the town.

- Finally, many residents and visitors said having the weekday switch-on made it difficult to attend.

Thousands of people visit Stratford to see the lights, which are organised by a team of volunteers.

The other big event in Stratford in the run-up to Christmas, the Victorian Market is set to take place over four days – 8th-11th December.