Santa with elves
An Ice Rink, Santa’s Grotto, free giant snow globes and performances by dancing Christmas elves will sprinkle Derby with festive cheer this December.
Family-friendly entertainment, including stilt walkers, gingerbread men and an ice king and queen, has been funded by the Cathedral Quarter and St Peters Quarter Business Improvement District (BIDs) – and ‘yule’ love it!
Irongate
Walk through Irongate’s Ceiling of Light – a display of thousands of lights glowing above one of Derby’s iconic streets – and enjoy the welcome return of the Cathedral Quarter ice rink.
The ice rink is being sponsored by the Cathedral Quarter BID and opens on Saturday, December 2, until New Year’s Eve.
Last year, more than 12,000 people donned their skates and enjoyed the Cathedral Quarter Ice Rink but there’s so is more to enjoy this Christmas in Derby.
Eve Taylor, BID Project Executive for Derby Cathedral Quarter BID, said: “We want to bring Derby to life this Christmas so people can enjoy the city while doing their Christmas shopping. We are celebrating the lead up to Christmas with some festive entertainment, and we know visitors to Derby will love what has been arranged.”
Market Place
Father Christmas makes a welcome return to the Cathedral Quarter Grotto, and this year you’ll find him at Derby QUAD. Step into a realm of pure enchantment as you enter the extraordinary grotto, festooned with a mesmerising Northern Lights experience that transports you straight into Santa’s magical grotto in the North Pole.
While you wait, capture the magic at QUAD’s photo station where you can enjoy a special moment with a family snapshot.
Each child will receive a unique art-themed gift from Father Christmas, and tickets are just £4 per child. Santa’s Grotto will be open on weekends, December 9 and 10, and 16 and 17, between 11am and 5.30pm. It will also be open on weekdays from December 18 to 22, from 12pm to 7pm.
Adding to the festive entertainment, visitors will also find huge snow globes in Derby, ready for the perfect family photo opportunity! The snow globes are free to use; just join the queue, get ready to climb in and strike your best Christmas pose!
The giant snow globe will be set up in Derby’s Market Place on Saturday, December 2nd and 16th, and then it will visit St Peter’s Cross, at St Peter’s Street on Saturday, December 9th and 23rd. For all four Saturdays in December, they will open from 11am to 4pm.
Visitors will also encounter walk-round Christmas themed characters in both BID areas, allowing for even more photographic fun and Christmas memories.
The Golden Ticket Prize Draw, which gives away a whopping £2,000 to local shoppers, makes a welcome return this year and will be available in businesses across Derby’s Cathedral Quarter and St Peters Quarter.
Golden Ticket Entry cards are available in businesses across both the Cathedral Quarter and St Peters Quarter, and shoppers can post them in any of the 20 special post boxes located across the city centre. The deadline for entries is Sunday, December 10, and winners will be announced on Wednesday, December 13.
Four winners will each receive £500 worth of vouchers to spend in both Quarters’ businesses of their choice.
Finally, shoppers are reminded to enter the Window Wonderland Competition in Derby – with the chance to win a £100 voucher.
Businesses across the Cathedral Quarter and St Peters Quarter are taking part in the competition to create the best festive window display to excite and delight Christmas shoppers this year.
Participating BID business will be judged on their creative and festive flair by visitors and shoppers and if you vote, you get entered in the prize draw.
A specially selected panel of local stakeholders will judge the entries and present a trophy to the winners in each of the two BID areas.
Businesses taking part will have their displays in place from 24th November, with public voting starting on 28th November. Voting will close on 17th December, and winners will be announced on 21st December.
Voting for your favourite Window Wonderland display is simple – just download the LoyalFree app and follow the special trail that takes you from display to display. Once you’ve seen them all, you can vote. There will also be QR codes in each participating window, allowing shoppers to scan and vote as they come across the best design.
Brad Worley, BID Manager for the Cathedral Quarter BID said: “We have worked really hard to create a family-friendly Christmas atmosphere in Derby during December, and are delighted to offer four shoppers to each win £500 in golden ticket vouchers, but an additional chance for a family to win another £100 by doing our festive window tour. What better way to start Christmas!”.
To book a visit to see Santa, visit www.derbyquad.co.uk/events/christmasgrotto.
