Final Preparations for Town’s Christmas Market Event

Final preparations are being made for this year’s Christmas Market event, which takes place in the town centre on Saturday 10^th December from 9am to 3pm.

The town centre will be home to a range of stalls selling fine food, Christmas gifts, confectionery and other items, and various festive refreshments will be on sale including mulled wine, mulled cider and festive gin to tempt visitors.

The event will feature live music in Vicarage Field provided by The Sussex Stompers and The Chandeliers, plus Santa (provided by Hailsham Rotary Club) will be handing out free sweets to children and Hailsham FM will be playing popular Christmas tunes throughout the day.

The Christmas Market will coincide with Hailsham Farmers’ Market, which will hold a special Christmas event at the Cattle Market site in Market Street, selling locally sourced food and crafts. There will also be festive entertainment on-site, a Dame Dora Panto and ‘Best Dressed Elf’ and ‘Best Dressed Dog’ competitions on the day.

Hailsham Parish Church will be hosting Wealden Brass Band’s Christmas Concert at 2.30pm on the day (free entry).

Councillor Nigel Coltman, Vice-Chairman of the Town Council’s Communities Committee said: “We’re certainly getting into the Christmas spirit again and, having received encouraging feedback from shoppers and stallholders in previous years, we’re looking forward to doing it all again this year and making the event an even bigger success.”

“There really is something for everyone to experience in the town during the festive period, from families and couples to those visiting Hailsham for a spot of Christmas shopping,” said Deputy Town Clerk & Business Enterprise Manager Mickey Caira. “Our Christmas Market programme includes quality live entertainment and a range of activities which we hope will enthuse everyone – and help support local businesses during the festive period.”

Prior to the Christmas Market and Christmas Farmers’ Market, a special Christmas lights switch-on event – which is always a highlight of the year in Hailsham – will take place in Vicarage Field this Friday [25th November].

The switch-on, hosted and organised by the Town Council, will see Santa handing out free sweets to children (again, courtesy of Hailsham Rotary Club) and pupils from Hailsham Community College and Years 1 and 2 of their primary school carol singing prior to the official switch-on of the lights, which will take place at 6pm.

If that was not enough, there will be festive refreshments on sale, plus Hailsham FM will be playing Christmas music throughout.

Actor Jon Campling, who appeared in two Harry Potter films among other movies, will switch on the lights at 6pm alongside the Town Mayor.