Celebrate Christmas with festive fun from the Cathedral Quarter and St Peters Quarter BIDs

Added by Love Business East Midlands | 25 November 2024

UPDATED: 26 November 2024

A spectacular ice rink, Festive Light Trail, Christmas choirs, giant slow globes and roaming festive characters will wrap Derby with festive cheer this December.

Family-friendly entertainment including brass bands, fairies, stilt walkers, and gonks has been organised and funded by the Cathedral Quarter and St Peters Quarter Business Improvement District (BIDs).

It’s ‘snow’ joke - Derby is the place to be this Christmas. Here’s your guide to see what’s going on:

Market Place

Lace up your skates! The Cathedral Quarter Ice Rink is returning to the Market Place from Saturday, November 30 and it stays open until New Year’s Eve. Adults and children of all abilities can enjoy cruising on the ice in hourly sessions.

Last year, more than 12,600 people took a spin and enjoyed the ice rink, so don’t miss this chance to glide across the ice! Tickets are on sale now via the https://www.derbylive.co.uk/whats-on/cathedral-quarter-ice-rink-2024/

After an hour of skating why not visit the Nordic Bar, which will be just next door to the rink. The bar is hosted in three festive tipis, with wooden benches, stunning foliage arrangements and enchanting disco balls and lights. It’s the perfect place to relax and enjoy a delicious range of festive cocktails, mocktails, mulled wines or hot chocolates.

Adding to the festivities, visitors can also find a huge snow globe in Derby. Free of charge, families can enter the globe to capture the perfect Christmas photo, complete with a wintery backdrop.

The giant snow globe will appear on Saturday, November 30, between 12pm to 5pm in the Derby Market Place, and at St Peters Cross on Saturday, December 21, from 11am to 4pm.

The Waterfall in the Marketplace and Corn Market will both play host to a Musical Merry Christmas on Saturday, December 14, from 11am-4pm. The day will feature a range of brass bands, contemporary choirs and diverse musical styles performing festive tunes for shoppers to enjoy.

There will also be several holiday characters at the event, perfect for family photo opportunities to remember the day!

Derby Museum and Art Gallery

Santa is making a jolly return to the Cathedral Quarter Grotto this year. Located at the Derby Museum and Art Gallery, Santa’s magical grotto is open to visitors on Saturday, November 30.

Children will receive a festive trail activity sheet as well as a special gift from Santa, who alongside his elves, will be available for photographs – within the enchanting surroundings of the museum’s Jacobite room, before a cosy fireplace. A range of festive treats in the Museum’s Coffee House will also be available.

Booking is essential via https://derbymuseums.org/event/cqgrotto, and tickets cost £4.50 per child. Santa’s Grotto will be open every weekend from Friday, November 30 until Sunday, December 22, running from 10am to 3pm. It will also be open weekdays from Tuesday, December 17 to 20, from 10am to 3.30pm.

Around Derby

For the first time this year, visitors to the city can also enjoy a Festive Light Trail, which begins on Saturday, November 30.

There will be a number of large light installations, including the UK’s largest Santa and a giant star, placed around Derby. Visitors will have the chance to pose for photos with these bright structures and will also have the chance to enter a prize draw to win a Nintendo Switch amongst other prizes. To enter, simply download the LoyalFree app to your phone, find the ‘Festive Light Trail’ and check in at each location.

Golden Ticket Prize Draw

The free Golden Ticket Prize Draw launched on Monday, November 11, where Derby shoppers could win a share of a whopping £2,000 this Christmas.

Thanks to the Cathedral Quarter and St Peters Quarter BIDs, four lucky entrants will each win £500 of shopping vouchers to spend in businesses in the Cathedral Quarter and St Peters Quarter areas.

Entry tickets will appear in city centre shops as well as the Derby City Council Festive Guide, which has been distributed to households this month. The deadline for Golden Ticket Prize Draw entries is Saturday, December 21st, and tickets will be drawn the week commencing Monday, January 6th. Four winners will be picked at random – and entries are limited to one per person.

Locations of the post boxes are listed on the back of the tickets or can be found by visiting www.derbycathedralquarter.co.uk and www.stpetersquarter.co.uk

Wander round the shops within the Cathedral Quarter and St Peters Quarter, and you will also see a band of merry characters making their way around the city. From stilt walkers, whimsical fairies and gonks to the Grinch and Cindy Lou, these characters will be out to enjoy some festive fun and pose for some photo opportunities. On Saturday, November 30, and December 14th and 21st, you will be able to catch this cast of characters who will be roaming the Cathedral Quarter and the St Peters Quarter.

Brad Worley, Manager for both the Cathedral Quarter and St Peters Quarter BIDs, said:

“There is so much to enjoy in Derby this Christmas.

“We always work hard to create a family-friendly Christmas atmosphere in Derby at the end of November and into December and these events are a great way to get into the Christmas spirit.”

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