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Bracknell goes Christmas Crazy

14/12/04

Between now and the New Year, Bracknell will be host to a variety of seasonal festivities and yuletide entertainment designed by the Bracknell Regeneration Partnership and Bracknell Forest Borough Council to bring the spirit of Christmas into the town centre. With Father Christmas paying regular visits and retailers extending their opening hours, Bracknell Town Centre is a one-stop-shop for all your Christmas needs.

In the frantic run-up to the big day, shoppers can take advantage of Bracknell’s late night Christmas shopping hours, browsing in their favourite stores until 7pm every Thursday evening. From 20th December this will extend to every night until Christmas Eve, allowing plenty of time for those last minute purchases. With free parking every Sunday, as well as on Monday 27th, Tuesday 28th and into the start of the New Year on the 1st and 2nd, there’s no excuse not to take advantage of the post-Christmas sales and snap up a bargain.

To keep the children entertained, Santa is in Princess Square every day until Christmas. On Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th December there will also be a free programme of children’s entertainment to keep the kids occupied between Mum and Dad’s frantic forays into the Christmas crowds. With face painting from 11am – 4pm and Christmas workshops between 11am – 12.45pm and 2pm – 3.35pm, where children can make reindeer, elf and snowman masks as well as robins, fairies and dancing Santa’s, the workshops are a hive of festively creative fun. The Sandhurst Silver Band will also be present on the 18th December to regale the crowds with popular carols.

A traditional Italian Market will be visiting the town centre on Wednesday 22nd and Thursday 23rd December to bring a more continental touch to the festivities. With traders from across Italy offering a selection of authentic produce including stuffed olives and antipasti, olive oils and vinegars, jams, sweets and nougats, wine and Ceramics, the market will offer the perfect opportunity to pick up a few final goodies. The centre piece of the market will be the Chocolatissimo; a mouth-watering cascading fountain of warm chocolate for dunking sweets and fresh fruit. Shoppers should be sure to remember their edge card, as holders will be entitled to a 5% discount from all stalls displaying the edge sign.

Helen Barnett from the Bracknell Regeneration Partnership (BRP) said:

“The range of seasonal events in the town centre means that Bracknell is a great place to be in the weeks before Christmas. There’s a real atmosphere of festivity as retailers and shoppers alike are starting to get into the party spirit. As the full scale of the town centre regeneration moves closer, it’s great that BRP and BFBC’s town centre initiatives are already enlivening the area and drawing more visitors to Bracknell.”