It's one of the highlights of the festive calendar and now the date has been set for the return of Swansea's Christmas Parade. This year's event will take place on Sunday, November 20 and hundreds of people are expected to line the streets of the city centre to catch a glimpse of Father Christmas and to cheer on the entertainers, dancers and community organisations also walking in the parade.
This year's procession will begin at Victoria Road at around 5pm, before heading up Princess Way, Caer Street, Castle Street and High Street. From there, the procession will go towards Alexandra Road, before heading down Orchard Street and along The Kingsway.
Swansea Council has confirmed there will be temporary road closures in the city centre, to ensure the safety of participants and spectators. More details on the closures will be shared nearer the time. To get the latest What's On newsletters from WalesOnline, click here
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Confirming the return of the Swansea Christmas Parade - which for many marks the beginning of the festive season - Swansea Council cabinet member Robert Francis-Davies said: "Christmas is one of the most important times of year for the city centre. Santa’s arrival in the parade to switch on the lights is just the right kind of curtain-raiser to get people in the festive mood.
"We're aiming to create a real carnival atmosphere full of light, music and dancing, featuring professional performers, local community groups and everyone’s favourite fairy tale and movie characters. With the cost of living crisis continuing to hit local families I hope they can take some comfort in this fantastic free spectacle."
"It's less than a month to the parade and we’ll have some more announcements before the big day," he added.
Swansea Council has confirmed this year's parade will see the return of Spark!, a street-theatre show which "combines a high-impact drumming routine with kaleidoscopic lighting design," as well as giant light-up reindeers that appear to float in the air, magical "Winter Wonderland Birds" whose moods change with the lights and music, Father Christmas himself, and hundreds of people from different groups, societies and community organisations in Swansea.
Last year, our reporter live-streamed the parade from Swansea City Centre. To get an idea of what to expect this year, why not watch what happened last year:
The announcement of the return of the Christmas Parade comes a few weeks after Swansea Council confirmed Waterfront Winterland will be returning this year too. The popular attraction will be open to the public from November 8, 2022 to January 8, 2023 and will be at its usual spot at Museum Park on Oystermouth Road, Swansea SA1 3RD.
Organisers say there will be special deals to ensure the event is affordable for families in this Cost of Living Crisis. "Brand new for 2022, students and families can purchase super saver tickets, offering substantial savings on their Waterfront Winterland experience," they explained.
"The super saver student ticket includes skating, an adult meal and a choice of beer, small wine or mulled wine, with a total saving of £6. The family super saver ticket offers two adults and two children, or one adult and three children, a saving of £18 on skating for four, or or two adult meals, and two or three children’s meals, with drinks included."
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