{"id":34668,"date":"2025-11-29T23:07:05","date_gmt":"2025-11-29T23:07:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abingdonblog.co.uk\/?p=34668"},"modified":"2025-11-29T23:07:05","modified_gmt":"2025-11-29T23:07:05","slug":"abingdon-lights-up-for-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.abingdonblog.co.uk\/?p=34668","title":{"rendered":"Abingdon Lights Up for Christmas"},"content":{"rendered":"


\nTraders and community groups welcomed shoppers and visitors to Abingdon\u2019s annual Christmas Extravaganza, which brought together entertainment, a parade, a market, and the Christmas lights switch-on.
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\nThe day began wet \u2014 a good excuse to visit somewhere indoors, such as the St Helen\u2019s Christmas Fair, also taking place during the morning.
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\nOr the Preloved clothes sale in the Guildhall, thanks to One-Planet Abingdon.
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\nBy the time the parade was ready to set off at 12 noon the rain had stopped. (These are members of Abingdon Drama Club who will be performing The Snow Queen in January.)
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\nThe parade was led by the Oxford Caledonian Pipers, followed by Amanda Alder\u2019s Dance Academy; Guides and Brownies; the cast of Beauty and the Beast from the Cornerstone in Didcot;
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\nthe Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers;
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\nAbingdon Town Council;
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\nAbingdon Music Centre;
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\nand finally Father Christmas, brought to us by the Abingdon Lions. He had a grotto outside Poundland for the rest of the day.
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\nThe parade route was closed for about twenty minutes, and the parade participants ended up in the carpark behind Bury Street where I took this picture of members of the Beauty and the Beast cast with the Mayor and Town Councillors.
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\nBath Street was closed for the craft market, with performances running there throughout the day, as well as on the Market Place.
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\nThe final act on the Market Place was Courtney Reddy performing as Avril Lavigne.
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\nThen Duncan Brown led the traditional countdown from 10 to 0, the Mayor pressed the red button, and the Christmas lights came on instantly.
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\nThere was a prize for the most festive market stall. There was no prize for the most festive shop front but plenty of good competition. This is Fabulous Flowers.<\/p>\n

The Extravaganza was organised by the Abingdon Events Partnership with sponsorship from lots of local businesses including the Bury Street precinct, Fairacres Retail Park, Missing Bean cafe and Wenn Townsend accountants. <\/p>\n

Here is a video of the Parade and the Oxford Caledonian Pipe Band:
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