Crowds gathered in the heart of SW18 on Saturday 26 November for Wandsworth Town Christmas Festival, a day of fun and festivities for people of all ages, delivered by Wandsworth Town Business Improvement District and sponsored by Young’s.
The festival launched with the opening of the Christmas Makers Market at Ram Quarter, in partnership with Design Led. More than 50 unique and independent traders lined the square selling everything from original artwork to houseplants, winter fashion, jewellery, kitchenware, gin, tasty treats, and more. While parents and guardians attacked their Christmas shopping list at the market, little ones were able to enjoy the fairground rides at Ram Quarter, which included bumper cars and a bouncy bungee experience.
Over at Southside Wandsworth, families were treated to an audience with Mrs Claus at her festive workshop, where she told of Christmas capers at the North Pole.
The Christmas Festival also marked the launch of the Nutcracker Trail at Southside which runs up until 21 December. Head to Kids’ Space on the ground floor and collect your entry form then set off in search of the Nutcrackers (they’re 8ft tall, you can’t miss them) and solve the Christmas clues to be in with a chance of winning amazing prizes, including a Nintendo Switch OLED, gift hampers worth over £100, and more!
Riverside Radio brought a selection of incredible live acts to the town centre. Crowds were entertained by a range of talented vocalists and dancers as well as a bit of panto, from Enable, and traditional Christmas carols from the pupils at Wandsworth Prep.
The jolly man in the red suit arrived just in time for the magical Christmas light switch on. Father Christmas posed for photos and spoke with families before being joined by the Mayor of Wandsworth, Cllr Jeremy Ambache, who gave a speech to the crowd, thanking the community for supporting this year’s festival and highlighting the importance of togetherness at this time of year. Then the Mayor led the big countdown before illuminating the beautiful Norwegian spruce outside Southside’s Piazza.
The evening’s entertainment came from Backyard Cinema whose live brass band and Big Top Cabaret Bar kept the festivities going.
Alison, a Londoner visiting Wandsworth Town for the festival, said: “This is such a great event. Everywhere I look I see people having fun. There’s so much to see and do and it all feels safe and welcoming.”
James Mbanefo, manager at Wandsworth Town BID, said: “We wanted to go big this year and we think we delivered on that. It’s important to have something for everyone and to create an event the whole community can enjoy.
“Wandsworth Town Christmas Festival is about residents, local businesses, and visitors coming together to celebrate what Wandsworth has to offer, and we’re thrilled that so many people turned out today to see what makes our district so special.
“Watch this space, Wandsworth Town, because we’re already cooking up plans for next Christmas!”
After a week of other local festive events, it’s safe to say that Christmas has officially arrived in southwest London.
