Christmas in Banburyshire - town centre light shows to make Banbury merry and bright this festive season

The Vine entrance to the Castle Quay shopping centre will light up with Christmassy scenes to add a truly festive flavour to Banbury this winter

After a year of uncertainty and concern our sights are set on bringing good cheer to the people of Banburyshire - and we want you to be involved.

Our seasonal coverage is designed to include Christmassy news, some fabulous competitions and as a forum for people's Christmas stories and community events.

Coverage will be posted on the Banbury Guardian website and on our Facebook and Twitter pages. Details of where to send your stories and pictures are at the bottom of this report.

Christmas in Banburyshire gets its own dedicated page in the Banbury Guardian this year

This week we have news of The Banbury Business Improvement District's (BID) series of Christmas light shows that will greet shoppers and visitors to the town this winter.

Organised by BID and Banbury Town Council, the light shows will replace seasonal events cancelled because of coronavirus restrictions and will be projected onto buildings in and around the Market Place.

The shows will welcome Christmas and the New Year. They will run from dusk until late to encourage people to consider late afternoon shopping before viewing the displays. The shows will also be there for shop and office workers on their way home and for the evening economy.

BID Manager Jo Holland said: “We refuse to give up on festive tradition, we must do things a little differently this year. Working with Banbury Town Council is a great opportunity to bring these brand-new light shows to Banbury and provide some much-needed festive cheer.”

The Christmas themed light show will arrive on November 18 in Cornhill and will be shown daily from dusk until late until December 28. The video is described as wintery and classy and will depict Christmas with imaginative scenes and seasonal music.

Ms Holland said: “Winter, in particular Christmas, is key for town centre businesses and organisations. We hope our light show will help bring back a little festive magic and drive footfall to Banbury in a safe way as people shop at their leisure.”

A New Year display will run from December 29 - January 5 and will again be projected onto the Cornhill entrance to the Castle Quay shopping centre. Shoppers and visitors can marvel at firework-style celebrations with clips of local people, local heroes and local businesses.Leader of the town council Cllr Kieron Mallon said: “We think the light shows are a terrific alternative to the cancelled events. People can enjoy the lights as they shop and travel home from work in Banbury. There will be plenty of social distancing signage to help everyone stick to the social distancing rules.”

* Anyone with special Christmassy photos, stories or events is welcome to send them to us for inclusion in our Christmas in Banburyshire pages. We will include as many as possible online and, if space permits, in the newspaper which is on sale every Thursday.

Please send your submissions to [email protected] with a phone number if possible in case we need to contact you.