Peter Pan lights up first Inverness Winter Festival.
The first Inverness Winter Festival will be launched on Thursday (22nd November) when the City’s Christmas lights are switched on and an artificial ice rink is opened in Falcon Square.
The fun begins at 6:30pm when local DJ Andi Candoo will host the entertainment at the Bridge Street stage which will include Christmas Carols and a preview of a song “Our Home” from The Sundowe - winner of the Highland Quest for a new musical, which has its opening performance and world premier at Eden Court Theatre on Friday 30th November.
At 7pm, hundreds of children and their families are expected to view the lights switch-on by Eden Court Panto characters, Peter Pan and Santa Claus who will be situated on a stage on the balcony in front of Inverness Museum.
At 7:30pm the Winter Festival artificial ice rink in Falcon Square will be opened by Provost Bob Wynd, Chairman of The Highland Council’s Inverness City Committee and Tinker Bell with a display by the Northern Lights Synchronised Skating Display Team at 7.30pm.
Provost Wynd said: “The Highland Council is delighted to play a key role in supporting a winter festival in our City of Inverness. We aim to maximise this opportunity to be seen as a key player in the Scottish calendar of winter festivals and we aim for Inverness to be a year round destination.”
Garek Begg, Chairman of Inverness Business Improvement District Steering Group said: “The City centre Ice rink was devised as a demonstration project by the BID coordinator to show businesses the type of high profile projects that can be created for a relatively modest budget.
“The determination and hard work of the two-person BID team in bringing together so many creative and enthusiastic people to initiate the Winter Festival is a great credit to them. We expect people from all over the area will come in to the city, see how easy access and parking is now and enjoy themselves. If businesses vote ‘yes’ for a BID in March, the whole community can look forward to more great events and the resurgence of Inverness City centre as the place everybody will have to visit.”
Fiona Hampton, director of Highland 2007, said: “It’s really exciting to be involved with Inverness’ first ever winter festival. All the events planned between now and January 12 will give people from far and wide a great reason to come to Inverness city centre during the festive period and take part in the many delights on offer.”
The Highland Council advises that for the health and safety of spectators at the event, Bridge Street and Castle Street will be closed to traffic between 6.30pm and 8pm on Thursday evening (Nov 22nd).
For further information about the event please contact: Stefan Krause and Kate Fairclough Inverness Business Improvement District (BID) Team tel: 01463 714550 or Highland Council’s Events Officer Gerry Reynolds on 01463 724262.
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Notes to Editors
1. The Inverness Winter Festival will start on November 22nd and end with the spectacular Highland Lights event on January 12th.
2. The Inverness Winter Festival was initiated by a team led by Stefan Krause and Kate Fairclough of the Inverness Business Improvement District (BID) Team (Tel 01463 714550 / 0778 8872984). The Festival is sponsored and supported by The Highland Council, Highland 2007, the Inverness Common Good Fund, Eden Court Theatre, Eastgate Shopping Centre, Communities Scotland, the Bank of Scotland and many members of the Inverness Business Community.
3. The Inverness Winter Festival is a pilot demonstration project designed to introduce the public and the business community to the type activities and events that are organised in cities which have BID projects operating.
4. A BID is an area where businesses vote to communally invest in projects which will strengthen their trading environment and so bring more customers to their doors. Many BIDs are operating world wide. The Inverness Business Community will vote on an Inverness city centre BID in March 2008. A “yes” vote will give the BID team the resources to produce more events like the Winter Festival in the future – it is anticipated that any further Winter Festivals would continue be based around a number of themed events incorporating the characters and storylines of the annual Pantomime at Eden Court Theatre.
5. David Flemming, Area Director for the Bank of Scotland commented:
“Bank of Scotland Corporate Inverness are delighted to be supporting the Winter Festival and the ICCM 'BID' project. Supporting the business community in the Highlands and commitment to our customers is paramount to our business and we hope that everyone enjoys the festival. On behalf of the Bank of Scotland can I wish all our customers, business partners, fellow professionals and all your families a very Merry Christmas and prosperous New Year.”