Cohesion Plus working in partnership with Kent Equality Cohesion Council and Gravesham Borough Council supported by Arts Council England have organised the Gravesham Festival of Christmas Lights which will take place on Friday November 18th between 4pm and 6pm.

The town centre event will be kicking off from 4pm. Crowds can expect street entertainers including Christmas Mime Elves, Santa and his helpers on stilts, Bloco Fogo Samba, Crocodile Christmas Brass Band and much more.

At 5pm there will then be a parade through the town before the lights are switched on. This will feature 11 local schools and some 500 young people from across the borough, along with the bands and performers. The schools have been working with Same Sky Arts on Christmas Lanterns which they will showcase during the parade.

The Mayor of Gravesham, Cllr Greta Goatley will accompany a fire bird at the front of the parade and further Christmas magic will be added by the snow which will spread Christmas magic over the parade.

The procession will set off from St George’s Centre and travel through New Road, up Windmill Street and culminate on Community Square.

The Cohesion Plus produced “Dancing Santa’s” will be also performing in the Town Centre a unique fusion of bhangra and contemporary dance to a special bhangra mix of popular Christmas hit “Merry Christmas Everyone”

From 5.30pm, at Community Square, the lights will officially be switched on by the Mayor and there will be half an hour of entertainment. This will include a Jack and the Beanstalk panto stage area, where the cast of this year’s show will amuse crowds.

Gurvinder Sandher the Artistic Director of Cohesion Plus commented “I am delighted that we have been able with the support of our partners to put together another Festival of Christmas Lights. This is an excellent way to launch the Christmas celebrations in the borough, I am particularly looking forward to showcasing our new Dancing Santa’s performance which we have been working very hard on and which underlines our approach to pushing artistic boundaries.”