It’s time to get into the Christmas spirit! This year, the annual Hertford Christmas Gala will take place in the Town Centre on Friday 22nd November and the Hertford Castle Christmas Market will run across the whole weekend from Friday 22nd to Sunday 24th November.
Both wonderful events are organised by Hertford Town Council and kindly sponsored by McMullen’s Brewery and Duffield Harrison. The free to attend festivities will take place across both Hertford Town Centre and the Castle Grounds, with residents and visitors encouraged to visit the county town, shop locally and kick-off the festive season in style!
Local businesses will be running promotions/offers throughout the Gala and across the weekend, details will be listed at www.hertford.gov.uk/events-listings
Hertford Christmas Gala:
Friday 22nd November 3:00pm – 8:00pm
The Town Centre will be filled with Christmas market stalls and food stands. There will be fairground rides, Christmas Carollers on Parliament Square and entertainment performances live on-stage from 4:30pm; including the Simon Balle Big Band, ‘Take Note’ adult community choir, Hertford Dramatic and Operatic Society and local musicians Chris Sims and SummerGeorgie. The Town Centre Christmas light switch-on in Salisbury Square will be at 6:00pm with the Mayor of Hertford, who will hopefully be joined by Father Christmas!
Hertford Castle Christmas Market:
Friday 22nd November 3:30pm – 8:00pm
Saturday 23rd November 11:00am – 6:00pm including ‘Storytime with Santa’ from 11.00am
Sunday 24th November 11:00am – 5:00pm
The 3-day Christmas Market in the spectacular grounds of Hertford Castle, boasts an array of stalls - selling a selection of festive products and produce; perfect for those who like to shop early for Christmas. In addition, there will be fairground rides, live entertainment and food and drink stands providing delicious seasonal treats.
Back by popular demand, children will be able enjoy a magical ‘Storytime with Santa’ on the Saturday - sessions are approximately 50 minutes long. While all sessions are intimate in style and setting, the first 11.00am to 12.00 noon session has been specifically dedicated to children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), so please select this time slot during booking if appropriate. Tickets are £5.00 per child with all proceeds going to the Mayor of Hertford’s Appeal Fund. For more information and to book a ticket please visit: Story time with Santa.
This year, Hertford Town Council is proud to be donating a proportion of ‘Storytime with Santa’ tickets to The Hertford Pantry and the Hertford & District Food Bank, to help some of the families they work with to have an extra special Christmas this year.
Chair of Hertford Town Council’s Development and Leisure Committee, Councillor Ann Woodward, said: “We are really looking forward to our Christmas events in town and in the Castle grounds this year and we do hope that residents and visitors alike will take the opportunity get in the festive spirit and really enjoy themselves.”
The full programme will be published at: www.hertford.gov.uk/events-listings
With crowds anticipated, it’s advised that visitors ideally avoid bringing buggies and dogs. All visitors are encouraged to use public/active transport due to limited parking.
The western end of Fore Street, Market Place and Bull Plain will be closed to traffic (other than residents) from 3.00pm - 9.00pm. All roads around Salisbury Square are closed entirely from 5.45pm - 6.30pm.