Alnwick Christmas lights set to be switched on by the Duchess of Northumberland

The popular switch-on event will take place on Friday, November 18 in the market square.

The button will be pressed at 7pm by the Duchess of Northumberland and a child from St Paul’s C of E Primary School.

However, the fun will kick off earlier in the evening starting with the Alnwick Playhouse Concert Band who are set to perform on stage for an hour at 6pm. Entertainment will be in the town centre thanks to the Slaters Fun Fair.

The evening is also planned to be filled with festive fun to spread Christmas cheer and make the town look ready for December 25.

Special guests such as Mayor Geoff Watson, Meenu Malhotra and Santa will also be visiting for the switch on.

Children from schools around town will decorate the tree in the marketplace that evening, which was a present from the Duke to the town courtesy of Northumberland Estates.

Finding a tree to stand out in the space was harder than usual after many were destroyed during Storm Arwen, however the lights team are thrilled with the tree that has been donated.

Since May, volunteers have been dedicated to making the town lights look better than ever and have been working on improving the past displays. The team began putting these up in early October with the help of Warren Access, a hoist company, which donated equipment free of charge.

The displays are only possible thanks to donations and support from local businesses and organisations such as Alnwick Town Council, Meenu Malhotra, Alnwick Round Table and Alnwick Rotary.

The lights, which usually cost around £18,000 to fund, are going through a few minor changes as a result of the energy prices rising.

Each evening, the lights will go off at 10pm, an hour earlier than previous years. They are also due to come down earlier on the first weekend after the 12th night. Each bulb used in the display has also been modified to be an LED bulb, as these are known to have the least impact on the climate.