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Lantern parade and film show signal start of festivities
21/11/2021
A lantern parade led hundreds of people to the first showing of Banbury’s Christmas film
Hundreds of people headed into Banbury yesterday (November 20) for the town’s first festive events this year. A Christmas lantern parade toured the town, finishing at the top of the Market Place ready for the first viewing of this year’s Christmas film projection.
For the last couple of weeks youngsters have been attending lantern making workshops. These were proudly displayed as a parade set of from the Castle Quay Shopping Centre, led by the Sambassadors of Groove who got everyone warmed up and moving.
The rhythmically led parade snaked out of the shopping centre and towards Banbury High Street, with a brief pause at the Band Stand. A turn into Church Lane brought the colourful procession to the traders clearing up at the end of their workday with Steve Betts and his staff showing their best dance moves as the parade passed.
The Lantern Parade moved into a packed Parson’s Street and headed towards the end point at the Cornhill entrance to Castle Quay where, after a final performance from the Sambassadors of Groove, Banbury’s festive film was shown for the first time.
Beamed onto the entrance of the shopping centre, the film is a seasonal story with magical scenes, which delighted the watching crowds and will now be shown every day until 5th January.
Town mayor Shaida Hussain arrived at the film show on the Hook Norton Brewery dray.
She said: “What a wonderful start to Christmas. It was so nice to see so many happy faces.”
She added: “There is more to come. The town’s brand new Christmas street lights will be switched on at 5pm next Sunday (28th November) and Banbury will look absolutely fabulous over the festive period.”
The film show will now start at 5pm every evening and will be projected on a rolling basis until 9.45pm.
The lantern parade was organised by Banbury BID with the Castle Quay Shopping Centre and the film by Banbury BID and paid for by Banbury Town Council and the BID.
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Pictures by Banbury FM / Julian Dancer
Published: by Banbury FM Newsteam