Late night shopping: Everything you need to know about late night shopping in Chichester

These will take place from 4pm until 7pm on Thursday, December 15 and 22.

There will be a Christmas market, and many high street and independent retailers will be opening later, visitors can also enjoy a variety of festive entertainment while shopping for their gifts.

Helen Marshall, CEO and chair of Chichester BID, said: "We would like to extend a huge thank you to all the local businesses who are partnering with us this year to create a magical Christmas in Chichester. The generosity and support of Blue Spire Accountants, Trading Post Coffee Roasters, Wagtail Coffee & Yoga, Draper’s Yard, Chichester Cathedral, Chichester Library, Selsey Press, St Wilfrid’s Hospice, Arabesque School of Performing Arts, Kate Mosse, The Ivy Chichester, Stagecoach Performing Arts School, The Prebendal School, Oakwood School and V2 Radio is greatly appreciated and has enabled us to give everyone coming into Chichester this Christmas a real treat.”

There will be free parking after 4pm in the Avenue de Chartres car park in Chichester for the Christmas lights switch-on event on November 26 and late-night shopping in Chichester on December 15 and 22.

Select two hours and get a third free in all council-owned car parks across the district (except Avenue De Chartres and Westgate car parks) during December when using the MiPermit app www.chichester.gov.uk/mipermit

The twilight shopping event is just one of a number of different family friendly events taking place in the lead up to Christmas.

Plans include the unveiling of brand-new Christmas lights that will adorn the city and the installation of a magical Nutcracker Christmas Trail. There will also be a special Nutcracker Christmas Experience Day for families to take part in as well as twilight shopping evenings and the much-anticipated return of a traditional Christmas Market in the city centre from December 3 until 23.

Helen said: “We are determined not to let the cost-of-living crisis dampen Christmas spirits by filling Chichester with memory-making experiences for everyone to enjoy for free! Our aim is for Chichester to be a must-visit Christmas destination this year with enchanting Christmas trails, street entertainment, lantern parades, fairy-tale Christmas windows, children’s crafting, story-telling experiences and more. Chichester is a beautiful city all year round but particularly at Christmas and we hope our planned activities will encourage more people into the city to soak up the festive atmosphere and discover the wonderful array of restaurants, bars, high street chains and independent shops we have here."

There will also be festive shopping on Saturday, December 17, Chichester will host a full line-up of music and entertainment to keep Christmas spirts high including performances from Chichester City Band and dance and drama group Stagecoach Chichester. The giant snow globe will once again be on North Street between 11am and 4pm for special #SnowGlobeSelfies, giving shoppers another opportunity to capture special Christmas moments with family and friends.

For full details on festive events taking place across the city throughout the season visit www.chichesterbid.co.uk/christmas

Events to enjoy this festive season in Sussex