Festive magic, storytelling, family workshops and entertainment in Chichester city centre this Saturday

Taking place on Saturday, December 11, visitors can enjoy a day of music, dance, workshops, storytelling and fantastic giveaways as the city again hosts fantastic entertainment to help boost the city centre.

To celebrate the arrival of Stick Man to the theatre, families can immerse themselves in Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s delightful tale during the drop-in storytelling sessions at Chichester Library at 11am, midday, 2.15pm and 2.45pm, with up to ten families allowed in each session.

There will also be a free Stick Man themed trail running in the city throughout December available on the LoyalFree App, which is free to download and hosts a plethora of city centre offers, trails and info.

You can visit the team from Chichester Festival Theatre on East Street, where there will be activities, surprises and fantastic giveaways throughout the day. CFT’s Get Singing choir will also be dropping by at 1pm to perform show songs from Stick Man while local dancers from Victoria’s Dance School will be delighting audiences with performances inspired by The Nutcracker at midday.

Also joining in the fun and festivities is Pallant House Gallery with special drop-in workshops for families to create their own Christmas cards.

The free workshops will be held between 11am to 3pm with all ages welcome to attend. Before taking part, participants can be inspired by the Gallery’s ‘Christmas Greetings by Modern British Artists’, a free festive show that features over 100 original Christmas cards dating from the 1950s to the present day.

Father Christmas will be in St Martin’s Street from 10am to 4pm, Chichester City band will be performing in North Street from 10am to 3pm, and there will be a ballet performance at The Cross at midday by Victoria’s Dance School.

There will also be an Artisan Market in the Assembly Rooms from 10am to 4pm and both Taco Box and Saddlers Horsebox Bar will be in East Street all day.

Helen Marshall, Vice Chair and CEO of Chichester BID said: “We are delighted to be partnering with two such important local cultural venues to add some extra Christmas magic to the city this December and provide festive and immersive activities for families to enjoy.”

This year’s cracker of a Christmas season at CFT includes Pinocchio, Stick Man and The Nutcracker. Visit www.cft.org.uk/christmas to book.

Meanwhile there will be free parking at Chichester’s Avenue de Chartres car park throughout the day on Saturday, November 11 in a bid to boost the city centre and encourage shoppers to support their local businesses this Christmas.

Follow Chichester BID on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date with further details on their Christmas 2021 events and activities or visit its website at www.chichesterbid.co.uk.