The countdown to Christmas has officially begun, with the unveiling of Dundee’s brand-new Christmas decorations, which are set to light up the city on November 19th.
The specially commissioned designs, which include much-loved DC Thomson characters, have been created to celebrate Dundee’s rich heritage. From maritime adventures to more modern, design-led pieces, the illuminations will be in place throughout the festive period.
Created using energy efficient LED bulbs, which consume up to 1/5th the energy of traditional incandescent lights the new illuminations form part of a new, more eco-centric Christmas celebration, which will, for the first time, include the use of a living Christmas tree, with one of the City Churches’ majestic evergreens chosen to take pride of place for the celebrations
Mark Flynn convener of Dundee City Council’s city development committee said: “This Christmas I am pleased that we have been able to put on a much-expanded festive programme that will entertain and attract local people and visitors alike.
“As well as the planned activities in the city centre, the council has also supported a number of community-based events across the city through allocations from the Festive Fund.”
During the illuminations’ first weekend, from 19-21st November, the living tree will be in the spotlight thanks to the city’s Pedal Power event, where participants can put their willpower to the test, and see how many of the lights they can power just by pedalling. The team from Sustainable Dundee will also be on-hand to chat about all about renewable power, active travel as well as how to combat Christmas waste.
From December 2nd-24th, Christmas in City Square will light up with a range of free to enjoy experiences, including light up Wishing Fountains, nightly projections on the City Chambers building, and the ultimate selfie-spot in the form of the 3D Dundee Christmas Card which features a specially commissioned design from Beano Studios. In addition to this, there will be a free to enjoy activity tent which will play host to a regular schedule of activities including workshops and ‘Letters to Santa’ station. There will also be the opportunity for visitors to get into the Christmas spirit with Social Bite’s Tree of Kindness, where the public are invited to donate gifts to those in need. Watching over all the City Square fun will be Dundee’s own Pingoo, who returns to create even more selfie opportunities.
Cllr John Alexander Leader of Dundee City Council added: “Dundonians have been telling us that they wanted to see a more exciting Christmas offering and I’m delighted that we have been able to deliver on that front. The excitement and anticipation in the city show that this year’s festivities will be broadly celebrated and I’m looking forward to seeing everyone enjoying it.”
