To help spread a little festive cheer and to continue to encourage the Bray community to shop, buy, hire and source locally first, Bray Chamber, Bray.ie and the Bray Municipal District Council have launched its Christmas marketing campaign for 2021.
Bray will make it a Christmas like no other with a Christmas Cracker Concert on Saturday, November 27th at 2pm and again at 4:30 pm in the Civic Plaza. The open-air family concert is to celebrate the magic of Christmas. This festive extravaganza will feature live music performances of Christmas songs, yuletide classics, and carols, a very special guest from the North Pole and lots more fun.
The concert will be fully compliant with Covid-19 guidelines. Each ticket admits a family (up to four people) and cannot be sold on an individual basis. A family ticket is priced at €5 and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Ticket holders will be required to maintain social distancing and wear a face covering when staying two metres apart from people is difficult.
Tickets are available here. The concert is part of the Government’s Local Live Performance Programming Scheme and is produced by Wicklow County Arts Office and Wicklow County Council.
For those unlucky not to pick up a Christmas Cracker Concert ticket, the event will be streamed live on Bray.ie’s Facebook Page from 4:30 pm where the Bray Town Centre’s Christmas lights will be switched on during the concert.
Throughout the festive season, there’s an array of events and activities to keep all the family entertained. They include:
- Christmas Cracker Concerts.
- Town Centre Christmas Lights.
- Christmas Projections on the Town Hall and Civic offices.
- Santa’s Post Box – children wanting to send letters to Father Christmas can do so at the Bray Town Hall until Friday December 10th.
- Christmas stories for kids – In-person and virtual events with thanks to the Bray Library service.
- #ChristmasInBray Colouring competition.
- Christmas giveaways include ‘Find the Bray.ie Elf’ and a virtual festive quiz.
- Top 10 Christmas Gifts list available from local retailers.
- #ChristmasInBray Spotify playlist.
- Santa at Killruddery from Saturday November 27th.
- Classics by Candlelight at Christ Church on Sunday November 28th at 7.30pm.
- Killruddery Christmas Market weekends from Saturday November 27th.
- Santa Claus at Festina Lente – From Thursday, December 2nd.
- Purple House’s Christmas Candlelight Service on Friday December 3rd at 7pm in Christ Church.
- Festive Christmas Concert in support of Bray homeless charity – BARSS on Saturday December 4th at 8pm.
- Purple House’s Lights of Life – Virtual Christmas Tree.
- The Dubliners Show at Mermaid on Saturday December 11th.
- Phil Coulter – Returning to Tranquillity at Mermaid on Saturday December 18th.
- Christmas Movies at Mermaid from December 18th. They include Stick Man & The Snowman on Saturday December 18th, Elf on Sunday, December 19th and It’s a Wonderful Life on Monday December 20th.
- Christmas Table Centre Piece Workshop at Killruddery on Sunday, December 19th.
- Ballet Ireland’s Nutcracker Sweeties at Mermaid on December 22nd/23rd.
Sarah Finnegan, Bray & District Chamber of Commerce President said: “It’s been an unquestionably another difficult year, and many people will be relieved to see it end. But, as we approach Christmas, however different it may be this year, it’s critical that we focus on what our amazing town has to offer so why not make a break for Bray this festive season.”
Take a dip in the waters of its Blue Flag beach if you’re brave enough, explore our incredible coastline, experience the underwater world at SeaLife, open up your imagination by exploring the award-winning Brave Maeve Story Trail.
Go Tenpin Bowling at Bray Bowl, enjoy a world of entertainment all under one roof at Star Amusements, be inspired at Cool Planet Experience the first climate action visitor experience in the world, make a splash with family and friends at Shoreline’s swimming pool.
Cllr Aoife Flynn Kennedy, Cathaoirleach of Bray Municipal District said: “The Christmas in Bray campaign aims to drive footfall safely into the town so I’m encouraging consumers to spend locally and help businesses to continue to bounce back. To support this campaign, there’s free parking at weekends throughout December at Wicklow County Council Bray car parks so it makes perfect sense for everyone to shop local first this year.”
Bray Chamber, Bray.ie and the Bray Municipal District Council will continue to try and reach out to even more people in the lead up to Christmas through their digital platforms to raise the much-needed awareness that Bray Town is open for business safely and responsibly. Businesses can get involved in the Shop Local First initiative, feature on Bray.ie’s ‘See + Do’, ‘Eat + Drink’ or ‘Stay’ pages by submitting a free listing here: https://www.bray.ie/submit/ <https://bray.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=a3500d69ddbfb2d07a1940837&id=4b1496a005&e=426e38a05a> .
All events and activities are subject to change without notice. Competitions close on Friday, December 17th 2021.
