CHRISTMAS shopping is expected to jumpstart Colchester city centre’s retail scene after Wednesday’s Christmas lights switch-on, a retail boss has said.

Events kick off at 3pm when the festive light parade starts at Firstsite, before heading down Colchester High Street and finishing at the Mercury Theatre as the city marks the beginning of the festive shopping season.

At 6pm, Essex band Cushti will take to the stage in Lion Walk, followed by Father Christmas, the Grinch, and his assistants.

The beloved Mercury Theatre panto characters from this year’s performance of Sleeping Beauty will be the last to perform on-stage before the big Christmas lights switch-on, which is complete with fireworks, takes place at 7.30pm in Lion Walk.

Gazette: Ready – lights are in place and ready to be switched on come WednesdayReady – lights are in place and ready to be switched on come Wednesday (Image: Daniel Rees, Newsquest)

According to statistics from last year, Lion Walk’s footfall shot up by 57.8 per cent in the space of a week after the Christmas lights event, with 13,000 more visitors to the area recorded by the shopping centre.

According to Colchester Business Improvement District’s chief executive, Sam Good, the 2022 switch-on party raked in 10,000 people to the city centre on one night alone.

It is hoped the city centre will enjoy a similar impact this year, with two Christmas markets also set to take place later this month and into December.

The first Christmas High Street market will take place next Sunday, whilst the InColchester Christmas market will run two weeks later, on December 10. Neither market requires booking in advance.

Gazette: Packed – thousands of people converged on the city centre for the switch-on last year, and businesses are hoping for a repeat this yearPacked – thousands of people converged on the city centre for the switch-on last year, and businesses are hoping for a repeat this year (Image: Newsquest)

Martin Leatherdale, the Lion Walk centre manager, explained the array of events taking place this Christmas will result in a higher spend from consumers and therefore a greater profit for businesses.

He said: “Christmas is a hugely important period for retail and the incredible line-up of festive events sees a huge spike of visitors to the city centre as shoppers flock to enjoy the free festivities.

“There’s so much happening around the city to enjoy throughout the day, as well as the opportunity to embark on some late-night shopping, and great reasons to stay around for the whole evening to indulge delicious food and drink at our Igloo lounge and bar.”