AS well as exclusive in-store offers, many businesses will be offering glasses of fizz and tempting treats to ensure shoppers get into the celebratory spirit, between 5-8pm.
Carols will be performed throughout the Brilliant Brighton area; on Gardner Street (St Luke’s Church Choir), Kensington Gardens (Singing’s Cool), Western Road (Brighton Vox), in Meeting House Lane and Market Street (The Theatre Workshop), to add further ambience to the evening, while Silver Sounds Samba Band, and traditional games, such as reindeer hoopla and a festive coconut shy (free for all to play with) will be bringing a party vibe to East Street.
No Christmas event would be complete without a visit from Father Christmas, so he – along with his two trusty elves – will be visiting streets and stores, for selfies with shoppers and also to take those important Christmas wish-lists back to the North Pole.
Speaking of dreamy must-haves, shoppers can be inspired by party-perfect outfits and cosy Christmas wear by the festive flash mobs taking place across the city centre. These are organised by Brilliant Brighton’s personal shopper Jane Busby, hosted by BBC Sussex’s Allison Ferns, and will include most-coveted items from stores such as Joy The Store, Rieker, The Cambridge Satchel Company, Phase Eight and Collectif.
The evening is a must for LEGO fans, as it’ll be one of the last opportunities to take part in the Brighton Bricks LEGO Trail.
Collect a trail form from any of the 29 participating stores and then record every LEGO Minifigure spotted in each shop window. To enter the competition to win a fantastic prize, return the completed form to either Daisy Daisy (Gardner Street) or Sugardough (Market Street) by Sunday, December 16.
There’s £1000 worth of prizes (donated by the Brilliant Brighton Ambassadors) up for grabs.
These are:
First prize: Hogwarts™ Great Hall LEGO set worth £89.99 PLUS £400 cash prize.
Second prize: Pirate Roller Coaster LEGO set worth £69.99 PLUS £200 cash prize.
Third prize: LEGO Large Creative Brick Box worth £39.99 PLUS £200 cash prize.
Gavin Stewart, CEO of Brilliant Brighton says: “We’ve pulled out all the stops to create a fabulous festive evening that the whole family will enjoy.
“So come down and make a night of getting that Christmas to-do list all ticked off, while listening to angelic choirs, getting involved in traditional games, meeting Father Christmas, being inspired by the flash mob fashion shows and of course, taking advantage of the fantastic discounts offered by our businesses during the event. It’s an evening not to be missed.”
“Thank you to Legal & General for sponsoring this event, as well as the Brilliant Brighton Christmas lights, and helping to make the city – its businesses, residents and shoppers, get into the Christmas spirit!”
The Brilliant Brighton Christmas late night shopping event will take place on Thursday, December 13, between 5-8pm, and includes businesses on Bond Street, Gardner Street, Kensington Gardens, East Street, Meeting House Lane, Market Street, Brighton Place, North Street, Western Road and Preston Street.
Shoppers can save 20% off parking at Brighton Metropolitan College when booking via justpark.com and using code: BRIGHTONMET20. This is valid from 4pm on December 13.
To see the full list of stores involved in the late night shopping event and the Brighton Bricks LEGO Minifigure Trail click here:
Brilliant Brighton is formed of 517 businesses across the Business Improvement District, who want to make the city as brilliant as it can be. As well as creating this Christmas late night shopping event, Brilliant Brighton provides the city’s Christmas lights (at a cost of approximately £75,000 per annum), as well as on-street Ambassadors, and dressing the city with bunting, hanging baskets and banners during the summer.