Bognor's Xmas Switch On is back and bigger than ever as carnival committee event goes ahead

Bognor' s Christmas Light Switch is back, despite a controversial cancellation last month.

The festive lights are due to be switched on at 5pm on November 27, with the event taking place at the end of the arcade, in the middle of High Street.

That's not all, though. From 2pm to 6pm, the Carnival Committee, funded by Bognor Regis Town Council, has organised a full day of activities designed to give kids a Christmas they'll remember. Alongside the lights, the day will feature street disco, children's entertainers, fairground rides, carol singing, and visits from Father Christmas and Disney princesses.

"I think this is massively important for the community," said Carnival Committee boss Sarah Boote-Cook.

"The switch-on is for everyone, but Christmas is about children and this is very much aimed at the children. There'll be games, there'll be silly dances, there'll be cheesy Christmas songs. Everyone will be wearing Santa hats. I think that's exactly what we need after the last 18 months. Everyone's struggled. and I've got 6 children myself and I know they've struggled. It's not what your childhood is about, is it? wearing masks and not seeing your friends."

On top of the events, the Disney princesses will be meeting up at TAO, a bar also on the Western end of High Street, for a festive after party.

The town council-funded activities will be supplemented by events hosted by a variety of local businesses, including the William Hardwicke on the East end of High Street.

"We've got a nice choir booked for our front. We'll be doing mulled wine and minced pies and we're going to turn the back garden into a Christmas market. We'll have a BBQ going with Bratwurst and big firepits. Plus we've bought hundreds and hundreds of lights, so the decorations are going to look pretty spectacular." Said manager Clare Frampton. "We just wanted to take the chance to spread some Christmas cheer, really.

"I really feel like we needed a bit of an uplift. It's been a funny couple of years and I thought it would be nice to do something special for everybody.

"I just want to spread some hope and joy for people. Especially for smaller businesses around here that people might not nessecarily know about, I wanted to give them the opportunity to showcase their businesses. I just want people to have fun. To have a fun day."