by Eugene Hogan
news
LIMERICK will be transformed into a winter wonderland this Christmas with the city and county councils investing in their biggest programme of events to create a special Christmas spirit for shoppers and visitors.
The festivities will kick-off at 5pm on Saturday, November 23 when the city’s Christmas Lights, which this year have a range of new features added, will be switched on.
Among the new additions is Santa’s Log Cabin on Thomas Street; the installation of an eleven metre Christmas Tree on Bedford Row and a daily ‘Polar Express’ train that will bring additional visitors to the city to enjoy its most distinctive Christmas celebration ever.
Santas Log Cabin will be particularly special for children, with Santa, Mrs Claus and the elves present to chat through their wish list from Sunday, November 24.
The Polar Express, a joint venture between Iarnrod Eireann and Limerick on Ice, will see commuters from Thurles, Limerick Junction and Ennis avail of special discounts of up to 30 per cent off individual tickets and 20 per cent off family tickets for access to the 10th anniversary Ice Rink on Arthur’s Quay.
Other initiatives include special offers at City Centre private car parks, while there will also be free parking up to midday each Friday during December.
There will also be a Christmas Saturday Market on Cruises Street, following on from the recent weekly market initiative on the pedestrianized thoroughfare, which has brought thousands of additional shoppers onto the street. There will also be musical entertainment and carol singing on Cruises Street and Bedford Row on Saturdays leading up to Christmas.
The significant investment by the city into the festive season will lead up nicely to the New Year’s Eve extravaganza in Limerick that will kick off the year-long celebration of Limerick National City of Culture 2014.
Launching the programme, local authorities manager Conn Murray said they wanted to make it the most memorable Christmas ever for the city, not least in the build-up to the City of Culture launch.
“We are investing significantly in a range of activities and attractions that will not alone create a super atmosphere but will also encourage greater numbers of shoppers to come to Limerick in the month leading up to Christmas”, he said.
Mayor Kathleen Leddin said the councils were anxious to create an atmosphere in the city that would give children and their parents, “a special Christmas memory for the rest of their lives and one that will ensure they come back to us year after year.”
