Northampton's Market Square hosts children's lantern parade and frost fair

More than 70 stalls at the Frost Fair will offer visitors a range of festive food and drink, gift ideas, hand-made decorations and local produce. Stalls confirmed for the day include Local Producers’ Market regulars Kandola’s Kitchen, Saxby's Cider, Sol Laug Haven candles and soaps and The Good Loaf. In addition, there will be stalls offering handmade cards, wreaths and decorations, hair and beauty products and ceramic goods.

Shoppers will be kept entertained as they browse the stalls with musical performances from the Looking Glass Theatre Company, the Salvation Army Band and Northampton Music School.

Then at 3.50pm, a parade of twinkling lanterns will wind round the town as Northampton Lumière and the Lowdown lantern parade takes to the streets. Children who took part in one of the lantern decorating workshops at the Christmas Craft Den in Market Walk will be given the chance to display their glowing creations alongside community groups dressed as characters from the 12 days of Christmas. Groups involved include the Ministry of Bicycles, Elsie's, Vendetta Vixens Roller Derby ladies, the Red Rose Youth Marching Band and Stimpson Avenue School.

Starting at the Market Square, the parade will work its way up Abington Street, along Fish Street, down to St Giles’ Terrace and Wood Hill and before heading back to the Market Square, where the day will finish at around 4.30pm with a Christmas sing-a-long. Frost Fair market stalls will remain open until the end of the parade.

Cabinet Member for Community Engagement and Safety, Councillor Anna King, said: “Last weekend’s Frost Fair market saw visitors taking advantage of the free parking and heading into the town centre to get into the Christmas spirit. We hope that more people will join us this Sunday to not only enjoy the stalls, but also the entertainment and our first Northampton Lumière lantern parade.”

More information about all of Northampton’s Christmas activities, and details of the free weekend car parking, is available at www.christmasinnorthampton.co.uk