BID manager Alison Dewey reveals the new-look Christmas lights planned for Southend this year

One of the most fun aspects of my role as Manager of Southend BID is planning for Christmas. I know, that might sound particularly bonkers when we’re barely in the middle of October but effectively living in the near future is part and, ahem, parcel, of the job.

Southend’s annual Christmas Lights Switch-On is always a highlight of the year - but we’ve had the same display for the past 13 years, so I felt that this year you deserved something new.

Obviously, I don’t want to give too much away before we officially turn on the new Christmas lights on 17 November - but I can tell you that we’re going ‘old skool’ by trailing the illuminations across the High Street, rather than just having various motifs positioned along it.

Not only that, you’ll see a new colour theme. Out go the traditional cool blue hues and in will come shimmering gold and silver – inspired by the amazing displays in London’s Regent Street, last year. And to quote a certain X Factor judge, ‘we’re loving angels instead’ too. Look out for gold and silver angels to adorn lamp columns, with gold icicle lights twinkling above your head as you walk along the High Street. It all should look very pretty!

The centre piece of the new illuminations will be a 40ft Norwegian Spruce tree, decorated with 6000 gold and silver lights, topped off with a giant gold star. The streets around the town centre will also feature a mixture of angels and twinkling LED lights.

The entire lighting scheme is energy efficient, using high visibility LEDS and consumes as much power on a nightly basis as boiling just four kettles.

Southend BID has invested £40,000 to create the new Christmas lighting scheme for the town centre. It’s all part of our aim to make visiting Southend throughout the festive period an attractive and fun experience. There’s also an exciting events programme scheduled and with an exciting blend of places to shop, eat and drink in, I think very soon you too will be thinking ‘It’s beginning a lot to look like Christmas’?!