All the Christmas events in and around Bury St Edmunds this year, at St Edmundsbury Cathedral, the Theatre Royal, Abbey Gardens and The arc Shopping Centre
The festive season is upon us, and as such there are plenty of events to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year.
Bury St Edmunds and its surrounding area has plenty of Christmas occasions to get you into the festive spirit, whether it’s taking little ones to see Santa, ice skating, live film screenings, a beer festival or anything in between, there’s plenty to sink your teeth into.
The St Edmundsbury Cathedral Christmas Market opened today and will run until Saturday (November 25). Alongside daily entertainment for visitors, around 50 stallholders from Suffolk and beyond will have their hand crafted goods on offer. Market hours are from 10am to 4.30pm. There will also be a Cathedral Choir performance on December 9.
It would not be Christmas without a pantomime, and Snow White at the Theatre Royal kicks off tomorrow (November 24). Running until January 14, the show features some Bury St Edmunds twists on the classic tale, and even features Judi Dench as the voice of The Magic Mirror.
Tickets can be purchased via the Theatre Royal website.
The Ickworth Estate is also running a magic lights night, but visit quickly as it closes on November 26.
There are also plenty of opportunities for kids to meet the man himself over Christmas; Where’s Santa’s Hat has returned to The arc Shopping Centre this year, with its interactive performances perfect for children aged two to seven. It is open over the periods of November 24 to 25 and December 1 to 2.
Father Christmas will also be stopping in at West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village from December 2 to 3, with festive craft workshops on offer as well as accompanying adults going free. Timed tickets are priced at £8 per child can and can be booked via the What’s On West Suffolk website.
Bury St Edmunds Constitutional Club is hosting the annual Winter Beer Festival from tomorrow until Sunday (November 26); the club is teaming up with the West Suffolk Camra branch for the free entry event, with timings and bookings available on the Constitutional Club website.
The Buttermarket and Cornhill will play host to a seasonal market on December 3, with over 90 stallholders purveying local fruit and veg, clothing, baked goods and jewellery amongst a plethora of other items.
There will be live screenings of the Oscar-winning short film Peter and the Wolf in the Abbey Gardens from December 7 to 10. A covered, all-weather auditorium will be put in place and the show movie will be accompanied by live performances from the Orphues Sinfonia.
Tickets for each 45-minute screening are priced at £15 for adults and £8 for a child, whilst under fives go free. A range of food and beverage stalls will also be on offer.
Bury St Edmunds BID, the arc Shopping Centre and Bury St Edmunds Town Council have teamed up to bring a family-friendly synthetic ice rink to the town from December 14. With a capacity of up to 25 people, it will be located in Charter Square and, most importantly, will be free to use.
Skate-aids will be available for those that require them and entry will be on a first-come first-served basis. Opening times can be checked online via the Visit Bury St Edmunds website.
The Snowman will also be visiting Bury St Edmunds, in a ‘live in concert’ show at the Cathedral. Led by Richard Weatherall, a string quartet and a narrator will bring Raymong Briggs’ 1978 picture book to life in two 55-minute performances on December 22. Tickets are £15 per person.
The arc will also play host to a Christmas scavenger hunt on December 17, with punters invited to figure out all of the clues to receive a Christmas treat. For those that cannot make the 17th, a digital version is available via The arc’s website.
The Evidence Room, in Risbygate Street, is currently running a Christmas-themed escape room until December 18, with tickets costing £30 per person.
Further afield, residents can experience a Dickensian Christmas at Kentwell Hall in Long Melford. Over the weekends of 9 to 10 and 16 to 17 December, the clock will be turned back to 1869 and guests can meet costumed characters including the Hall’s owner Captain Bence, as well as having a Jack and the Beanstalk pantomime in the Little Theatre and Santa’s Grotto.
