Everything you need to know about Stowmarket Christmas Fayre 2024

The countdown has began for a town’s Christmas fayre which promises to kick off the festive season.

Stowmarket Christmas Fayre is less than five weeks away with the event running from 10am till 4pm on Sunday, November 24.

The popular free day out will feature more than 60 traders in the town centre selling festive food and mulled wine alongside a line-up of live music including carol singers, brass bands and choirs.

Visitors can enjoy a range of stalls selling items from pottery and children’s clothes to jewellery and wreathes as well more on offer at The Mix’s ‘Mixmas Market’ and at the Food Museum’s barn.

Food vendors will be offering burgers, sweet treats, cheese toasties and curries to enjoy alongside a mulled wine, beer or festive coffee.

There will be live music performances outside the John Peel Centre as well as three free fairground rides across the town and at the Food Museum.

Families can also enjoy free ice-skating in the Food Museum grounds, face painting and charity stalls at Red Gables, children’s crafts and activities in the Library and the John Peel Centre as well as Santa’s Christmas Cracker show at the Regal with a meet and greet session with Father Christmas after each performance.

The 45-minute interactive family show is ideal for children aged two to eight. For more information and to book your tickets, click here.

While visitors are in the town, they can also pop inside St Peter’s and St Mary’s Church to see hundreds of Christmas trees decorated by individuals, groups and organisations from around the town.

This year mark’s the 20th consecutive year of the Christmas Tree Festival and the lights were previously switched on by ITV Anglia news presenter Becky Jago in 2022.

Last year, the lights were activated by local bowl champions, Katherine and John Rednall — however, it has not yet been announced who will be hitting the switch this year on Friday, November 22.

In previous years, the countdown would align with the town’s lights turning on at the same time — but this is no longer the case as the official ‘Stowmarket Christmas Light Switch-On’ event was replaced by the Christmas Fayre in 2019.

The council has not hosted a formal countdown since then and there will be no countdown or celebrity guest to turn on the town’s lights this year.