Christmas is coming to Rye on December 12, though hopefully without the snow shown above. Father Christmas at the Museum seems to have already sold out – as at Thursday afternoon, November 12.
Apparently the workshop by Richard Adams, who painted the wintry scene above, has also sold out ; and very few tickets for the ice rink were left on Thursday . But Mother Christmas may still be available at the Old Borough Arms, and there will be the procession to watch – and much more.
In fact there will be many other things to watch and do on December 12 in Rye, and the “Great Expectations for christmas 2015 in Rye Bay”, as the poster says, are already being met. The Town Council has granted money to the organisers, Rye Christmas Festival, for hiring reindeer, a bucking bronco reindeer ride and the ice rink. And, hardly had the decision been made, before booking opened up on line, and the social media tracked events (often on a daily basis) with Facebook updates as things happened.
And, as the organisers said on Wednesday: “It’s fantastic to see so many people showing interest in this fantastic event, and we understand there will inevitably be some disappointment when things are fully booked”. So “it’s really important to remember that most of the organisers of this year’s event are doing it for the first time. We fully expect to make mistakes along the way, as anyone would, and that we can never please everybody. All we ask is that you take a second to remember that we are doing the best we can and that, for sure, this year’s event will be full of vibrant festive fun and cheer”.
Saturday December 12 is the big day and details can be found on www.christmasinrye.co.uk. “Great Expectations” features in much of the publicity because the day will have a Dickensian flavour – from the famous Victorian author who wrote “Great Expectations” and of course “The Christmas Carol”. Charles Dickens lived in nearby Broadstairs in Kent.
Expect on the day many different contemporary and historic events including a procession with Santa, pantomimes, street entertainers and of course the ice rink.
Shops and residents are being encouraged to compete for the most beautifully decorated lit windows (deadline for entries, December 4) and to wear Dickensian/Christmassy costumes on the day.
The recent “Rye’s got talent” evening was just one of many fund raising ideas (including asking the council). Donations are still very welcome and local artist Richard Adams (featured above) has painted a Xmas scene of Rye used widely in the publicity.
For the latest information on the day try www.facebook.com/christmasinrye or the main website.
Help for the festival has come from the Jempson’s Foundation, 1066 Country Marketing and Adams, among many others – but one of the hardest , most problematic and expensive tasks may be Christmas lights around the historic town centre. For example, some of the existing brackets to support lights are in a poor condition.
Attractions on the day will include street markets, special screenings at the Kino cinema, craft workshops of various kinds, festive storytelling, inflatables – and the list goes on.
Help will be needed on the day from residents and from shops, and anybody willing should contact liz@christmasinrye.co.uk. Assistants, runners, marshals, characters in costume, and procession staff are all needed – and some shops or festival venues may also be seeking helpers too.
On the day there may well be some road closures and car parks may be in use for Christmas markets, and everything will come to a climax with a community carol service in St Mary’s.
The pubs and hotels will no doubt be busy and you can expect to find a few bands in action around town in the evening. So it may be a long day and not just for the kids.
Photo: Kenneth Bird