Article by Index Digital Team | 4th November 2024

Joy to the Wells … Christmas Kick Off

RTW Together BID share their plans for the town this festive season...

Christmas is a particularly important time for retailers and the holiday season also means people are working less and socialising more, so this also affects hospitality venues, which together make up around 50% of RTWT BID Members. A key aim is to identify ways to encourage people to spend longer in the town and so, in addition to lighting up the town, we will run activities to encourage a festive atmosphere and a more desirable Christmas destination. Our second aim is to raise the profile of the town and its appeal as a destination with lots of activities and events to take part in, encouraging repeat visits to the town by residents, local tourists and those further afield.

For the last four years RTW Together BID has successfully enhanced the natural beauty of the town over Christmas by lighting it up with over 10 crosswires across key central roads, 68 motif displays, 21 sets of suspended decorations in trees and four dedicated feature displays. 2024 will see RTW Together further invest another £100,000 to bring even more lights to the town. We are delighted to be partnering with Maxipay, who are collaborating with us to extend the Christmas lighting to include a dedicated new illumination, a projection video over the Opera House.

The Big Lights Switch On

RTW Together will run an expanded Christmas launch event, building on last year, with one large town celebration aimed at bringing thousands into the town. Thursday 14th November will see all the external Christmas lighting turned on for the town with the first viewing of the new projected animated display over the Opera House helping to kick off the launch event (check table for more info). Subsequently, led by Santa in his sleigh, and lots of snow, a parade will head down from the Opera House to the old High Street with a rolling road closure to accommodate the crowds.

Singalong with Santa Parade

The parade, sponsored by local law firm CooperBurnett, will be led by santa in his sleigh, and lots of snow. Panto characters from each of the main performances this Christmas will be supported by the local talents of Rock Choir, and will encourage the public to join in singing 12 classic festive songs as the procession makes its way gradually down the hill. Elves will also engage the crowds and encourage participation by handing out free chocolate coins and free raffle tickets.

Bauble Bingo

Throughout the event, 1000 raffle tickets will also be handed out freely to members of the public (although they will be welcome to make donate to the Mayor’s Toy Appeal and Nourish Community Foodbank). After the parade, West Kent Radio, accompanied by a local, popular character Kitty Cassis, will pull out the winning numbers in the Bauble Bingo and give out prizes (from local businesses) to 24 winning raffle tickets followed by an extra special prize for winner number 25.

Firework Display

To provide a great finale, an eight minute firework display, sponsored by children’s charity Demelza, will be launched from the roof of Christ Church, set to music to Kick off Christmas with a bang*! Exploding over the High Street they will be visible from most areas on the street, providing a wonderful end to the main event.

*We will be using ‘quiet’ fireworks to avoid disturbance for residents and local pets.

The Big Reveal – Christmas Windows

Retailers, hospitality and professional services who are taking part in the Big Reveal will also launch their creative, exciting Christmas displays on Thursday 14th November.

This promotion will be designed to work in tandem with the Christmas light scheme, free wreaths and RTW Together Christmas grants to enhance the look of the town and thereby generally encourage visits to the area during this critical festive period.

The Big Reveal will be promoted as part of the Joy to the Wells campaign and businesses that register will be displayed on the new free town app ‘RTW Love Local’ and on 50 A2 poster boards across town promoting the window displays.

Members of the public will be encouraged to vote for their favourite display using the new free town App between 14th-28th November with the top 12 becoming finalists.

These finalists will all be promoted individually by RTW Together for the first 12 days of December to encourage further visits and engagement and residents and tourists will be asked to choose which of the 12 finalists are their winner by 19th December. The winning businesses of the Big Reveal 2024 will, in addition to trophies and certificates, win a marketing support package for their company to use over the next six months.

Additionally, these 12 finalist locations will be combined into a festive trail for children to visit to answer questions, so ensuring lots of people get to see the fantastic window locations. On completion, all correct entries submitted into the prize draw will be in with a chance of winning special prizes.