It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

There is plenty to look forward to in Oldham in the run-up to Christmas this year, starting with the Reindeer Parade on Saturday.

Oldham Council have launched their 'Christmas in Oldham' campaign, which aims to highlight all of the fantastic things the borough has to offer during the upcoming festivities. 

With a number of high-quality events lined-up in the coming weeks, starting with Santa’s Reindeer Parade this weekend, there’s no shortage of entertainment to enjoy, without having to spend a penny. 

The parade is on Saturday from 1pm in Oldham town centre. 

Oldham also has an array of retailers, independent businesses and market traders within a close proximity, to ensure you have a range of choices to choose from when you’re out and about doing your Christmas shopping - from gift-giving items to turkey dinner ingredients. 

Don’t forget to take advantage of the borough's delicious restaurants and amusing attractions too, whilst you're out and about. With the added bonus of three hours free parking on all council-owned car parks in Oldham town centre at the weekend, you can make a real day of it with family and friends.

There are also some amazing festive activities taking place across our districts, with everything from local switch-on events, theatre showings and even a Santa Dash.

For more details, visit www.oldham.gov.uk/ChristmasinOldham.

Deputy Chief Executive, Helen Lockwood, said: "Oldham truly is a great destination to visit at Christmas because it has so much to offer to residents.

"With a number of high-end retail shops in Spindles Town Square Shopping Centre, great start-up businesses, such as Zuttis in our Independent Quarter, and Tommyfield Market – which sells everything from locally sourced meats at Ashworths Butchers to seasonal vegetables at Taylors Produce – there’s no need to panic over your Christmas shopping.

"With amazing restaurants, entertaining attractions and free high-quality events too, including our annual Reindeer Parade this Saturday, there are a range of added extras to enjoy before or after your shopping, and this all comes with our excellent free parking perks at the weekend.

"So make sure you take a trip into Oldham this Christmas and enjoy everything it has to offer. Don’t forget to visit your local district either, with an endless list of wonderful activities taking place over the holidays from Failsworth to Saddleworth. We’ve covered a fraction of these in our latest Family Life magazine, so I would urge you all to download the latest copy via our website and find out what’s going on in your area." 

Oldham’s official countdown to Christmas begins on Saturday (16 November) from 1pm, as we welcome Santa Claus and his reindeer to the town centre for our annual parade.

This year’s parade theme is ‘Christmas around the World’ and features local community groups who will be bringing global Christmas traditions to life. There will also be live music from Dobcross Silver Band and Oldham Scottish Pipe Band.

The parade signals the opening of Santa’s Grotto at Spindles, which runs until Christmas Eve, so make sure you give Santa your Christmas list over the coming weeks.

If you’re planning on driving to the parade, you can park for free for up to 3 hours on all Council owned town centre car parks. To qualify for this offer you must take a ticket from the pay and display machine for the length of time you are intending to stay.