Scarborough Lights returns this Thursday with 28 magical activities, including illuminated circus acts, stargazing events and interactive story trails across the town.
Illuminated circus acts, neon story trails and stargazing events will transform Scarborough this winter.
The Scarborough Lights festival will start on Thursday, bringing 28 light-based activities and installations to the town until 20 December.
Landmarks including Scarborough Castle, Peasholm Park and St Mary's Church will shine with colourful illuminations throughout the event.
A magical finale event called Glow in the Park will take place at Falsgrave Park on 20 December.
Festival Director Catherine Goble said:
"We're taking over Falsgrove Park with some circus acts. So, there'll be aerial acrobat, there'll be underwater mermaids, LED jugglers and hula hoopers, there's a drumming circle, and then there's a poi performance as well.
And my thinking in my head is that it will be this sort of magical journey through Falsgrove Park, going around the twisty turny paths, and just discovering these acts that will be all lit up.
We're working with the Friends of Falsgrove Park, they're going to do some food and drink as well for sale, and yeah, it's just should hopefully be just a lovely pre-Christmas treat with this sort of magical circus performers, just in the park."
Families will follow a designated tarmac route to discover the acts dotted around the park.
Three interactive illuminated trails will also guide visitors through the town centre as part of a Countdown to Christmas initiative.
A Christmas Carol will tell the classic Charles Dickens story through silhouettes in business windows, alongside an installation of three ghosts in the Scarborough Market Vaults.
Meanwhile, Choose Your Own Scarborough will translate the format of adventure books into a family trail starting at J Mollon Sweet Shop, where participants play a gull trying to solve the mystery of the missing tide.
Catherine Goble said:
"We've got three different trails. There will be the Sherbatella's Seaside Sparkle, which is illuminated fairies that will be in businesses in the sort of countdown to Christmas as we call it.
But it's so popular, you know, and particularly Christmas when people are doing their Christmas shopping. It just gives a bit more atmosphere to it. You know, we've already got three choirs signed up to be singing carols and things like that.
And then we'll also have some street entertainment on the Saturdays leading up to Christmas as well."
Free street entertainment will take place on Westborough during the afternoons of 5, 12 and 19 December.
The night sky will feature heavily in the festival programme, with an Aurora Experience running at St Columba's Church.
Visitors will view atmospheric lighting, timelapse footage and astrophotography alongside a science and discovery area.
Stargazers will also explore constellation navigation and enjoy laser-guided sky tours at Scarborough Castle between 11 and 13 December.
Other installations include UV mini-golf at Jam Jar and Cask & Keg, populated by tiny ducks, and a community-created miniature market display on the Market Hall mezzanine.
Animated projections will tell the history of England's first seaside spa town at St Mary's Church during the Scarborough: 400 Years and Beyond exhibition.
The popular Ships Ahoy illuminations will return to the harbour, while the Dino-bout displays will light up the Vernon Road roundabouts.
Art in the Park at Peasholm Park will feature lanterns and illuminations inspired by the 400th anniversary of the town's spa waters discovery.
In the Market Hall Vaults, Scarborough After Dark will display paintings celebrating local heritage using fluorescent paint that changes under UV lighting.
Gallery 33 will reimagine an art gallery window as a light art installation, and St Columba's Church will project personal messages in glowing amber light.
Wonders of the Wild will showcase imaginative creatures and plants created from everyday discarded materials at the Glass Box.
A musical theatre cabaret of song and dance with the Scarborough Theatre Company will take place at Queen Street Methodist Church on 14 November.
Raven Yuletide will bring an evening of sparkling original music performed by an all-women band to St Mary's Church on 23 November.
A parade of fifty decorated tractors will also travel from Cloughton to Aquarium Top in aid of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance on 4 December.
Families will also walk through an enchanted story experience at Scarborough Library to solve a mystery caused by mischievous water sprites.
Funding from the Pride in Place programme will support the delivery of all events.
Further details and ticket information can be found on our Scarborough Lights feature page.
And there is more about the events in the recent edition of the Yorkshire Coastcast.
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