Lucas Yeomans and Dan Townley will take to the stage to host an afternoon and evening of live entertainment to get the public in the Christmas spirit before the winners of the Your Heroes Awards are joined by the Mayor of Newcastle-under-Lyme Cllr Simon White to switch on the towns festive lighting.  

The event will begin at 12pm with Newcastle-under-Lyme High Street filled with performances from local academies, colleges & community groups followed by live music until 7:30pm and a fabulous laser display. 

The BID are excited to announce a full schedule of entertainment as they ask you to ‘let us entertain you!’ with performances from Dan Budd as Robbie Williams, the Rock Choir and ‘Castle favourite’ Levi Knapper who will close the evening.

Castle Artisan Market add to the festivities, giving the public the opportunity to shop the best local makers, bakers and creators as well as offering street food and drink from local businesses.

There will also be small fairground rides, creative workshops from the likes of BArts and Appetite’s Newcastle Common, a free Christmas window trail for children, competitions and a few surprises along the way.

BID Manager Charlotte Pearce says: “2023 will see the BID #LightupCastle for the eighth year and host a fantastic festive day out for the people of Newcastle-under-Lyme. As well as being an opportunity for the community to come together and have an enjoyable day out with family and friends, from a commercial perspective, the Christmas period is such an important time for our high street and local businesses. 

“It’s important to note that this fantastic event and the festive lighting would not be possible without the amazing businesses in Newcastle. Since 2015, BID Levy Payers have funded Newcastle’s Christmas lights, decorations, tree and switch on events, with over 650 metres of lighting being installed each year – that’s over 65,000 lights! 

“We’re asking people to show their thanks to those many businesses who fund a number of initiatives all year round when they’re doing their Christmas shoppin!   Whether that’s buying their turkey from one of our local butchers, shopping for gifts and gift cards from one of our many independent businesses or hosting their Christmas parties at one of our many hospitality businesses.” 

As part of Newcastle-Under-Lyme BID’s commitment to the community, the #LightupCastle annual switch on event is just one of several festive events taking place this season, including #LightupCastle, the annual Christmas Lantern Parade in association with Barts and a Christmas Window Competition for local businesses.

Free parking will be available on all Borough Council car parks courtesy of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council.

Visitors are encouraged to check Newcastle under Lyme BID social media channels @newcastlebid for more information and a full list of stage performances and times.