Magical Seasonal Events in Eastbourne Not to be Missed this Christmas!

This year, like all others, Eastbourne has an abundance of Christmas events, shows and attractions from now until Christmas Day and beyond! There is sure to be something to suit all of the diverse tastes of visitors (and residents). So, whether your preference is for bustling Christmas markets, for slapstick comedy in the form of 'Panto', or sparkling light shows and Winter Wonderland magic, Eastbourne has a slice of Christmas for everyone to enjoy! 

Neon Noel

In 2015 Eastbourne celebrates it's 700th year as a market town, and to mark the rather remarkable anniversary, Eastbourne's Chamber of Commerce has organised a spectacular 'Neon Noel' luminale light and audio show! The first of it's kind on the South Coast, the light and audio show will project the story and history of Eastbourne onto the Town Hall clock tower, located in Little Chelsea! Kicking off on Friday 4 December at 4.30pm during Little Christmas in Little Chelsea, the dazzling five minute light and audio show will be played at 4.30, 5.30 and 6.30pm every day from 4-13 December; this will be a truly magical and unique experience!

Little Christmas in Little Chelsea

Talking of Little Chelsea, the annual street market celebration 'Little Christmas' in the quaint Little Chelsea area of Eastbourne, brings a host of entertainment, food and drink and market stalls for late night shopping! From 4pm on Friday 4 December, Grove Road and South Street, the heart of Little Chelsea, will bring the sounds and smells of Christmas to life! This year Little Chelsea has gone all out to create the most wonderful of events for people of all ages! Santa can be visited in his grotto, they'll be visits from Disney Princesses, Anna and Else, Cinderella and Belle, Morris dancers, funfair rides, carol singing and Oh ho ho, so much more!

Christmas Markets at Eastbourne Bandstand and Traditional Christmas Concerts

Another brand new Christmas event for this year, Eastbourne's Bandstand will transform into a bustling outdoor Christmas market, reminiscent of traditional markets found in many European cities such as Cologne, Vienna and Brussels! From 9-13 December, the market will be open from 10am until 7pm, where shoppers can make many festive finds, perfect for gifts for loved ones. With festive food, mulled wine and lots more magic to be found at the Bandstand, there is no need to escape to the continent for the magic of a Christmas market! Don't forget about the Bandstand's traditional concerts, which are all free to attend and really bring people together on Christmas Day morning, Boxing Day morning and New Year's Day, to celebrate the season to be jolly!

Drusillas Park Winter Wonderland

The UK's best small zoo, Drusillas, switched on the lights to their own sparkling illumination light show earlier this month! A visit to the Winter Wonderland Illuminations, which has been a very popular attraction for many years, will make for an unforgettably magic experience for the family! A visit to Drusillas this Christmas would be incomplete without meeting and greeting Father Christmas in his cosy Christmas Cottage; for an additional £10, children can meet Father Christmas and receive a great little early Christmas gift. Find him there during weekends from 21 November and then daily from 12 until 23 December, before he must fly back to the North Pole to prepare for his epic journey across the world on Christmas Eve! 

Santa Fun Run

Don a Santa suit and burn some calories before the Christmas indulgence begins! The annual Myaware Santa Fun Run and Walk takes place on Sunday 6 December at 1.30pm! The three mile course sees participants pacing along the prom and ending up at Holywell Tea Chalet, to be rewarded with a hot drink and mince pie. Do you fancy taking part? You'll receive your very own Santa suit to wear whilst you run and keep afterwards and you'll help in raising awareness of and money for Myaware - a charity fighting against the Myasthenia Gravis neuromuscular disease! Don't miss out on this great chance to get into the Christmas spirit and help raise funds for a very good cause!

Coca-Cola Truck stops in Eastbourne

Holidays are coming, Holidays are coming... and so is the big red Coca-Cola Truck! The iconic truck, which has featured in Coca-Cola's famous seasonal adverts for years (2015 is the twentieth anniversary year of the adverts which are recognised around the world), is touring the country in December and Eastbourne was chosen as one of it's pit-stop destinations! You can visit the truck and take your picture next to it on Friday 18 December from 12-8pm, where it will be parked in the pedestrianised precinct of Terminus Road, just outside Debenhams!

Eastbourne Panto - Peter Pan

Of course Christmas would be incomplete without laughter, song and dance in the form of a slapstick comedy pantomime! With a sprinkling of fairy dust, Peter Pan comes to the Devonshire Park Theatre in a panto debut! Eastbourne Theatres will tell the family favourite story of Peter Pan, the boy who never grew up, his little fairy friend Tinker Bell and the Darling children as they take to the skies and adventure in enchanting Neverland! From 11 December 2015 until 17 January 2016 a star-studded cast featuring Ewan Goddard as Peter Pan, Brian Capron as his nemesis Captain Hook, Martyn Knight as Mrs Smee and 'Britain's Got Talent' runners-up, Twist and Pulse, will present the most enchanting of pantomimes, which both adults and children will fall in love with! 


There are many, many more Christmas events for you to discover this month, including after hours shopping at Towner Art Gallery, a plethora of yuletide theatre productions and more visits from Father Christmas! Head to the VisitEastbourne Christmas page to discover more!

Seasons Greetings and Happy Christmas!

Our Exclusive Interview With Santa!

To our VisitEastbourne fans… you’ve stuck by us all year round through scorching heat waves and the December wind and rain, so here’s our Christmas gift to all you good girls and boys – an exclusive interview with the man himself…  Santa Claus!

Santa, we are delighted you are taking time out of your busy pre-Christmas schedule to talk to us today.  You must be busy at your Christmas Cottage in Drusillas Park, how’s it all going?

Everything is going very merrily indeed. I have a lot of help from my elves and we are having a lovely time meeting all the boys and girls at Drusillas Park and finding out what they would like for Christmas. My Cottage is bursting with presents the elves have made ready for delivery on Christmas Eve and children can sit on my sleigh, which is parked just outside, to have their photo taken.

Have the people of Eastbourne been good this year?

Yes, Eastbourne has such a wonderful community spirit I think you’ve all been amazing this year.  Your Santa Fun Run event for charity tickled me greatly, what fun I had jogging along! And your 12 days of Christmas Competition was a great celebration and I was happy to supply the gifts early - it’s so important at Christmas time to celebrate what we have, and to help those in need.

Your team of reindeer must be getting ready for their big trip on Christmas Eve, how do you prepare them?

Like all animals, it is very important that I care for my reindeers properly to ensure they remain happy and healthy; after all they have a very important job to do!

I always make sure they are well fed and have plenty of fresh water and during December I give them extra helpings of grass, moss, birch and willow leaves to help them through the long night on the 24th December.

My pre-flight checks involve a thorough look at their antlers and hooves! After Christmas male reindeers lose their antlers before new ones grow back again for next year. During the winter months, their hoof pads also shrink and tighten to help with the cold conditions…and reduce slipping on rooftops!

What other animals live near your main home at the North pole?

 When I’m back home at the North Pole, I see a whole host of other wildlife, including polar bears, seals, whales, arctic foxes, arctic wolves and sometimes the beautiful snowy owl, like the two at Drusillas. I have to come to the zoo though to see penguins - they live in the South Pole which lots of people don’t realise!

Do you have any special gifts for the people of Eastbourne?

Next year is going to be very exciting indeed as we have another great list of events planned with Magnificent Motors, Carnival, Tennis, Extreme, Airbourne, two beer events and much more!

How do you celebrate on Christmas Day?

Well delivering presents all around the world is quite exhausting, so I always have a little nap and feed the reindeer when I get home.  I’m usually refreshed by mid morning, so with a little Santa magic, I might take Mrs Claus to the free Christmas Day concert at the Redoubt Fortress for some festive singing and dancing.

What festive gifts will you and Mrs Claus be getting each other this year?

I have a book on Eastbourne History for Mrs Claus as she is very excited to go to the new Ancestors Exhibition at the Pavilion in February. She’ll be ready to see the fascinating reconstructions and findings that the Ancestors team have uncovered.

I’m hoping for panto tickets to see Aladdin at the Devonshire Park Theatre – the evil Abanazaar is being a bit greedy wanting the magic lamp, so he won’t be getting any Christmas presents this year!

What’s your favourite Christmas Film?

It’s got to be White Christmas, I try and watch it every year but I am extra excited this year as the stage version is on at the Royal Hippodrome Theatre! Opening on 19 December and running to 4 January, the show is based on the paramount film and includes some fantastic festive cheer and songs, including the famous ‘White Christmas’. I can’t wait!

Thank you Santa for taking the time to talk to us, before we go - any special requests?

A mince pie or two and a carrot for Rudolph would be lovely, however the most important thing is for you all to have a wonderful Christmas with your family and friends, help those around you and celebrate your wonderful town of Eastbourne!

Merry Christmas Santa!

Visit Santa in his Christmas Cottage at Drusillas Park between now and 23 December, open from 10am to 5pm each day.