Spectacular parade leads Tameside into Christmas

Crowds of people enjoyed the spectacular Tameside Christmas Lantern Parade last weekend marking the start of seasonal celebrations across the borough.

Dancers, musicians and members of the community who had made lanterns paraded through Ashton Town Centre while there were performances on stage in Ashton Market Square, culminating in a Christmas lights switch on with Santa.

Visitors and shoppers also enjoyed Ashton’s Christmas Window Trail where 12 local businesses have teamed up with local artist Chris Anderson to unveil a magical window trail. providing a free and fun way to explore the town and local shops.

The lantern parade was organised by Tameside Council, working with Global Grooves, Cabasa and No-Eyed Theatre and was fully funded by the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) for Communities and Place.

Tameside Council Assistant Executive Member Culture, Heritage & Digital Inclusivity Cllr Sangita Patel said: “It was wonderful to see thousands of people from across the borough and beyond join us in Ashton for the lantern parade. The performances – as well as the sense of community spirit and pride – were fantastic and I would like to thank everyone involved  and those who attended for making it such a thrilling and successful event.

“The Christmas Window Trail is also proving very popular with shoppers and families alike.

“There are lots more community-led festivities taking place across Tameside over the coming weeks and I warmly encourage everyone to come along with their family and friends, enjoy the events and support our local town centres and traders.”

The lantern parade launched the start of town centre Christmas celebrations across the borough, which will continue as follows:

Friday 24 November

• Audenshaw
• Dunfield

Saturday 25 November

• Stalybridge (includes Street Fest)
• Denton
• Mossley
• Hyde

Friday 1 December

• Hattersley

Saturday 2 December

• Droylsden

For further details of the above events see www.intameside.co.uk