Hackney Festive Light Switch On
On 2 December residents are invited to come together for the borough’s festive light switch on in Hackney Town Hall Square from 4.30pm to celebrate the holidays.
Around sunset there will be a ceremony to mark the Jewish festival of Hanukkah with a special 12ft menorah.
This will then be followed by festive activities in the Square, where visitors can get warm with hot chocolate and mulled wine while listening to live music.
Later in the evening Panto characters from Hackney Empire’s Aladdin will join the Speaker of Hackney, to turn on the borough’s Christmas lights.
The annual switch-on will launch Hackney’s festive celebrations and will feature a sing-a-long to festive tunes, a steel pan band and a lantern display created by elders at St Joseph’s Hospice.
Christmas lights will also be unveiled across the borough, which will see local markets such as Ridley Road lit up for the festive season.
I’m excited to join Hackney’s residents as well as Hackney Empire’s panto cast to help celebrate the start of the festive season, with the annual light-switch on.
This is the first time in my memory, that we as a Council will be celebrating Hanukkah with a borough wide celebration. We will have a specially made menorah in Hackney Town Hall Square which will be lit over eight days. I would encourage all residents to come down and get together to celebrate Hanukkah and Christmas with this festive light switch on.
This event is being conducted in partnership with; Hackney Empire, artist Emily Tracy, Pantonic steel pan band, Simon Marks Primary School, Hackney Music Service and Tropical Isles.