The annual Christmas Festival will return to Old Town in Swindon on Sunday 22 November 2026, bringing a market, funfair, live music, and the traditional light switch-on to Wood Street and Victoria Road. Organised by the Old Town Business Association, the event will run from 1pm to 6pm to celebrate the start of the holiday season.
Staging the festival costs more than £25,000. Due to safety requirements, organisers have set a capacity limit of 5,000 attendees. To help manage crowd numbers and offset expenses, the association is requesting that residents provide a donation of £1.85 per person to attend. Those who donate are given priority entry to ensure the site remains safe.
The event is supported by several local sponsors, including South Swindon Parish Council, Deacons, Los Gatos, Dominos Old Town, Charles Harding, and Sinewave. The parish council has also provided a £2,000 transition grant to assist with rising costs.
The business association, chaired by Kris Talikowski, is working to cover an additional £5,000 in annual public liability insurance costs after the parish council stopped providing coverage under its own policy. Despite these financial challenges, the festival remains a key date in the local calendar, following the successful installation of a new carpet of LED lights on Victoria Road in 2024, which was funded by public donations.
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