Light, cameras … Christmas! Festive lights to set Kilkenny city aglow this weekend

The pandemic may have put a damper on this year, but the spirit of Christmas lives on in Kilkenny. And this weekend the city will bask in festive cheer as the Christmas lights are turned on to mark the countdown to the big day.

Although crowds are not permitted due to Covid restrictions, everyone living in the city and county will be able to switch on to the virtual launch of Yulefest Kilkenny from the comfort of their own homes.

Kilkenny Council staff members and a crew of electricians have been busy since the start of this month installing getting over 2 kilometres of lights throughout the city as well as erecting 10 beautiful Christmas trees.

A council spokesperson said: “Now it’s almost go-time and the energy-efficient LED lighting will light up the city from next weekend. In particular, watch out for the new lanterns and festoon lighting on the Parade and the uplighting of the trees on the Mayor’s Walk.”

The following are some of festive events to look out for in Kilkenny over the coming weeks:

• The annual Christmas Markets will be taking place on the Parade and will operate in compliance with social distancing guidelines;
• Sant’s reindeers will be seen prancing around the city;
• A socially distanced Santa’s Christmas Village will be set up in the grounds of the Medieval Mile Museum;
• You can listen to messages from Santa online on yulefestkilkenny.ie and on social media;
• Watch out for ‘Festival in a Van’ in the run up to Christmas, supported by Creative Ireland;
• There will be a special ‘Christmas at Butler Gallery’, including a virtual tour of Wolfwalkers Exhibition and online Christmas Children’s Art Workshop.

The council added: “There will be a few added features along the way to get everyone into the Christmas spirit. Remember, support your local shops and retailers when purchasing your Christmas Gifts #shopkilkenny.

“Our local towns and villages have been supported this year by the Council to help in lighting up the County.  We look forward to seeing a display of these lights online. Please tag Yulefest Kilkenny and let us see the County lit up for Christmas 2020.”

The leader of Kilkenny County Council, Cllr Andrew McGuinness, said in his Christmas message: “I would like to wish everyone in Kilkenny city and county a very happy Christmas for 2020.  Although this has been a very difficult year for everyone and Christmas will be very different this year, it is still a time for families and we look forward with hope to all that 2021 will bring.

“I am delighted to see that a virtual Yulefest Kilkenny is going ahead this year as we all need and deserve some Christmas cheer.  Stay safe, stay local and support Kilkenny businesses this Christmas as they are offering so many options to shop including shopping online, takeaway, home delivery services and click and collect,” Cllr McGuinness added.