Perth's Christmas Lights Switch-On weekend

Perth's Christmas Lights Switch-On is one of the busier weekends in the city centre, and this year it runs from Friday 20 to Sunday 22 November. The headline moment is the switch-on itself, which falls on Saturday 21 November at 18:00 from the main stage on Tay Street, next to the Royal George Hotel. It is a new location, further away than usual and close to Smeaton's Bridge, and the countdown is followed by a fireworks display over the River Tay, with extra screens and audio set up along Tay Street for anyone who cannot get right to the front. The stage goes up at noon on the Friday, and Tay Street is not expected to reopen until noon on Monday 23 November.

Outside of the switch-on, the weekend is packed with free activities. The festive market opens at 10:00 on Friday along King Edward Street and High Street, Santa's Grotto opens at 15:00 at Horsecross Plaza on Mill Street, and the Wildlife Lights Trail begins at 16:00 on Tay Street. There is a free silent disco in St Paul's Square from 18:00 to 21:00, and free Christmas Ghost Tours set off from St John's Place at 18:00, though the tours need to be booked in advance. Horne's Funfair runs from 12:00 to 22:00, and there is a Santa Run at noon. The Grotto also holds an autism-friendly session from 19:00 to 20:00.

Saturday is the big one, with live music and street entertainment leading up to the 18:00 switch-on. Three stages are running at once: Mill Street, hosted by Radio Tay presenters Gregor and Lindsay; King Edward Street, with Amber; and the main stage on Tay Street, hosted by Lionel Vinyl and featuring QFX, a Pitbull UK tribute and the Red Hot Chilli Pipers. There is another Santa Run at noon.

Sunday keeps the momentum going. The annual Christmas Parade sets off at 13:00 from Thimblerow Car Park, heads down Old High Street and High Street, and finishes at the George Street and High Street junction. A lantern and nativity parade follows to St John's Kirk for a carol service, and the evening ends with a drone show at 18:00. Between 12:00 and 16:00, Cakefest and the Parade of the Bakers take over 2 High Street, while The Handmade Show runs from 10:30 to 16:30 at Perth Concert Hall.

With so much going on, the road closures are worth knowing. Tay Street closes from noon on Friday, with Dry Arch, King Edward Street and part of Mill Street following at 18:00. From 06:00 on Saturday and Sunday, a large chunk of the centre is pedestrianised, including High Street, Mill Street, George Street, Tay Street, Dry Arch, King Edward Street, St John's Place, South St John's Place, Kirkside, Kirkgate and St John Street. Commercial Street, Riverside and North Methven Street close for short windows on the Sunday.

If you are driving in, the Park & Ride at Broxden Roundabout on Glasgow Road is the easiest option, with 400 free spaces, a maximum stay of 72 hours, CCTV, EV chargers, a waiting room, public toilets, a staffed desk and a petrol station nearby. Stagecoach services 7, 7A and 7B run from there every 7 to 11 minutes, costing roughly £1 to £3, and a taxi takes about 6 or 7 minutes at around £7 to £10. Perth Railway Station is on Leonard Street with seven platforms, and mobile toilets are available across the city centre. Baby changing is only at the Council Building at 2 High Street, from noon to 17:00 on both days.