Traditional Christmas Weekend

The Traditional Christmas Weekend takes over Hope Square from 11am on Saturday 12 December through to 8pm on Sunday 13 December. It's one of four festive weekends filling Weymouth town centre this December, part of a programme that runs from late November right through to Santa's visit and spreads from New Bond Street and the Esplanade to Hope Square and the harbourside. The whole thing is run in aid of Weymouth Foodbank.

Hope Square becomes the hub for the weekend. There's an artisan market by local crafters and artists hosted by Sticks and Bones, and a fully working Bavarian bar. For food and drink, mulled wine, mince pies and warming dishes are served at Pascals, The Red Lion, Sticks and Bones, Nosh, The Old Rooms and By the Quay. Traditional dancing and live music run across both days: The Rock Choir performs at 4pm on Saturday, and the Salvation Army brings carols at 4pm on Sunday. On Saturday, St Mary's Church hosts a live Nativity and Christmas crafts from 12pm to 3pm.

Beyond the square, the town fills with elves, steampunks, pirates and faeries, and the weekend draws in local shops, pubs, cafés and charities. Dawn Rondeau-Irvine, Chief Operations Officer at We Are Weymouth, says the aim is to bring people into the town centre and support the businesses that make it what it is, while showing the spirit of Weymouth. It's a good time to get out and see the town in its festive state, and knowing it's all for the foodbank makes it easier to justify that second glass of mulled wine.

So, Hope Square from 11am Saturday 12 December to 8pm Sunday 13 December. The Rock Choir at 4pm Saturday, Salvation Army carols at 4pm Sunday, and the live Nativity at St Mary's from 12pm to 3pm on Saturday.