The Christmas decorations are up, and the countdown is on! There’s an abundance of festive activities to enjoy in Sidmouth in the lead up to and over the Christmas holidays.
Here are our favourite Christmas events in Sidmouth:
Sidmouth Christmas Lights Switch On
18th November
The town’s official Christmas light switch on will be taking place on Saturday 18th November in the Market Square.
Donkey Sanctuary Christmas Fair
25th – 26th November
The Donkey Sanctuary Christmas Fair weekend event is taking place on Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th at Slade Farm. There’ll be plenty of Christmas shopping opportunities with a fantastic mixture of handcrafted items, gifts and delicious edible treats and the chance to say hello to Santa and his ‘reindeer’.
Sidmouth Late Night Shopping
1st December
Friday 1st December will be Sidmouth’s Christmas late night shopping extravaganza. The shops will be open until 8pm with free live entertainment around the town including street performances, Sidmouth Steppers, Sidmouth Town band and a dedicated DJ.
The festive evening kicks off at 5.15pm with Zumba in the Market Place followed by Sidmouth Primary school performing traditional carols at 6pm (also at 7pm in the Parish Church).
This year for the first time, the shops will also be opening until 8pm on the 7th, 14th & 21st December.
Boxing Day Swim
26th December
The Boxing Day swim has been an annual tradition in Sidmouth since the mid-80’s. Weather permitting, hundreds of swimmers dressed in fancy dress brave the cold water for a refreshing post-Christmas dip.
The swim takes places across the road from the hotel, so we’ve got the perfect vantage point to watch and cheer on the crazy swimmers!
Jack and the Beanstalk
29th December – 6th January
It’s not Christmas without a pantomime! This year the Sidmouth Dramatic Society will be performing Jack and the Beanstalk by Alan Frayn at the Manor Pavilion Theatre.
The pantomime opens on Friday 29th December and runs through until Saturday 6th January (no performance Wednesday 3rd January).
If you’d like to enjoy the pantomime while staying with us, we will be happy to arrange early pre-theatre dining for you.
Our Christmas guests can also enjoy light seasonal entertainment in the hotel. For details of our Christmas breaks, please click here.
