Bring on the festive cheer

‘Tis the season to be jolly and Blaby District has all you need to get your festive celebrations off to a sparkling start.

From Christmas lights switch-ons to carol services, Santa grottos and shopping sprees, the District has something for everyone.

Millions already voted with their feet and exercised their spending power throughout this year and the last. Latest figures show there were increases in sector employment, visitor numbers and economic impact.  

*Some of the tourism highlights include: 

• Economic impact has risen from £216.84 million (2023) to £231.55 million (2024) - our growth plan target for 2030 is £238.52 million 
• Visitor numbers rose from 3.04 million (2023) to 3.12 million (2024) - our growth plan target for 2030 is 3.34 million 
• Day visitors have risen from 2.70 million (2023) to 2.77 million (2024) 
• Employment figures from 2,058 (2023) to 2,071 (2024) 

Join the throngs already enjoying all that Blaby District has to offer and mark your diaries. If fun-packed events with fairground rides, market stalls, games, music and the big switch-on of Yuletide lights is your thing then these upcoming weekends are right up your street.

Blaby village has its switch-on event on today, Friday 28 November from 3pm; Cosby gets festive on Saturday 29 November along with Stoney Stanton while Enderby has a lights event on Friday 5 December and Narborough gets sparkly on Saturday 6 December.

A whole host of other Christmas activities are also on offer such as wreath making workshops, breakfasts with Santa and festive concerts - for all the details check out Visit Blaby District

Councillor Nick Chapman, Blaby District Council Portfolio Holder for Community and Economic Development, said: "Christmas is a fantastic time to visit Blaby District with lots of family-friendly events and activities and of course the retail delights of our local centres with their markets and independent outlets as well as Fosse Park.

"It’s brilliant to see our tourism figures increase year on year, raising the profile of the District, supporting our economy and bolstering our workforce. We should all be proud of the diverse attractions we have on our doorstep and be proud of them this Christmas and throughout the year."

Notes to editors 

*The tourism figures for Leicester and Leicestershire, including Blaby District, are taken from the 2024 Scarborough Tourism Economic Activity Monitor (STEAM) survey. A full 12 months of data is needed before the figures can be compiled, so the data always relates to the previous year. 

Councillor Nick Chapman
Portfolio Holder for Community and Economic Development