FREE FESTIVE FUN IN AYR

Dec 9 2011 by Jennifer Buchanan, Ayrshire Post (main ed)

SLEIGH rides, choirs, magic shows and even opera.

All this and more will be available for free to the Christmas shoppers on Ayr High Street.

Parkour, or street running, demonstrations will also be part of the street entertainment as well as three youth theatre productions, comedy acts and bands.

And if evening entertainment is more your thing then there’s Christmas concerts, organ recitals and no fewer than three orchestral evenings in the town hall.

Children can learn all about the history of Christmas in an interactive play hosted by Professor Chrimbo in the town hall.

The show will run every day at 7pm from Saturday, December 17 until Friday, December 23, except on Wednesday, December 21 when there will be no performance. Tickets cost £8 or £5 concession.

The shows are part of South Ayrshire Council’s 12 days of festive fun and are being brought in to encourage people to keep shopping locally.

The fun kicks off this Thursday, December 8 and will run every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday until Christmas.

And the sleigh rides will run on Saturday, December 10 and 17 from noon to 1pm.

The Ayr Renaissance group are providing some of the performances with the Santa’s sleigh trip is being provided by the kind folk at the Rotary.

Alan Macdonald, chair of Ayr Renaissance, explained: “The renaissance of Ayr town centre is at the core of what we do and the changes we’re implementing are already being noticed.

“We’re delighted to offer a varied programme of festive entertainment and activity aimed at all the family and we’re working closely with South Ayrshire Council to do everything we can to make Ayr the place to be, whatever time of year it happens to be.”