Santa Claus testing out transport ahead of Saturday festival in Llangollen
Santa has been looking for the fastest way he can reach Llangollen to star in the town’s famous Christmas Festival at the end of November.
The Denbighshire tourist town is famed for celebrating various modes of transport like river, road, canal and steam train.
So Sion Corn, as Santa Claus is known in Wales, has been giving them all a try to see which will get him there as quickly as possible.
Latest to be given the Sion Corn transport test was a raft used for shooting the rapids on the River Dee from the Horseshoe Falls to the centre of town and operated by locally-based SAS – Safe and Sound Outdoors.
Sion Corn jumped aboard for his hair-raising trip along the fast flowing river and after arriving in town just a little while later said: “That was the most exhilarating ride I’ve had since one of my reindeers got at the Christmas sherry. It’s a definite possibility for speeding my arrival at the fete but the only trouble was my beard and green cloak ended up soaked.”
Thousands of seasonal revellers are expected to come flocking to Llangollen for the Christmas Festival on Saturday.
Kicking off at 1pm with a parade which sees Sion Corn being escorted into town over the historic bridge by a colourful cavalcade of entertainers and local groups, the event features children’s fairground rides and games, circus acts, a magician, dancing and face painting
There will also be a chance for youngsters to visit Sion Corn in his grotto and put in their early requests for what they’d like to see him bring them on Christmas morning.
During the afternoon visitors can look forward to an eclectic mix of musical entertainment from local groups on two outdoor stages and other on-street entertainment.
For the second year the festival has teamed up with Light Up Local Food, a project aimed at promoting Llangollen-based food and drink producers.
Chairman of the festival committee Austin Cheminais, who is also the local town crier and a member of the town council, said: “With the help of the community we manage, each year, to raise just about enough to fund the event and give a little to charity.
“Last year’s festival was particularly successful, in spite of the weather, and the feedback from those attending was very positive."
