Festive Fayre – which is being held on Wednesday 7 December, from 5pm-8pm - will include many of city’s best-loved stores on Trinity Street, Green Street, Rose Crescent, All Saints Garden, Peas Hill, Bene’t Street, Kings Parade and St Mary’s Passage.
Not only will these shops be open late for delighted Christmas shoppers, but there will also be a tempting trail of mulled wine, aperitifs, hot chocolate, mince pies, Christmas cookies and other seasonal nibbles to add to the merriment.
Many of the stores will additionally be offering special discounts, 3 for 2 offers, gifts with purchase, competitions, luxury gift raffles and free gift wrapping on the night - including Podarok in Bene’t Street, Susie Watson Designs in Green Street, Cambridge Satchel Company and Cuckoo in St Mary’s Passage, Le Creuset in Rose Crescent, Jacks On Trinity, Brora, Jaeger, Comptoir des Cotonniers, Anthony Menswear and Cambridge University Press bookshop on Trinity Street, and many more.
Artists at Cambridge Contemporary Art will be mingling with customers on the night and enjoying the festive atmosphere. Celia Hart, Deborah Burrow, Kate Hess, Nikki Bowers, Karen Banks, Helen Millar, Ali Cooper, Brin Edwards, Clare Maria Wood, Martin Bond, Gael Sellwood, Iona Howard and David Hunt will all be attending.
The vibrant All Saints Garden Art & Craft Market will also be open and trading by fairylight. And, as if that’s not enough to put you in a cheery, festive mood, two of Cambridge’s best-loved choirs will additionally be performing
From 7.15pm- 8pm, the historic Choir of Great St Mary’s will assemble on the corner of Kings Parade and St Mary’s Passage. As a Parish church and church to the University of Cambridge, St Mary’s has always attracted musicians of the highest calibre both from within the University and outside, and has maintained a tradition of singing for services that has existed for centuries.
The St Bene’t Church Choir will also be holding a carol service outside the Church at 7pm, during which there will be a collection for Cambridge Churches Homeless Project (CCHP).
Ian Sandison, Chairman of Cambridge BID, says: “Festive Fayre is the most fantastic opportunity for shoppers and visitors to sample the very best that Cambridge has to offer at Christmas – a diverse and eclectic range of independent stores as well as all your favourite national stalwarts, an abundance of festive atmosphere, a plethora of discounts and special offers… and all set against the charming backdrop that is the historic core.”
Anne Bannell, owner of Jacks On Trinity - and one of the main organisers of Festive Fayre - said: “Over 50 shops and restaurants have got together to make this evening a very special event.
“It’s a great opportunity for shoppers to attack that Christmas shopping list and enjoy the entertainment, in-store offers, refreshments and festive atmosphere in the prettiest part of the city.”
Hayley Mason, manager of the upmarket clothing chain Jaeger on Trinity Street, said: “Festive Fayre is a great incentive for consumers to leave the shopping centres and come and explore further afield to discover all the fantastic shops dotted around the Old Quarter.
“The atmosphere on these historic streets is especially magical at this time of year – and we hope everyone enjoys this lovely Christmas event - sipping Prosecco, eating mince pieces, listening to carols whilst doing their Christmas shopping!”
Carrie Pluck, Assistant Manager of Podarok in Bene’t Street added: "It's a great opportunity for us to celebrate the Festive season with our wonderful regulars, and to meet some lovely new faces, who might be discovering the unique atmosphere, that is shopping in the Old Quarter of Cambridge, for the first time!"