BRADFORD’S Christmas lights will be switched on on November 9, just a few days after Bonfire Night.

The first details of light switch on plans for the city centre and the district’s major town have been officially announced, along with a number of other events being held in the run up to Christmas.

A list of Christmas events was released at a meeting of Bradford Council on Tuesday evening in response to a question asking what was planned to mark the Christmas season.

The city centre Christmas light switch on, which will once again be held at The Broadway Shopping Centre, will be the first festive event taking place in the District, in a little over three week’s time.

The event will also see a live ice sculpture - with Santa’s sleigh being carved out of a huge block of ice.

The Ilkley Christmas Lights will be switched on on November 23, followed by the lights switch on in Bingley town centre a week later on November 30.

Keighley’s lights will be switched on on December 1.

Festive lights to shine bright in Bradford this Christmas

More details of the various events, including who will be switching the lights on, will be announced at a later date.

Other events in the city centre include the Kirkgate Centre’s annual Reindeer Parade - which sees live reindeers and Santa in his sleigh travel through the city centre. This year the event will take place on November 17.

As previously reported, Illuminate Bradford, a weekend long event that has taken place the past two years, will not be happening again this year.

Instead there will be a one day Christmas Fayre and Lantern Parade in the city centre on November 30.

The fair will run from noon to 8pm, and involve 37 food and craft stalls. There will also be street theatre, including stilt walkers, live music and performances by a number of choirs.

At 4.30pm there will be parade involving almost a dozen large lanterns, a number of smaller lanterns and 200 children carrying home made lanterns. They will parade from Bradford Cathedral to City Park via Market Street.

Other events include a Victorian Christmas Market held at Bradford Industrial Museum in Eccleshill on November 16 and 17 and a Winter Wonderland event in Bolling Hall Museum on December 7.

The Saltaire Living Advent Calendar event, which sees residents and businesses adorning windows in the village, runs from December 1 to New Year.

The Shipley Glen Tramway runs its annual Santa Specials each weekend from December 7.

Keighley and Worth Valley Railway will be running Santa Steam Specials from November 30 to Christmas Eve.

And Haworth hosts a number of events through December.

A Torchlight Weekend will be held on December 7 and 8, followed by a Brass Band weekend on December 14 and 15 and a Nativity Weekend on December 21 - 22.

Christmas events throughout the district will be brought together under the Sparkling Bradford campaign, which was launched last year to link up the various events being held by different groups throughout the District.