Light Up Shoreham

Shoreham’s Late Night Christmas Shopping Event

Friday10th December 2021
3.30pm – 8.30pm

Facebook: @lightupshoreham

Behind The Scenes – Meet Emma Evans

I am a local District Councillor for North Shoreham and I also have the cabinet member position that covers events in Adur. Born and bred in Southwick and having brought up my family living in Shoreham and now working in the town I believe I have an in depth knowledge of our place and the way it has evolved over recent years.

In January 2017, following a negative response on social media to the Christmas shopping evening,    I gathered a couple of community minded residents who had, in 2015 helped me organise the Bridge of Light vigil following the aircrash at Shoreham Airshow and who had also helped with keeping the Bridge of Flowers as a fitting temporary memorial to those who lost their lives. Always happy to help together we hatched a plan to reinvent the Shoreham Christmas late night shopping event.

The number of Shoreham Elves soon grew into a great team of 8. Plans were forged and the work began under the watchful and ever helpful eye of Adur District Council’s events officer Pauline.

Light Up Shoreham was born and the December 2017 event exceeded all expectations and people flocked into the town and were entertained by local groups, musicians, carols and the Rotary sleigh with the real father Christmas aboard!

Sadly as so often is the case with outdoor events we cannot cater for what the weather hurls at us and this led to 2018’s event being cancelled, much to the upset of the Elves and organisers. 2019 we came back bigger and better, with some tweaks to the layout and the addition of Same Sky light installation in St Mary’s churchyard, it was once again a magical memorable event with weather to match. No one could have predicted the goings on in 2020 and it was decided to rest the event for a year. What I do know is that the capacity and compassion of our little town and its residents mean that we will always be able to pull together to create something wonderful and unique for the benefit of others which is why it is a pleasure to be able to lead on events such as this.

The good news for the future is a new fledgling group of shop keepers within the town are raring to be involved and work with the community on the event for years to come, myself and the other Elves are looking forward to a new collaborative approach that will benefit businesses, residents and visitors alike.

At the Event

Come and visit the charming Shoreham-By-Sea’s Christmas market and late night shopping event. Festive fun for everyone with food, entertainment, crafts, shopping, carol singing and lots more.

Don’t be all wishy-washy… polish up your magic lamps and set your magic carpet’s sat-nav to head to the War Memorial at 16.10 on 10 December, as the cast of Aladdin will be visiting Light Up Shoreham to perform a short set following their first matinee of this year’s Shoreham Panto at the Ropetackle. Oh yes, they will..