Bolsover Winter Festival
Welcome to the Bolsover Winter Festival, a fun-packed weekend that marks the start of the festive season. From illuminated castle walls to festive market stalls, Bolsover will be bursting with festive traders, street entertainment, live music, seasonal food and drink – all culminating in one of the UK’s biggest lantern parades!
COMMUNITY LANTERN WORKSHOPS – NOVEMBER
The nights are drawing in, which can only mean one thing, it’s time for Junction Arts to light up your weekends with community lantern-making workshops at Bolsover Assembly Hall.
It’s advised that people book in advance to secure their spot, with morning and afternoon sessions available. Please have an idea of what you want to make when you arrive, there is no theme for the parade, your lantern can be anything! There will be artists on hand to help you create your masterpiece.
Suggested lantern donations: small lanterns: £5, medium lanterns: £10, large (pro) lanterns: £20. Lights sold separately.
Workshop dates & times:
- 11th & 12th, 18th & 19th, 25th & 26th November
- Saturdays & Sundays 10 am – 12:30 pm & 1:30 pm – 4 pm
- Bolsover Assembly Rooms, Hill Top, S44 6NG
- Workshops are wheelchair accessible
- Click & Collect materials are also available!
Recommended for ages 5+, no experience required. For more information and to pre-book click HERE.
BRIGHT WINTER NIGHTS – FRIDAY 1ST DECEMBER – 4.30PM – 8PM
This December will mark the 30th year of the Bolsover Lantern Parade and to celebrate Junction Arts is bringing a new light show to Bolsover Castle!
Bright Winter Nights is an immersive light experience that will take place within the walls of the castle on Friday 1st December, the day before the lantern parade. Light projections, images and sounds from the last three decades will bring the castle walls to life, featuring the stories of local people and their lantern parade experiences.
Visitors can also view a newly commissioned community film as part of this magical evening.
The event is being organised in partnership with local Bolsover-based charity, the Freedom Project and English Heritage.
The event starts at 4.30pm and finished at 8pm. Please book into one of the five slots; 4:30pm 5pm 5:30pm 6pm 6:30pm, we estimate that visitors will need an hour / 90 mins to enjoy the experience.
Tickets cost £2 for children and £3 for adults.
CHRISTMAS MARKET – SATURDAY 2ND DECEMBER – 10AM – 6PM
Over 100 craft and gift stalls scattered throughout the town centre, including Cavendish Walk, the Assembly Rooms, and, for the first time this year, stalls in the Exhibition Hall at Bolsover Castle!
The day will be filled with entertainment from local musicians and singers in the Town Square. For the first time this year, we’re bringing entertainment to the Riding School at Bolsover Castle, featuring performances by local dance schools and the Bolsover Drama Group.
The kids will have a blast with fairground rides, a helter-skelter, a playbus, face painting, a rodeo reindeer, and even a snow globe for those perfect Christmas snapshots.
When it’s time to refuel, you’ll have plenty of food choices to satisfy your cravings, from pizza and pasta to Greek and Nigerian cuisine, Lincolnshire sausages, Indian delights, and mouthwatering doughnuts and waffles.
After the mesmerising lantern parade, join us on the Cenotaph area for heartwarming carol singing, accompanied by the Dronfield Genquip Brass Band and the Whitwell Choir.
BOLSOVER LANTERN PARADE – SATURDAY 2ND DECEMBER – FROM 5 PM
On Saturday 2nd December the much-loved Bolsover Lantern Parade will once again light up the streets of our historic town.
This year we’re celebrating 30 years of the parade; generations of community creativity have made this one of the country’s biggest and longest-running light processions.
Starting at Bolsover Castle, the stunning light show, featuring community-made lanterns, will travel through the town creating a beautiful spectacle that culminates at the Cenotaph for Christmas carols.
Thanks to our event hosts at English Heritage, Bolsover (S44) residents can take advantage of exclusive free access to Bolsover Castle between 10am and 4pm, with proof of Bolsover residency (e.g. a utility bill).
The Bolsover Lantern Parade is a non-ticketed, FREE event but Junction Arts welcomes donations to support the continuation of this magical and memorable event within the town.