New 'magical event' set to light up Cork city for Christmas

Cork city’s Christmas lights will be switched on this year with a “new concept”, in what promises to be a “magical event” for families.

There has not been a large-scale switch-on since 2019.

At a council meeting last year, Ann Doherty, the outgoing chief executive of Cork City Council, said that in 2019 a “tipping point was reached in terms of the ability to run the event safely and in a manner that was not at risk of a major incident occurring”.

A meeting was held among stakeholders and it was strongly advised that the switch-on could not go ahead in the same form again.

However, a different format is planned for this year.

Such an event was discussed at a meeting on Thursday evening with city councillors and council officials.

Positive

“It’s really positive; it’s a new concept,” Labour Party councillor John Maher told The Echo.

“The bones are there now, we just need to add the meat, but the idea is a Christmas pageant… what that will do is it will disperse the crowd and the idea is the route would be designed where the Christmas lights would be.”

Mr Maher said that the event would be on a smaller scale to the St Patrick’s Day parade, but would bring some festive cheer to the city centre.

“By working with everyone, I think that we’ll have a magical event,” Mr Maher said. “It’s going to be free and it’s going to be safe.

“And there’s other events. While I’m not a fan of it, the Solas event is coming back, there’s plans now to have entertainment, and a Christmas atmosphere in Elizabeth Fort.

“So there’s some really promising things as a whole package for the city.”

“But I think, fundamentally, for us [the priority] was the turning-on of the lights and that experience.

“I always say that sets the tone for Christmas.”

Confident

Events of this nature require extensive planning, but he said he was confident the council could deliver.

“There’s a bit of work to be done with liaising with businesses… there’s a lot of balls in the air, but, fundamentally, last night [after the meeting] I was very confident that we are going to put our best foot forward as a city, and in particular the city centre,” he said.

Meanwhile, Independent Ireland councillor Ken O’Flynn — who had tabled a motion calling for a return of a large-scale Christmas event — welcomed that a public switch-on event will again take place.

“It might not be the all-singing, all-dancing event that I wanted, but there certainly will be a celebration of Christmas this year and there will be a light turning-on event this year,” Mr O’Flynn said.

Vital

“It’s vital that we have these types of events in the city, not just for the benefit of our citizens — which is very important, because it creates an atmosphere and starts off Christmas — but also for the benefit of our rate payers, those who are finding it difficult, in particular in the restaurant and hotel business, in the cafe business, and things like that.

“By running events like this, it gets people into city, it reminds them that there are gifts to be bought, it gives them the opportunity to shop local.”