Concerns have been raised about the lack of events in Derry's city centre in the run-up to Christmas after it emerged that this year’s festive market will only last for three days.
The move emerged at a meeting today of Derry City and Strabane District Council, where elected members were given an update on the council’s Christmas events this year.
The meeting was told that there was a total budget of £186,000 for the programme, £50,000 of which will be spent marketing the events, with Derry and Strabane’s Christmas programming beginning on November 11.
The meeting was told that the programme will continue until December 17 ‘focusing on weekends throughout this period’.
However, at the meeting, the Sinn Fein councillor Patricia Logue said that she was concerned that the events in the Guildhall Square will have finished by December 18, and that there would be nothing in the area for people ‘walking through it’.
Cllr Logue added that ‘some sort of programme needs to be included at the square in the run-up to Christmas’.
See Thursday’s Derry News for more on the council’s Christmas plans.
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