It’s no secret that Rye Christmas Festival, as it is now known and taking place on Saturday December 7, came to life after a group of local volunteers came together with a plan to revive Christmas spirit and festivities in Rye. The team of volunteer committee members work year round, dedicating their time to create such an unforgettable event. When Christmas is pretty much over for everyone else, they already have their thinking hats on and preparing, discussing and organising the next festival.
To bring such a large and highly anticipated event to Rye every year requires a lot of time and energy, and with the help of sponsors and volunteers, the committee are able to not only deliver an excellent event but also ensure things run smoothly and everyone gets to enjoy the fun.
This year marks the fifth anniversary for the festival, a great milestone that’s being celebrated through the theme: A Festival of Christmas Past, and celebrated even further with some fun activities extending over to the Sunday. With lots of fun and festivities on the day, the festival committee are looking for volunteers to help out on the day and even beforehand.
Every year, the festival team are the ones responsible for decorating Rye with it’s twinkling Christmas lights, and this year is no exception. With the darker evenings rolling in and the nights growing longer, the team will be starting their annual Christmas light decorations from the November 11 and are looking for some helping hands to join them in lighting up Rye.
From November 11-22 (Mondays to Fridays only), the team will be out in Rye going up and down ladders to decorate the town, with every extra pair of hands helping. There are no commitments, of course, but every little helps – even if it is just a couple of nights over the two week period.
If you’d like to get involved, the team will be meeting outside WJ Bennett at 6pm to begin and you’re welcome to join them by simply turning up, or getting in touch via Facebook or email (liz@christmasinrye.co.uk) to let them know what evenings you’re available.
As always, the team are also looking for volunteers on the day and are currently taking on volunteers now. There are a range of different positions available for on the day, so please do get in touch beforehand and let them know your availability. Positions include helping out with on the day activities, packing down after the event and even positions on the Sunday after the event to help keep the fabulous festivities going.
This festival is all about bringing people together and celebrating, and having so many amazing volunteers from Rye and beyond is a great feeling, and really helps ties everything together. Please get in touch today by emailing liz@christmasinrye.co.uk.
Image Credits: Ernie Lawrence .