Information on the St. Nicholas Festival.
The 7th St. Nicholas Festival 2005 - 2nd & 3th December
Come along to the heart of Whitley Bay and visit the French and Northumbrian Markets
with fresh produce straight from the farm including:
HONEY, CHEESE, FOIE GRAS, CAKES, WINE, FRESH BREAD, CREPES, NORTHUMBRIAN BBQ, MEATS SAUSAGE etc.
Enjoy the programme of entertainment from various local groups and fun fair rides
for all the family!
Photos taken on the evening 2 December 2005
Programme
Friday 2 December 2005
4.00pm Switch on Christmas Lights In the grounds of
St Paul’s Church, Park View. Mayor John Harrison, Alan Campbell MP and Chair Councillor,
Marian Huscroft will turn on the Whitley Bay Christmas lights.
4.30pm Schools Lantern Procession. Children from various schools Marine, Monkseaton, Marden and Rockliffe will
weave their way into the grounds of St Paul’s Church then into the town centre via the new shopping
mall with hand made lanterns.
Fairground and Market
The Fairground, French and Northumbrian Market will be open where produce including: honey,
foie gras, cheese, meats, jams, cakes, crepes, freshly baked bread and a Northumbrian BBQ will be available.
Local retailers in Whitley Bay will stay open for late night Christmas shopping.
Saturday 3 December 2005
10.am to 4pm French and Northumbrian Market in Whitley Bay Town Centre
Traders from France will be selling honey, foie gras, wine, cheese, sausage, cakes, crepes
and freshly baked bread.
Produce from Northumbria will include, cheese, fresh meats, jams and cakes.
10am to 2pm St Nicholas Fair at St Paul\’s Church
All the usual stalls including two raffles with a special
Christmas hamper raffle, tombola, bric-a-brac, refreshments,
a cake stall and many other attractions.
10.30am to 4pm Street entertainment and fairground in Whitley Bay Town Centre.
10.30am to 12am Salvation Army Band
12am to 1pm North Tyneside Steel Band
1pm to 2.30pm Salvation Army Band
2.30pm to 3pm Stagecoach Theatre School
3pm to 3.30pm Whitley Bay Pantomime Society - Excerpts from Sleeping Beauty
Saturday 26th November - St Nicholas Festival Curtain Raiser with the Priory
Singers and Orchestra
The St Nicholas Festival Curtain Raiser with conductor Glenn Davis presenting Handel's Oratorio,
Messiah with Rachel Orr (soprano) Susan Davis (contralto) Robin Lynn-Evans (tenor) Robert
Seaton (baritone) will be held at St Mary's Church, Claremont Road, Monkseaton on Saturday
26th November at 6.30pm
Tickets are available from Whitley Bay Playhouse, choir members or by phoning
0191 2531865
Whats the Festival about?
The Whitley Bay St Nicholas Festival, now in its seventh, is firmly
established as a welcome start to the Christmas season. It was first
started by the then vicar of St Paul’s, Father Norman Banks, before he left for
Walsingham.
This year it will be held on Friday 2nd and Saturday 3rd of December, marking
the feast day of St Nicholas. You will find details of the varied events in this
programme, with something for everyone, from live entertainment, fun fair
rides, to the ever-popular food market, with farmers from France and
Northumbria.
St Nicholas himself was Bishop of Myra in Asia Minor, (now known as
Turkey) who lived in the fourth century. He is regarded as the patron saint of
children, sailors, merchants, bakers, pawnbrokers and prisoners (quite a
workload for one saint!). At the end of the 11th century some Italian
merchants transported the remains from Myra to Bari in Italy, where his tomb
is now a shrine.
The custom of celebrating St Nicholas as the patron saint of children has
survived in many countries of Europe, notably The Netherlands, where
Sinterklaas Day on December 5 is more important than Christmas. Dutch
people took the custom to the United States, where Sinterklaas was
transformed into Santa Claus.
Have a good St Nicholas festival!
For further information, please contact the Whitley Bay Playhouse on
0191 252 6857.
If you know of any events which you would like listed please contact the webmaster
The website will try to give best information but independant checks should be made to
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