Will the St Albans Festival of Lights shine again?

The year 2020 was a difficult time for all of us, and many plans were cancelled, including holidays and festivals. Sadly, this included the St Albans Festival of Lights which has become a much-loved tradition in the local community.

Since the mid-2000s, from mid-November until Christmas Eve, the St Albans Festival of Lights, also known as the ‘Christmas Festival’ within the local community, has always been held every year without fail and has brought joy to many, not local residents but all over Hertfordshire. I have attended this event many times and have had the privilege to host the event a few times with the local council as well.

On the first day, roughly 10,000 people gather in the city centre for a six-hour long street party. During this, the mayor of St Albans alongside the individuals hosting the event get together and do the honour of switching on the Christmas lights, marking the start of the festival.

This is usually followed by a speech from the mayor and the host(s). There are over 100 food stalls and bars so that people can enjoy some cocktails during the celebration. In addition, live bands are in attendance and perform all night. Snow machines are on top of buildings to make the event feel more ‘Christmas like’ and a particular favourite for all the children attending. The festival is family-friendly and truly does brings the community together. 

Last year marked the first time the event was held virtually, and the streets of St Albans were completely empty which was a sad sight to see. “I have lived in St Albans all my life and each year I attend the event with my parents who are elderly and they don’t get out much. This is the one thing they look forward to all year. I was really disappointed when I found out the event was online,” says Jack, 32.

The festival is something that the entire community looks forward to every year so it isn’t a surprise that a lot of people were disappointed. However, the local council tried their best to still host the event even though it was online and although it wasn’t the same, it was still a solid effort by them and as someone who has hosted the event before, I know exactly how much time and hard work goes into preparing and setting it up.

“I can understand why the council made the decision to make the event virtual, however deep down I was still hoping it would somehow figure out a way to hold it as this is the one event the local community holds near and dear to their hearts,” says William from St Albans.

You can usually hear music and chants from miles away during the event, and roads are filled with cars and if you manage to find parking anywhere in town you truly are lucky. As someone who has lived in St Albans for most of my life, I must admit it felt very strange seeing my town so empty during that time of year. 

“The thing I love most about St Albans and our community is that people here are very welcoming and friendly. For the most part we are a good bunch of people. We like to have a good time and jump at every chance we can get to celebrate something,” says Kate, 38

The good news is that the St Albans council plans on having the festival back out in the open again, assuming we don’t go into another lockdown and Covid doesn’t get in the way. I’m hoping to work with the council this year and see how we can manage the festival and bring back joy to the community.

“You can see how the local community has been affected by not having the festival last year. Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like it doesn’t have the same vibrant spark that it usually has. The festival is a good opportunity for individuals in the local area to come together and get to know each other so I would say it’s definitely an important event for us,” says Sam, 40

An event that may seem minor to outsiders is something in which the St Albans community takes great pride and joy, and I hope by the end of this year the festival will be back and restore that pride and joy.

Feature image courtesy of ‘All about St Albans’.