WARRINGTON town centre has to be your first stop for Christmas fun.

It’s all going on in Warrington and starts tonight with the Christmas Lights Switch On with CBeebies favourites Mister Maker, Mr Bloom and Fireman Sam lighting up the town.

With activities starting from 3pm at Market Gate, this is sure to get the whole family feeling festive.

Father Christmas will be coming to town from November 24, setting up in his magical grotto which this year will be in Golden Square shopping centre near M&S.

Pick up unique gifts for all the family on Thursday, November 29 at a craft and gift fair across the town centre and there will also be a visit from some of Father Christmas’ reindeer.

An age old Warrington tradition comes back to town on December 1 with a St Andrew’s Day Festival with events around Bridge Street, Time Square and Warrington Market.

Once upon a time, the St Andrews Day Fair was a key feature of the town’s Christmas celebrations. Come along and see the past come to life with colourful market stalls, an exciting circus and street performers.

Between December 2nd and 8th, Christmas cabins featuring unique gifts will be popping up at Market Gate, and on Bridge Street every Saturday from 8 December up to the big day there will be Santa’s workshop with lantern making and make your own Christmas cards.

Every Saturday in December leading up to Christmas, there will be live reindeer, snowmen, and even break-dancing Santas as part of the town’s Street Animation events.

Carols sung by local schools and choir groups will provide festive cheer to accompany your present-buying trips throughout December too.

The streets will be filled with lights on Thursday December 13 with the annual lantern parade and light spectacular which starts at Queen’s Gardens, and ends at the Town Hall lawn.

Warrington’s Cultural Quarter will be playing host to a whole range of festive events too, with Kate Rusby performing classic Christmas carols and new variations on familiar festive tunes at Parr Hall on December 18, and comedian Ken Dodd making his annual trip to the venue on the 13th.

The month will also see a Christmas edition of the monthly Comedy Store on December 15 and The Houghton Weavers will be spreading festive cheer and performing their usual blend of comedy and music at Pyramid on December 13 and 14.

That weekend is also ‘Christmas in the Cultural Quarter’, an event taking place in Queen’s Gardens where local bars, restaurants and food producers will be showcasing the best food and drink that Warrington has to offer.

Also in the Cultural Quarter, Warrington Museum & Art Gallery is the perfect place to escape from your Christmas shopping. Have a wander around the museum with its beautifully restored art galleries and new exhibitions.