Arundel By Candlelight

Arundel Chamber of Commerce have announced that due to the ongoing Covid crisis, there will be no 'Arundel by Candlelight' event in 2020.

However, there are a number of other new event formats, initiatives and marketing opportunities being investigated and explored for the vital run up to Christmas and the Chamber will be showcasing businesses with support from the experts at Akin, Arundel's 'creative collective'.

Arundel will still shine brightly with Christmas trees throughout the town this December and will be welcoming residents and visitors as usual to its independent shops, galleries and restaurants.

“Arundel is Christmas”

The historic town of Arundel in West Sussex, with its famous castle and cathedral, provides the perfect backdrop to enjoy Christmas. Real Christmas trees decorated with simple white lights adorn all the shops, restaurants and bars, plus many private houses, creating an elegant and sophisticated scene. While in the town square a traditional tall Christmas tree donated by the Duke of Norfolk’s estate shines brightly against the early evening sky. With a refreshing absence of chain stores, Arundel is also celebrated for its modern independent shops, contemporary art galleries, and great restaurants, bars and cafes.

Historically the Arundel Chamber of Commerce has organised “Arundel by Candlelight”(ABC) - a large-scale Christmas event based on one day in early December. The event attracts thousands of people to the town and has worked with community groups, choirs, churches, schools and the Rotary Club. The most recent event in 2019 was seen by residents, businesses and visitors to have been one of the most successful and well planned to date, with a host of choirs performing throughout the day while Father Christmas welcomed children at his grotto in Arundel Museum. Pantomime excerpts were enjoyed at Nineveh House, plus live music on Tarrant Street. Traditional vintage children’s games and rides with Santa’s tallest elf and stilt walking Scrooge. While “A Winter’s Trail” run by the Arundel Gallery Trail opened in venues around town. The Arundel by Candlelight Christmas Market rivals many of those to be found in our larger cities for the quality and range of hand-picked stall-holders, and there is always an array of seasonal treats such as roasted chestnuts, mulled wine and hog roasts. The event provides people with a great opportunity to ‘shop local’ for presents and support their high street. Arundel by Candlelight delivers an enchanting day, full of fun and festive cheer: an opportunity for everyone to come together and celebrate a memorable time in the run up to Christmas.

Unfortunately ABC is expensive, time-consuming and potentially unsustainable in its current form, but Arundel Chamber of Commerce would like to continue to create excitement and grow Arundel’s reputation during the winter months, now more than ever before. So the Chamber of Commerce has been pushing ahead with an initiative to explore marketing opportunities for Arundel businesses in the run up to Christmas across the November/December period, separating out the event over several days and with themes. To start the process, an online brainstorming session was facilitated by Jane Mote from beechtobeach, with input from other experts from the Akin group (Arundel’s ‘creative collective’). The Chamber already have their sights on 2021 and will do their best to create and deliver what is possible this year due to the present climate.