By working closely with local craft makers, traders and community partners, we helped shape a Christmas experience that extends far beyond a single attraction. Through collaboration with AFC Bournemouth, Coastal BID and the Town Centre BID teams, we ensured that while the event draws national attention and visitors, it remains deeply rooted in the local community.
What has been created is a fully integrated Christmas experience across the town centre, Lower Gardens and seafront, one that reflects Bournemouth’s identity while supporting local businesses, creatives and local talent. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive from partners, suppliers and visitors alike, reinforcing the importance of delivering something that feels both large scale and genuinely local. The local council has commented:
"Seventa Events won the contract over several other national providers in 2017 and have delivered three years of a vastly improved Christmas offering for Bournemouth. One of our focus points was to have a supplier that increased local traders, of which Seventa\nhave done so. Local traders now include local businesses, arts & crafts traders, and local restaurants providing hot food stalls. The overall quality, design and management of Christmas in Bournemouth has vastly improved since Seventa took over the contract. They deliver the event professionally, and have a very personal team that work well with all of our stakeholders. We would highly recommend them to any Council."
Jon Weaver Head of Events Bournemouth Council
"}},"section2Content":{"id":"eba137ca-e673-54fe-9352-97aa5ba8ea4e","childContentfulRichText":{"id":"7d39b01b-2509-5794-8ac5-6312b18ed3d8","html":"Across the Lower Gardens, we reimagined the traditional lights trail into something far more immersive. Visitors could explore a real Christmas tree maze, weaving through illuminated pathways and creating a sense of discovery at every turn. Alongside this, new light tunnels and animated displays added depth to the journey, transforming the gardens into a space that felt alive both day and night.
Interactivity became a central theme. One of the most popular additions was the ability for children to control the lighting installations themselves, choosing colours and patterns to bring parts of the gardens to life in real time. This simple but effective feature helped turn spectators into participants and added a personal connection to the experience.
We also introduced Snow and Glow Golf, a festive twist on mini golf that combined glowing visuals with a relaxed, social activity, giving families and groups another reason to stay and explore the site into the evening.
At the heart of the family offering was the all new Santa’s Workshop, designed as a space for creativity and storytelling. Here, children could take part in craft sessions, enjoy story time and meet Santa in a setting brought to life with festive detail, including animatronic reindeer and playful interactive features.
To complement this, we introduced a traditional helter skelter, adding a nostalgic, visual focal point within the gardens, as well as Santa’s Express, giving younger visitors a journey through the festive landscape and connecting different parts of the experience.
Together, these additions marked a clear shift in the event. Rather than simply visiting a Christmas market or lights display, guests were able to move through a series of moments, each designed to surprise, engage and encourage exploration, creating a more complete and memorable festive destination.
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We were appointed to bring together previously standalone attractions into one cohesive experience, while safeguarding key elements of Bournemouth’s Christmas identity and introducing new features to elevate the overall offer.
5 year contract – from 2025 , to include the market, rink and gardens site in collaboration with partners
Increased visitor footfall to over 5.4 million
Full event planning, construction, production and management
10 day build time
Build crew of 75+ people
New interactive Wonderland elements including Glow Gold, Maze, Helter Skelter and Sant'as Workshop
60+ local jobs created for duration of the market (49 days)
40x chalet huts, two-storey custom built Alpine Lodge structure, performance stage with LED screen, power distribution and waste management
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