The programme for this year’s Inverness Festivals Winter Celebrations was officially launched at Inverness Town House yesterday ( 5 October) by Festival Chairman Councillor Roy Pedersen accompanied by representatives of the numerous Alien Armies who have decided to attend this year’s opening event en route to invading Mars early in the New Year.

The Winter Celebrations will open with the Highland Capital’s annual Halloween Show which this year promises to be an out of this world experience as Eden Court Theatre, Arts in Motion and the Highland Council’s Lighting Department join forces once again to present “Alien Invasions – Close Encounters of the UFO Kind”.

This year’s show will take place on Ness Islands on the evenings of Friday 28th and Saturday 29th October and the children of Inverness are being urged to dress up in their scariest Halloween outfits in order to make the Alien Mercenaries think twice about invading the Earth. Due to reports of some members of the local community already showing signs of being infected with Alien DNA; arrangements have been made for the estimated 10,000 plus spectators who will be attending the show to be screened and probed if necessary.

Over 100 Alien Mercenaries are expected to appear on Ness Islands which will be transformed into a family friendly glimpse of what happens when twenty two worlds collide.

The 2011 Inverness Bonfire and Fireworks Display will take place on Saturday November 5th in Bught Park and this year’s show will feature the award winning Fireworx Scotland Display team. Arrangements have been made for something “special” to happen to Inverness Town House on the night; but no further details are to be released by the Festivals team.

The Countdown to Christmas will start on with a spectacular Christmas Lights Switch On day featuring three events.

This year’s Christmas Lights Switch On Ceremony will take place Sunday 20th November at 6.30pm at which Provost Jimmy Gray will be joined by Santa Claus and characters from the Eden Court Theatre Pantomime Cinderella which opens on December 6th.

Following the Switch On Ceremony Santa Claus and the Provost will then lead a procession down Church Street to St Stephen’s Old High Church for a very special Christmas Carol concert “Ding Dong Merrily Old High”.

As part of the Christmas Lights Switch On celebrations, one lucky youngster will be asked to help Santa Claus make a very special prize draw. The 2011 Advent Calendar, which will once again be projected on to the walls of Inverness Museum and Art Gallery, will feature the names of 24 local charities and community groups who will each receive a donation of £100 from the Inverness Common Good Fund.

Inverness based Charities and Community Groups interested in taking part in the 2011 Advent Calendar Draw are asked to register by forwarding their details to the Inverness Festivals Team by emailing gerry.reynolds@highland.gov.uk  before 10 November.

The weekend of Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 December will see the second Winter Wonderland show down at Whin Park featuring Rudolph and his Reindeer friends. Last year’s show for the younger members of the community was one of the most popular events of the year and another large crowd is expected to enjoy this floodlit show.

The 2011 Inverness Winter Festival will end with Scotland’s biggest free Hogmanay Party “The Red Hot Highland Fling” which will be officially launched later this month when the line up is confirmed.

Provost Jimmy Gray said: “The Inverness Events and Festivals Working Group has once again created a very exciting and imaginative programme to encourage all sections of our community to come out and enjoy themselves. From the youngest toddler to the more mature of our festival goers there is a lot on offer; and it is very pleasing to see our celebrations each winter continuing to grow both in terms of attendances and the boost that is given to our city’s economy.”

Source: Highland Council