Once again, Marlow Chamber of Trade and Commerce are organising the hugely successful Late Night Shopping event on the 3rd December.

 

This event dates back nearly 20 years when The Chamber decided that they should increase the attractiveness of Marlow to both locals and visitors, the President at the time was John Chapman and together with help from Martin Spittle and Reg Markham, produced a ‘What’s on in Marlow’ notice and looked for concrete events to bring shoppers into the town.

 

Negotiating free parking on the 3 Thursdays leading up to Christmas led to support from local traders for a late night shopping event and the first evening took place in 1990, with the Town Mayor, Michael Bowater switching on the Christmas lights.

 

One of Michael’s fond memories of that evening was that when he and John Chapman visited the shops, banks and offices on the High Street they were all offering wine which certainly warmed them up on a chilly December evening!

 

The Late Night Shopping event commences at 6.00pm on Thursday the 3^rd December with the Christmas tree lights being turned on, accompanied by a short carol service.

 

The High Street is closed off from 4.00pm to enable an array of stalls, both charitable and commercial, to set up ready for the opening when they will then display and sell their goods.

 

A number of shops in the High Street, West Street and Spittal Street will be open until 9.00pm – the event is an excellent opportunity for Christmas shopping. 

 

This is a hugely popular event for families and really kicks off the Christmas celebrations in Marlow with an atmosphere of fun and music – fingers crossed for good weather!