The festive season is upon us and St Albans City Centre BID has once again illuminated the city centre with decorative lights and launched a brand new Christmas trail.

Running until 24th December 2024, the Felipe The Sheep Christmas Trail is a fun, free, family-friendly trail which invites residents and visitors to explore the city centre and find Felipe and his friends.

The trail features characters from the children’s book – Felipe The Sheep, which is an original story launched by St Albans Cathedral last year. The colourful read-aloud book tells the tale of Felipe, a character in a nativity play, lost just before the play begins. The book is written by Andrew Baird, a congregation member at St Albans, and is illustrated by Liz Cherrett.

To take part in the trail which is sponsored by SA Law, simply collect a free trail map sheet from the visitor desks in St Albans Museum + Gallery (open daily 11am– 5pm) or St Albans Cathedral (open daily 9am – 5pm). Find all the characters and collect 13 letters to complete a festive sentence.

Vivien Cannon, BID Manager, St Albans City Centre BID says: “Our trail this year is intentionally home spun. The story book of Felipe The Sheep is locally written using the backdrop of our Cathedral. It’s a tale that will be very familiar with families whose children may have felt like Felipe when performing in a school play. Trail goers will weave their way through the city centre to discover the locations of the characters, it’s a perfect opportunity to enjoy St Albans this Christmas and spend time with family and friends and capture memories by taking photos along the trail and with our story selfie frame.”

There’s also a chance for one lucky winner to win a Felipe The Sheep book, a Cathedral tour for up to 8 people and a £50 St Albans Gift Card. With two runner-up winners receiving a copy of a Felipe The Sheep book and a £50 St Albans Gift Card each. To enter, complete the entry form on the trail map sheet and post it in one of the trail post boxes in the Museum + Gallery or Cathedral.

Jo Kelly-Moore, Dean of St Albans says: “’Felipe the Sheep’ is a delightful, home-grown St Albans Christmas story, set against the beautiful backdrop of the Cathedral. This festive trail invites visitors of all ages to follow Felipe’s journey and discover the wonder and hope of Christmas. Along the way you’ll find moments of joy and discovery, and you can pick up a copy of the book in the Cathedral gift shop to take home. We hope you’ll join Felipe in celebrating the spirit of the season!”

Marilyn Bell, Partner, and Head of Family at SA Law says, “SA Law are really pleased to be supporting St Albans BID in sponsoring the Christmas Trail, and we are looking forward to providing a festive home for Felipe and one of his friends this year. This is always a fun trail for families, and we love seeing children’s excitement as they spot one of the trails cast outside our building. SA Law are proud to be an active part of the St Albans community.”

St Albans City Centre BID, which is a business-led organisation funded by city centre businesses, funds and manages the core delivery of the annual Christmas lights and installations in the area, which includes a contribution from St Albans City & District Council towards the lights.

Building on last year’s purchase of new freestanding decorations, additional lamp column wraparounds, and overhead festoons, this year the BID has invested in a new Christmas tree to welcome visitors to the city and get people in the festive spirit.

The giant 7.5m tall Christmas tree has been installed outside the Museum + Gallery with the intention that it will remain a festive centre piece for future years. The tree and the light installations provided a festive backdrop for the council’s Christmas Cracker event on Sunday 17th November and will remain in place until after Christmas Day. The BID’s partner KP Waste has also contributed towards the new tree.

Vivien adds: “Christmas lighting is an integral part of the festive city centre experience, creating a warm and joyful welcome to visitors as well as the opportunity to dwell and capture memories. In the past we’ve lacked a centre piece, and feedback highlighted that people wanted a very visible tree in the centre of the city. We’ve moved our freestanding decorations around and have two new locations. Managing expectations and ensuring value for money on budget spend for decorations means we need to be considered in what we deliver. As well as making St Albans a welcoming destination, the longevity and repeat usage of our decorations is part of our thought process.”

Felipe The Sheep Trail locations:

• Christmas Tree at St Albans Museum + Gallery – St Peter’s Street
• Gwendolen – Upper Dagnall Street
• Thorns – George Street
• St Albans Cathedral – Sumpter Yard
• Moneyhill Interiors – Holywell Hill
• Kutchenhaus – London Road
• Goddards – Chequer Street
• Hotel Chocolat – The Maltings
• OnBrand – Victoria Street
• The Alban Arena – Civic Close
• Metro Bank – St Peter’s Street
• HiTea – Catherine Street
• SA Law – Upper Marlborough Road

For more information and to download a digital version of the trail map visit: www.enjoystalbans.com/event/felipe-the-sheep-trail/

The BID has also put together a guide to Christmas in St Albans on the Enjoy St Albans website, featuring plenty of festive inspiration including events, Christmas menus, shopping and more. For all things Christmas in St Albans visit: www.enjoystalbans.com/christmas