Young artists invited to shape Galashiels festive season
Young people across the Galashiels cluster schools have been invited to take part in a Christmas poster competition that will give one pupil the opportunity to switch on the town’s Christmas tree lights during a full day of festive events on Saturday 21 November.
The competition forms part of the Galashiels – Where Christmas Comes Together campaign organised by BID for Galashiels. The winning design will be chosen to represent what the festive season means locally, and the successful pupil will take centre stage at 5pm to operate the official lights switch-on as part of A Festive Gala.
The event is scheduled to run along Bank Street from 11am until 6pm and is intended to build on the success of the previous year’s celebrations, organisers say. It is being promoted as an occasion for businesses, families and the wider community to come together to mark the start of the town’s festive period.
- Christmas market and food vendors
- Staged performances and a nativity
- Show Globe performance and magician
- Santa on a Trishaw
- School Christmas Choir led by Charlotte Bramhall from Borders School of Music
- Christmas lights switch-on, singalong and torchlight procession
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 11:00 | Event open on Bank Street / market and performances |
| 17:00 | Official Christmas tree lights switch-on |
| 18:00 | Event concludes |
Lauren Jamieson, Director of BID for Galashiels and Christmas Lead, said organisers wanted to increase community involvement this year and to put children at the heart of the celebration.
“Last year showed us just how much appetite there is for people to come together and celebrate Christmas in the heart of Galashiels. There was a wonderful atmosphere throughout the town, and for 2026 we really wanted to build on that and give the community even more reason to be part of the day… Having a local primary school pupil switch on the Christmas lights feels like a lovely way to put the community at the very heart of the celebrations.”
The competition invites pupils to create artwork around the theme ‘What Christmas Means to You in Galashiels’. Entries will be judged by organisers with the overall winner taking part in the gala’s finale. Full entry details and submission arrangements were not included in the initial announcement; parents and schools are being asked to watch for further guidance from BID for Galashiels and participating schools.
For the town centre, the gala is part of a wider effort to draw families into Galashiels at a key seasonal trading period. BID for Galashiels has highlighted the role events such as this play in supporting local businesses by increasing footfall and creating a community atmosphere geared towards spending and social interaction. For many residents of Galashiels and the surrounding cluster of schools, the event will double as an early Christmas social occasion and an opportunity for young people to see their creative work represented publicly.
Those attending can expect performances including a school choir led by Charlotte Bramhall from the Borders School of Music, a nativity presentation, entertainers such as a magician and Show Globe performance, and family-friendly features such as food vendors and Santa on a Trishaw. The day will finish with a singalong and torchlight procession designed to provide a communal finale to the lights switch-on.
Organisers describe A Festive Gala as a celebration intended to unite the community and to showcase Galashiels as a focal point for festive activity in the Borders. Further details on the poster competition deadline and how to enter are expected to be circulated via local schools and BID for Galashiels’ communications in the coming weeks.
