STROUD will come alive with Christmas festivities with the return of the annual Goodwill Evening tonight, Friday December 2.

This year’s event promises a busy schedule of entertainment and a unique theme of Woodland Animals.

The town centre will be transformed into a bustling winter wonderland full of stalls, sweets, music, mulled wine, mice pies and much more.

Festivities will begin at 6pm with the official light switch on outside the Sub Rooms, which will see attractions including a sweet shop, hog roast, flower stall, glitter tattoos, plus music from Stroud Rock Choir and Jazz Friday.

Mr Twitchett’s Café will also see music from Stroud Fringe favourite Hattie Briggs and The Bob Porter Project.

Following on from previous year’s success the popular candle-lit lantern procession will be the highlight of the night as it winds its way through the town centre.

This year the procession will be led by the Stroud Red Band.

There will also be a fairground in Fawkes Place, the annual Christmas Tree festival in St Laurence Church and a traditional Organ in Kendrick Street.

A photo booth will also be available at the Razzmatazz Charity shop at the top of the High Street.

Oakridge School Choir, Stroud Light Music Choir and Methodist Church Band will all be performing and Elvis will even be making an appearance at Emmaus charity shop.

As always the special Christmas markets at Stroud Goodwill will be brimming with festive presents, gifts and stocking fillers.

This year there a number of different markets planned for different sites around the town centre.

Shoppers will be able to visit markets in the Sub Rooms, as well as the famous Shambles indoor and outdoor market, which will enjoy music from the Methodist Church Band.

The market café as well as music from Hattie Briggs from 5.30pm and Stroud Light Music coir from 7pm.

Merrywalks will play host to the Charities Market, which will feature song and dance entertainment from the Pauline Quirk academy.

Visitors can enjoy a glass of sherry, sip and nibble on mulled wine and mince pies from one of the local eateries whilst picking up gifts from dozens of stalls.

This year a number of different businesses have entered the hotly contested shop window display competition, including Haberdashery Twist, Moonflower, R and R Books, Fourteen Lifestyle, Town Council, Rococo, Furnishings, Wild Boar and the Tranzform Charity Shop.

Judging for this will take place on Friday morning of Goodwill.

A number of shops will be giving special offers for one night only, including Saymor Furnishers Ltd in John Street Pashon Jewellery in Russell Street.

This year’s Goodwill procession will be led by a new group, The Stroud Red Band.

In fact this will be the debut performance for the group’s 15 or so members who are led by musical director Mark Coldrick.

Mark said: “We are a scion of the London Big Red Band, which has been in existence since the 1980s.

“Like them we play music from the heritage of the labour and socialist movements – traditional socialist marching band music from many lands, US civil rights and peace movement songs, songs from the women’s movement and gay rights campaigns, and some nice African and Latin tunes.

“The London band has a really good set of arrangements that suit players of all abilities, and we are lucky to be able to use them.”

The band currently features three trumpets and a cornet, two trombones, three alto saxophones and a tenor saxophone, a bass clarinet plus several drummers and percussionists.