The Rock is super proud to be able to support this year’s pantomime The Pied Piper of Hamelin at The Met, helping make the magic more accessible to local families and schoolchildren.
Here’s to a season full of sparkle, silliness, and standing ovations! 
HUNDREDS of local children took part in The Rock Shopping Centre’s first ever Christmas Lights Switch on Parade.
A festive parade filled with community groups wound its way through the shopping and leisure destination ahead of the big countdown to turn on the decorations.
Led by a cheeky elf and an LED drummer the parade took place on Saturday (8th November) and is a new addition to The Rock’s event calendar, as part of its 15th year birthday celebrations.
Groups including Radcliffe Rainbows, 44th Bury Scouts and Seedfield Panthers FC were involved, alongside Bury Council’s Fostering Team, Adoption Now, Holy Cross College and Bury Music Service.
Festooned staff from Primark and Hotel Chocolat also featured in the parade and characters including stilt walking angels, a Christmas pudding, Christmas bauble ladies and roaming disco balls. Music and a live broadcast was delivered by community radio station, Roch Valley Radio.
The parade concluded with the traditional countdown in St John’s Square where the centre’s brand new, dazzling decorations were switched on.
The decorations include a geometric stag, a sleigh with reindeer and a new Christmas tree, as well as lighting on the front of the leisure block and along the centre’s lamp posts and pillars.
The following groups were recognised with awards:
Arnold Wilcox-Wood, Centre Director at The Rock, said: “Our first-ever Christmas Parade and Lights Switch-On was everything we hoped for and more. The atmosphere was electric, and seeing so many families and friends come together to kick-start the festive season was truly heartwarming. This event was all about community, and the support we received was fantastic. Thank you to everyone who joined us – you’ve helped make this a Christmas to remember.”
FAMILIES turned out in full force for the opening weekend of The Rock Shopping Centre’s FREE Santa’s Grotto.
The shopping and leisure destination’s Santa’s Grotto officially opened on Saturday 30th November and is open on various days on the run up to Christmas.
More than 200 children visited the grotto over the opening weekend.
Visitors queued in anticipation of the grotto opening and were able to step into a cozy woodland theme wonderland for their visit to Santa.
It’s the first time The Rock has hosted a grotto since the pandemic.
The focal piece of the grotto is a magical archway of lights, garlands, baubles and branches, creating a standout backdrop for the photo with Santa. Admission is free and includes a chocolate lolly.
Arnold Wilcox-Wood, Centre Director of The Rock, said: “We’ve had an excellent opening weekend at our free Santa’s Grotto, and we’re thrilled that so many families were able to join us. The grotto is open on various dates between now and Christmas Eve and is completely FREE to enter. It is important to my team and I that we offer this experience free of charge, so that all children can enjoy a festive visit to see Santa.”
The grotto is in St John’s Square, alongside the centre’s Christmas food fair. The famous Rock Express land train will also return this Christmas. Visitors can enjoy a festive journey in the town from Saturday 14th December.
Santa’s Grotto is fully accessible and is manned by two elves. Santa will take a break daily at 1pm for 30 mins. There will be no admission to the grotto during this time.
For full opening hours and further information visit The Rock’s website or keep an eye on their social media pages.
FAMILIES from Bury and beyond will be able to visit a magical Santa’s Grotto at The Rock Shopping this festive season – for FREE!
The shopping and leisure destination’s Santa’s Grotto will open on Saturday 30th November and will then be open on various days on the run up to Christmas.
It’s the first time The Rock has hosted a grotto since the pandemic and they’re promising a high quality, classic grotto with outstanding staff.
Families will step into a cosy woodland theme wonderland for their visit to Santa. The focal piece of the grotto will be a magical archway of lights, garlands, baubles and branches to create a standout backdrop for the photo with Santa. Admission is free and includes a chocolate lolly.
Arnold Wilcox-Wood, Centre Director of The Rock, said: “Here at The Rock we are firm believers that every child should be able see Santa and that’s why once again our grotto will be free to enter. This year’s grotto is a brand-new design, and we think our visitors will be absolutely blown away by it – it’ll be sure to get them in the Christmas spirit.”
The grotto will be located in St John’s Square, alongside the centre’s Christmas food fair. The famous Rock Express land train will also return this Christmas. Visitors can enjoy a festive journey in the town from Saturday 14th December.
Santa’s grotto will be fully accessible and will be manned by two elves. Quiet hour will run on Fridays from 11am-12pm. Santa will take a break daily at 1pm for 30 mins. There will be no admission to the grotto during this time.
The search is on for local heroes to switch on the Christmas lights at The Rock Shopping Centre this year.
The shopping and leisure destination is holding a Community Christmas Concert and Lights Switch On on Saturday 9th November 2024.
Running from 3pm-5pm the shopping centre has joined forces with Roch Valley Radio to pull together a special festive event which will bring the people of Bury together.
As part of the community-focused event, The Rock is launching their search for a local hero or heroes to help switch on the festive lights.
On the day, the countdown will take place just before 5pm and the local hero/es will flick the switch to light up The Rock ready for the Christmas shopping period.
Nominations can be made through The Rock’s website from Friday 4th October and the deadline for submissions is Friday 25th October.
The Rock’s centre director, Arnold Wilcox-Wood, said: “Last year’s Christmas lights switch on event was a huge success and we’re thrilled to be hosting it again. In 2023 our local hero was Les Edwards, Chairman of Seedfield Sports Junior Football Club, who was chosen following a nomination campaign where we received 95 submissions.
“We were overwhelmed with nominations in our search for a local hero – choosing just one person was tough.
“So, this year, we’ll be choosing multiple local heroes to help us light up Bury at our Community Christmas Concert and Lights Switch On.
“Whether they’re a volunteer, teacher, emergency services worker, or somebody who has done something outstanding in the community, you can nominate your local hero to switch on the Christmas Lights at The Rock.
“This event is all about the community and celebrating our rising stars, our charity partner Secret Garden – Hoyles Park and a local heroes. We’re thrilled to be hosting this ‘new look’ event for a second year and can’t wait to kick off the Christmas season.”
The event will take place on a stage in St John’s Square, in front of The Range and will feature groups from the Carol Godby Theatre Workshop, Bury Music Service and performers who have been supported by Liv’s Trust.
The switch on event is free to attend and marks the beginning of the Christmas season for The Rock.
Families visiting The Rock Shopping Centre this Christmas will have their trip turned upside down thanks to the destination’s free, fun, festive installation.
This weekend a giant Christmas present was unveiled at The Rock – a present with a difference.
Inside the present is an upside down candy cane playroom, featuring gingerbread men, candy canes, lollipops, teddy bears and more but the twist is, it’s all upside down.
The present will be open every day for shoppers to take a look around and take some festive snaps with a difference.
Families are encouraged to visit and take the most fun festive photos for social media with fancy dress encouraged throughout.
The best photo submission will win a bumper prize hamper made up of gifts donated by The Rock’s retailers, just in time for Christmas.
Plus, on Saturdays in December, the Jolly Candy Follies will be on hand for photos within the present and families can take part in a festive window trail around the centre, with returned entries receiving sweet treats.
Located in the space in front of The Range, the Topsy Turvy Gift will be open daily throughout December with the competition running on Facebook until Monday 18th December.
Arnold Wilcox-Wood, Centre Director of The Rock, said: “We wanted to do something completely different this Christmas and we’re so thrilled to unveil our Topsy Turvy Gift. So many people have already posed for photos and we can’t wait to go through all the competition entries. The prize hamper is filled with wonderful gifts from retailers including M&S, The Entertainer, The Perfume Shop, Kaspa’s Desserts, Skechers, Bob & Berts, Starbucks, Pandora and more.”
HUNDREDS of people gathered at The Rock Shopping Centre for a community concert which saw the Christmas lights switched on by a local hero.
Les Edwards, 66, Chairman of Seedfield Sports Junior Football Club was chosen to turn on the Christmas lights following The Rock’s campaign to find a local hero for the job.
He was put forward by members of the community for all his work at the club, with one parent saying: ‘Without Les and his dedication for this football club many children wouldn’t be able to do what they love. Please consider this selfless man because he really doesn’t know how much we value him as a person and what he does for our children.”
The concert took place on Saturday 4th November, running from 2pm-5pm. The shopping centre joined forces with Roch Valley Radio to pull together the special festive event which brought the people of Bury together.
The event featured groups from the Carol Godby Theatre Workshop, Bury Music Service and performers who have been supported by The Rock’s current partner charity, Liv’s Trust.
The line-up was hosted by former Tower FM breakfast presenter Jon Holling and took place on a stage in St John’s Square, in front of The Range.
Ahead of the switch on, Les, said of the nominations: “I’m just a normal bloke, I’ve got a lot of good people around me. It’s not just me, it’s everybody. I just want kids to be able to play football.”
When the lights were switched on the Manchester Survivors Choir took to the stage and performed some Christmas classics as the crowd sang along.
Arnold Wilcox-Wood, Centre Director at The Rock said: “We were thrilled to be able to host our Community Christmas Concert and Lights Switch On event after so many years without one. It has always been a very popular event and this year was no exception.
“This year we really wanted to shine a light on the local community by showcasing local talent and celebrating local people – it was heartwarming to watch so many talented youngsters take to the stage and wonderful to see a crowd of smiling, happy faces.
“It was our pleasure to invite Les to turn on the lights, he is a great ambassador for the town.”
Arnold added: “We are so grateful to every single performer for taking part. We couldn’t have put on this show without them.”
The switch on event was free to attend and marks the beginning of the Christmas season for The Rock. A mystery gift photo op will also arrive in the centre in December and visitors will be encouraged to share their festive snaps for the chance to win a Christmas prize.
The search is on for a local hero to switch on the Christmas lights at The Rock Shopping Centre this year.
We are holding a Community Christmas Concert and Lights Switch On on Saturday 4th November.
Running from 2pm-5pm we have joined forces with Roch Valley Radio to pull together a special festive event which will bring the people of Bury together.
As part of the community-focused event, we are launching a search for a ‘local hero’ to find a Bury star to help switch on the festive lights.
On the day, the countdown will take place just before 5pm and the local hero will flick the switch to light up The Rock ready for the Christmas shopping period.
Nominations can be made through our website from Tuesday 3rd October and the deadline for submissions is Friday 20th October.
The Rock’s centre director, Arnold Wilcox-Wood, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be holding our Community Christmas Concert and Lights Switch On event this year. This event is all about the community and celebrating our rising stars, our charity partner and a local hero. This event will be very different to our previous switch ons but it promises to be a fun-filled event which will bring together the people of Bury.
“It is the perfect opportunity to shine the spotlight on the local heroes which is why we are searching for a well deserving local star to help switch on this year’s lights. We look forward to receiving the nominations and we’re sure we’ll have our work cut out in choosing just one person to light up The Rock.”
The event will also feature groups from the Carol Godby Theatre Workshop, Bury Music Service and performers who have been supported by The Rock’s current partner charity, Liv’s Trust.
The line-up will be hosted by former Tower FM breakfast presenter Jon Holling and will take place on a stage in St John’s Square, in front of The Range.
The switch on event is free to attend and marks the beginning of the Christmas season for The Rock. A mystery gift photo op will also arrive in the centre in December and visitors will be encouraged to share their festive snaps for the chance to win a Christmas prize.
Children’s TV favourite Mr Bloom and pop sensation 5 After Midnight will switch on the Christmas lights at The Rock this year.
The centre’s Christmas Lights Switch on, hosted by Tower FM, will take place on Thursday 9th November from 5:30pm until 7:30pm and will also feature a number of local acts, including groups from the Carol Godby Theatre Workshop and of course an appearance from Santa himself.
Throughout the evening a competition called ‘Be Santa, See Santa’ will take place – visitors can have their photo taken in a Santa hat and beard by the Tower FM street team at their ‘Santa Stations’ for a chance to win an amazing family trip to Lapland.
There’ll be spot prizes for Santas posing throughout the night and the holiday winner will be announced just before the switch for the lights is flicked.
The switch on is free to attend and in the week leading up to the event a competition to find Mr Bloom’s vegetables around the centre will be held, with the winners given the chance to say hello to the star before he takes to the stage on the night.
The event marks the beginning of the Christmas season for The Rock. The centre’s Santa’s Grotto will officially open on Saturday 25th November following the Santa’s Arrival parade in the morning and The Rock Express will return in December to transport festive shoppers around the town until the end of the month.
The Rock’s centre director, Arnold Wilcox-Wood, said: “Our Christmas Lights Switch on is the biggest event in our calendar and people travel from miles around to join us – and this year will be no exception!
“The flick of the switch at the end of the night truly signals the beginning of the festive season for the centre, our retailers and our shoppers. We’re really excited about this year’s line-up and to be working in conjunction with Tower FM and as always we look forward to welcoming thousands of visitors to join with us for the event.”
The festive party season is here. But with so many invites, from cosy nights in to proper parties, it’s difficult to know what to wear, and when. So we’ve done the hard work for you and put together some of our favourite outfits to cover your diary.
Occasion: The Christmas Meal
Laid back chic meets festive frenzy. Throw on these coated jeans, this quirky robin jumper and pair with heels to take your outfit seamlessly from day to night.
Occasion: The Night Out
Just enough sparkle to feel special, without over doing it. All in black, because black will always be the new black. This outfit’s all about the textures- just check out the ponyskin clutch bag!
Occasion: From meal to a night out
Smart, sophisticated yet effortlessly cool. An outfit that ticks all the festive boxes.
From your meal to the night out to a day with family, we’ve got what to wear at your Christmas party covered head to heel. Share with us your festive fashion choices on Twitter @therockbury.