The new-look Cornhill will host thousands of people next week for the Ipswich Town Hall Christmas lights switch on.

East Anglian Daily Times: Five things we discovered this week. Picture: DAVID VINCENTFive things we discovered this week. Picture: DAVID VINCENT (Image: Archant)

The annual town centre tradition will be starting from 4.30pm on Thursday, November 22, with festivities until the countdown begins at 6.45pm.

This is the first year the event takes place on the renovated Cornhill site, which should be fully opened by the time the lights are switched on next Thursday evening – and from then on there are a series of events in the run-up to Christmas.

Mayor Jane Riley and some of the cast of this year’s Ipswich Regent pantomime, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, will be switching the lights on this year.

Entertainment on the steps of the town hall will be building up the excitement for the crowd before the lights around the Cornhill are switched off ahead of this year’s Christmas lights reveal.

For safety reasons, temporary gates will be closed once capacity in that part of the town centre has been reached.

A special area has been set aside for people in wheelchairs and with mobility needs.

Ipswich Borough Council is also reminding shoppers - who can take advantage of the first night of late-night shopping in the town - that parking will be available in the new Crown car park, next to Crown Pools.

Organisers recommend arriving early, as the Cornhill has a capacity that cannot be exceeded for safety reasons.

Once the event is full, temporary gates will close to prevent overcrowding.

A dedicated space for those with wheelchairs or mobility needs to watch the switch on will be in place as well.

On Saturday, November 24, local choir Pop Chorus will be singing on the Cornhill between 1pm to 3pm for shoppers in the town centre.