Villagers in Long Melford are guaranteed a white Christmas of sorts when Santa arrives later this month, complete with live reindeer, a host of festive entertainment – and a snow machine.

The Melford Olde Christmas event, on November 27, will culminate in a lantern parade along Hall Street to Little Green for the community’s official light switch on ceremony.

Entertainment, starting at noon, will include a Punch & Judy show, Morris dancing, stilt walkers, a medieval jester, birds of prey, a juggler and a Victorian magic show.

Young revellers will have a chance to visit Father Christmas in his Grotto, play under snow and bubble machines and follow a ‘Snowflake Trail’ around the village.

According to one of the organisers, Emma Butler Smith, it will be an exciting day, with traditions harking back to the Christmases past. She said visitors could expect to bump into costumed characters from the Victorian, Tudor, Georgian and Medieval eras.

“Melford Olde Christmas is a community event, bringing the whole village and surrounding area together. We try to involve as many different local people as possible during the run-up and on the day,” she said.

Festive treats such as mulled wine, warming soup and hot chestnuts will be served up, and the Long Melford Silver Band will add to the yuletide atmosphere with a programme of traditional carols and seasonal songs.

The lantern parade will start at 4pm from outside the library before making its way down to the Christmas tree on Little Green. Melford Olde Christmas is a free community event organised by Long Melford Christmas Association, which was formed in April 2015 as a non-partisan village group to stage local events.