Well I ambled over to Market Square last night for the switch on. I caught up with BWS there and we watched it unfurl. There was lotsa loud music with the obligatory pulsating beat and some chap on stage was giving it some voice over welly. A crowd, looking smaller than before, of about 150 people, seemed to be enjoying it.
The switch on came. Call me an oul humbug if you will, but I had that dejavue feeling of anti-climax. The Mayor doing her best, and Andy Hessanthaler of Dover Athletic who nobody seemed to know, were doing the honours of pulling the majestic switch. When Andy came on stage the DJ made something of Dover Athletic's 3-0 win that afternoon, but again nobody seemed to know..or care all that much if the truth be told, as the references to DA went down like a lead balloon.
The crowd trying hard to have a bit of fun, needed a celebrity at this point.
Then the switch was pulled. The rudimentary lights came on and failed to muster even a minor gasp of excitement, and at that point we drifted off along with many, and went to Wetherspoons where we teamed up with daughter BB on a flying visit, and her boyfriend. We had a cheap meal and a pint, and the place was full or fullish and getting fuller as we left. It seems to be the only place left in Dover now on saturday night that has a busy social atmosphere.
I took the picture above on my way home. It was still early evening and as you can see Castle St is already deserted. How the few establishments survive in Castle St is beyond me as its only about 8pm on the night the Christmas Lights were switched on, and there is already no sign of terrestial life. Is that a tumbleweed I see blowing down the main street!
The celebrations in Market Sq brought no business to the immediate establishments as all, The Firkin, The Bar Ellie, were next to empty. La Vie Romana although mostly empty had a few tables going but appeared to have no atmostphere at all, with bored staff looking out the window. Chapter EIGHT appeared to have a bit of a party atmosphere going, the only one, so maybe they attracted some business from the event.
The Mayor and Mayoress did the honours.