Santa's coming to Chatham Street in the city centre. He's told us he's dropping in to the Great Outdoors and will be abseiling down from the roof to meet little Dubliners in his grotto this afternoon. Mums and dads will be glad to hear that the visit - which kicks off the Chatham Street Christmas Festival - is free.
Great Outdoors in conjunction with Dublin City BID says the Christmas Festival will be a day to remember for the whole family, and everything on the day will be absolutely FREE. Kicking off at 1pm, Santa will arrive in style by abseiling from the top of Great Outdoors. Santa will then retire to his grotto where children of all ages will be rewarded with yummy sweets and a souvenir picture. If that isn't enough, other businesses on the street have come together to offer free samples of food to everyone. There will be Christmas music, large outdoor games, face painting, stilt jumpers and lots to enjoy on the day. Children can even write their letters to Santa and post them in the Santa post box. It's not the first time the Chatham Street store has had a surprise visit from Santa, as you can see in the video below.
The initiative was set up by the owners of the Great Outdoors, Ken Costigan and Derek Moody, in a bid to create an event for all the family that will not cost a penny. "What better way to kick off the festive season than having Santa come to the Great Outdoors. We would love to see families join us on TODAY to celebrate Christmas. The children will love seeing Santa abseiling from such a height and there will be the added bonus of free treats for everyone in the audience," says Costigan.
Derek Moody says it's a community event with lots of local businesses coming together to show what the street can offer.
Great Outdoors has ensured its Christmas campaign is in line with the current economic situation. For the third year running, frazzled shoppers will be able to buy 101 gifts for under €30 in Ireland's oldest outdoor store. "We know things are tight for people in recent years. We have identified 101 gifts in store for under €30. They are all great quality and there is something in there for everyone from your better half to your office Secret Santa. We want to take away that feeling of dread that people get when they set out to do their Christmas shop. We also want to help people stay within their budget, which we know is often a challenge" says Moody.
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