Christmas will come to Helston today (November 28) when the town’s festive lights display is switched on.

Widely considered to be amongst the best in the county, the strings of coloured lights and set displays always bring a seasonal glow to the town.

This year’s display will include a new festive feature – a “Welcome to Helston” decoration positioned on the raised grass corner at the junction of Monument Road and Furry Way.

The fun will begin in the town from 4pm, when Father Christmas will take up residence in his Winter Wonderland Grotto – complete with real reindeer – in the basement of Bowden’s Home Hardware, next to the museum.

Visitors are encouraged to arrive in good time and have something to eat from one of the hot food stalls, before enjoying the various fun rides, pony rides and musical entertainment put on for people as they wait for the countdown to the official switch-on at 7.30pm.

This will take place from the main stage which, this year, will be bigger and in a more central position outside Barclays Bank in Coinagehall Street.

The countdown from ten will start the “Five Minutes of Mayhem” fireworks display, sponsored by Borlase & Co Solicitors.

Robert Williams, chairman of Helston Christmas lights committee, said: “It’s all very exciting to know that Helston will once again be a blaze of colour as zig-zags of bulbs and all the big cross-street displays are lit up with military precision.”

His team of volunteers have spent several Sunday mornings over the last few weeks putting up thousands of low energy bulbs, often starting at 6am.

Their hard work will be rewarded with the switch-on, and people are encouraged to make a donation to help keep the display shining and improving year after year.

Helston’s main streets will be closed to traffic from 3.30pm on Friday to allow stallholders to set up, and will not re-open until 10pm, half an hour after the event finishes.