The free event, which was fully booked within days of tickets being released, was presented by Harrogate Town Council in partnership with Harrogate Band, Harrogate BID and Harrogate International Festivals.
Councillor Chris Aldred, Mayor of Harrogate, welcomed the community and reflected on how many residents had asked for this traditional event to return since the new Town Council was formed in May 2025.
Led by Musical Director Craig Ratcliffe, the Harrogate Band accompanied a Community Choir featuring singers from Love Pop Choir, The Fisher Singers, Harrogate Theatre Choir amongst others as they performed a selection of much-loved Christmas carols that soon had the audience joining in.
Michelle from St John Fisher’s School Choir beautifully opened the evening with a solo of “Once in Royal David’s City”. Special guest Richard Upton, a professional singer who once sang in his school choir in previous years at this concert delighted the audience with “Most Wonderful Time of the Year” and “Jingle Bells” which were warmly received by the audience.
Between carols, guest readers representing Harrogate’s business community, the Festivals team, Harrogate BID and Harrogate Town Football Club shared their favourite Christmas readings, concluding with the infamous Bible reading John 1:1–14, by Rev Joseph Amoah, Minster of St Paul’s URC Church.
The Christmas magic truly came alive when Santa made a surprise appearance, calling out a jolly “Ho, ho, ho – Merry Christmas!” from the back of the hall, sending smiles across the audience, before making his way through the hall to meet and greet excited children. A moment of excitement followed as families were invited to look under their seats, where 4 lucky families discovered a gold star which Santa then exchanged for a £20 Harrogate Gift Card prize, courtesy of Harrogate BID.
The concert was brought to a close by the Mayor, rounding off a festive evening that celebrated music, community spirit and the start of the Christmas season. A retiring collection for the much loved and sadly much needed Harrogate Charity, Resurrection Bites, raised over £1500 for their mission to provide food for local people in need, not just at Christmas , but throughout the year.
The Town Council would like to thank everyone involved in making the Mayor’s Christmas Carol Concert such a success, including the performers, readers, volunteers and our partners, as well as all those who attended and helped create such a warm and festive sense of community – it was great to be able to bring the tradition back, as requested by so many.
Images by Emma Brunt Photography of Brunt Photography Harrogate.