CHRISTMAS in Banbury begins on Sunday with the town's annual Lights Switch-On Festival.

The popular event will take place in the town centre and will include an afternoon of stage entertainment, funfair, stalls, street entertainers, and guest celebrity Ian Beale from EastEnders signing autographs and switching on the street decorations.

The full timetable of 'what's on and when' is listed in the free programme in this week's Banbury Cake - and the magazine also includes news and information about the day, plus three great competitions with fantastic prizes.

The day will be one to remember for Eastenders' fans with series bad boy Ian Beale (actor Adam Woodyatt) on stage at around 4pm to 5pm to flick the switch that turns on the town's festive illuminations.

The stage show, outside the town hall in Bridge Street, will begin at 1pm, and in the build-up to the switch-on, local groups Odd Ones Out and Tobacco Road will be followed on stage by X Factor's 4Sure and Madness tribute band Hope and Glory.

Fox FM will have a half-hour slot in the varied and exciting programme, and Radio Horton will compere the afternoon as they have for many years.

4Sure, the four-man group from Birmingham who were a popular act on last year's X Factor TV show will spend part of the afternoon signing autographs at the Banbury Cake stall near Barclay's Bank.

Hatwell's funfair will be in Market Place from midday, and charity and craft stalls will be in High Street and Broad Street.

Before the big day, Banbury Cake readers can enter three great competitions - full details in the free programme.

In the first, thanks to Radio Horton and Jeffs' Travel we have two tickets to see McFly live on Friday November 30 at Birmingham's NEC.

In the second competition, readers can win music vouchers donated by Richard White, the owner of Chalky's Music Shop in Banbury High Street.

The winner will get £50 of vouchers, the runner-up £30, and the third £20.

And the third competition is for family tickets (worth a total of £170) to the Magic of Christmas show at the NEC, Birmingham, in December.

The show is described as a fantastic experience for all the family, and a special occasion that brings Christmas alive.

  • The closing date for post, hand-delivered, and email entries for all competitions is midday on Friday November 23.

Entries for all three can also be made at the Banbury Cake stall at the Christmas Lights Festival between 1pm and 3.30pm (using the town hall clock) on Sunday November 25.

In all competitions, the winners will be drawn at random from all correct entries.

Banbury Cake competition rules apply.