Bury St Edmunds town centre will look brighter than ever this Christmas with the addition of new festive lights.

The switch-on event, which is organised by the Business Improvement District (BID) group Ourburystedmunds, is taking place on Thursday in the town centre and will include free attractions and entertainment.

This year new lights and decorations are added to the display, including in St John’s Street, and some of the major car parks will also be lit for the first time to give a festive welcome to late-night shoppers or those enjoying a night out.

Penguins, reindeer and Husky dogs will be among the seasonal attractions as part of the Christmas celebrations.

Mark Cordell, chief executive of Ourburystedmunds, which also funds the Christmas lights, said: “This year I think Bury St Edmunds will look its brightest since the BID became responsible for the illuminations five years ago. It’s a very important time for town-centre businesses and deserves proper investment.

“From the moment people step out of their cars until when they leave they’ll see a bright and beautiful town centre. Bury St Edmunds is a great place to shop and celebrate in the weeks before Christmas and the switch-on night with so much free entertainment for all ages really shouldn’t be missed.”

As well as the ever-popular animals in a special enclosure near the top of Abbeygate Street, there will be a full stage programme of acts near Moyse’s Hall Museum and festive stalls.

The event officially gets under way from 2pm, with the lights switched on at 7pm by Bury St Edmunds MP Jo Churchill. Later, a Robbie Williams tribute act will round off the evening with some of the artist’s best-known hits.

The stage shows, featuring eight different performances from local schools and colleges, will start at 3.10pm and at just before 7pm Father Christmas will ride through the town on a galleon to take his place on the stage.

Parking for the event and all subsequent Thursdays in the run up to Christmas will be free in town centre car parks from 4pm.

For more information about the Christmas Lights switch-on event visit www.burystedmundsfestivals.com. For the latest information about visiting Bury St Edmunds visit www.ourburystedmunds.com or download the Ourburystedmunds app.

Ipswich will also be lit up next Thursday -s ee details of the event and others happening across Suffolk and north Essex here