Step into the city centre on Thursday, November 10 between 4 -8pm and be immersed into a world filled with lights, music, magic and entertainment to herald the start of the festive season. Step Into Christmas will offer an action packed programme of dazzling entertainment for all the family set against the glittering spectacle of Cardiff’s Christmas lights.

A great reason to start your Christmas Shopping early while soaking up the unique atmosphere created in Cardiff as it comes to life after dark. Entertainment will be city centre wide, including sites in Queen Street, The Hayes and around the Castle Quarter in High Street and St John Street.

Step Into Christmas also heralds the opening of the Christmas Markets. St John Street, Working Street and the Hayes will be filled with traditional wooden chalets laden with hand-crafted Christmas gifts.

Artists performing at Step into Christmas:

Bjorn the Polar Bear
A realistic, beautifully animated life sized Polar Bear with his Inuit helper Ursula. Bjorn likes to be stroked and pose for pictures. He is so life-like it should carry the warning: not a real Polar Bear!

The Apus Birds
These magical giant birds with their stunning fanned tails will illuminated the streets of Cardiff. These beautiful, animated birds are a living example of the song lyric from the Twelve Days of Christmas ‘two calling birds’ as they entertain and inspire audiences with their movement, size and beautiful bird song.

The Halo Glow Show
Breathtaking modern circus meets state-of-the-art light-emitting technology. Halo is a visual feast of choreographed colour using super-bright LED (glowing) props to illuminate the complex patterns and textures drawn in the air by two jugglers and two world-class hula-hoop artists.

Gandini Jugglers- Glow
A spectacular show featuring 6 performers who juggle with state of the art computer controlled clubs which change colour to the music.

Ben and Holly from Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom
Children’s favourites Ben and Holly from Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom will bring even more magic to the evening and will be meeting and greeting families at various intervals throughout the evening.

The Little Kingdom is home to Princess Holly and her best friend Ben Elf. Along with their friends, Ben & Holly have lots of magical fun and exciting adventures playing together in the Little Kingdom and can be seen daily on Nick Jr and weekdays on Five’s Milkshake!

Captain Christmas
This seasonal superhero leads you through a fast paced performance of traditional circus skills. Warning: this caped crusader is crackers!

Bell and Bullock - Joy Riding Reindeer
Put your hooves in the air for two of Santa’s naughtiest reindeer! These Red nosed Rogues have stolen Santa’s sleigh and are now loose on the streets of Cardiff, playing tunes and performing magic tricks.

Globe-Walking Elves
Two pointy eared Snow Elves from Lapland leap on and off their huge white snow balls, juggling smaller snowballs as they globe walk around the passers-by. They throw large handfuls of fake snow and hop into sprightly acrobatic balances leaving a little piece of the North Pole wherever they go

Lairy Fairy and the Christmas Puddings
Oh dear Lairy Fairy’s Christmas Puddings have grown a little too well this year and are now as big as people. Don’t worry though they are cute and cuddly and they love to dance to cheesy tunes!

Winter Rose
Elderly wayfarer Winter Rose carries her colourful cargo of festive flowers round the streets of Cardiff offering humorous and homespun wisdom to the people she meets.

Sugar Plump Fairies
These rotund dancing fairies have been rejected by Santa for being too plump and are too clumsy to sit at the top of the Christmas Tree! However they will be performing ‘The Dance of the Sugar Plump Fairies’ on the streets of Cardiff to an amazingly fun Christmas Hits Medley. These nutcrackers are in a class of their own!

Tap Dancing Turkeys
Bernice and Matthew, unplucked, live and acoustic tap dance & talk turkey to shoppers.

John Hicks- Icons
Extraordinary painting speed show by the hugely talented Mr Hicks. Upside down, revolving, 6 foot tall paintings of the iconically famous.

Festive Footmen
These two perfectly turned out Regency Footmen don't deck the halls with boughs of holly, but do deck out every passer by with tinsel, baubles and glitter as they perform hilarious tricks and comedic capers!

Christmas Toys
Watch out for these naughty Christmas Toys as they engage in interactive festive fun.

Red Hot Santa’s
Your favourite Christmas tunes as you’ve never heard them before from this brilliant Brassy Band.

The Sneakers - Yuletide Rock
Up-tempo Christmas tunes to rock your socks off by this fun band.

Price Check Christmas Special
The Swank Check-Out girls are out and about with their price guns and scanners looking for items to price up before Christmas.

Victorian Carol Singers
Traditional carol singers in Victorian costume.

Musical Ruth- Jingle Jangle
The incredible Musical Ruth whizzes round town on his magical mobile piano playing his very own special version of Christmas songs.

Mother Christmas
This 8 foot high character roams amongst the shoppers in the city centre finding out which girls and boys have been misbehaving.

The Runaway Christmas Tree Fairy
Fed up with being locked up in the loft every year this Christmas Tree Fairy has escaped in a Christmas tree called Douglas. A 9 foot high walking Christmas tree complete with lights decorations and a real fairy on the top.

Cats Choir from 4.30 - Outside Central Market on Trinity Street
Using comedy, puppetry, song and improvisation these furry felines will bring catnip joy to all audiences.

Gliding Angels
These beautiful gliding illuminated angels move quickly though the town, with their celestial trumpets and beautiful ambient music.

Fairplay Elves
These naughty elves will accompany the Cairngorm Reindeer on their parade and will then help Santa by wrapping his presents when the reindeer arrive in their pen.

The Bandstand
Admiral Inspire Choir
A singing group made up of call centre staff, managers and other colleagues, The Admiral Inspire Choir reel off a selection of festive favourites from the bandstand.

The Mighty Peas
Party with the peas as the popular band play an entertaining mixture of cover versions and Christmas songs.

The Cairngorm Reindeer Parade from 4pm
Santa will visit the city centre with 6 of his favourite Scottish reindeer to give children old and young a magical, traditional Christmas experience. At 4pm The Reindeer will parade from Churchill Way down Queen Street to their pen in St John Street.

The Lord Mayor of Cardiff Cllr Prof Delme Bowen
At 5pm The Lord Mayor of Cardiff Cllr Prof Delme Bowen will also officially switch on the Christmas Tree lights on Queen Street.