28 pictures...Belfast is set for a fairy magical Christmas as shoppers enjoy the festivities at the Victoria Square

The festive season officially kicked off in Belfast at the weekend following a sprinkling of fairy magic.

The city welcomed hundreds of visitors to Northern Ireland’s number one shopping destination, Victoria Square, for the centre’s official Christmas light switch on – its first since 2019.

Cool FM’s Pete, Paulo and Rebecca were joined by Santa Claus himself for the official countdown to Christmas as the festive lights were switched on at 12 noon on Saturday (November 9).

In a dramatic turn of events, it seemed touch and go as to whether the iconic tree would sparkle at all. Following the countdown, there was added anticipation as the Christmas lights appeared to malfunction.

As families looked on in wonder, it was the little one’s eyes that were first to light up, as just in the St. Nick of time, the Victoria Square Christmas Fairy came to the rescue. As the crowd began to clap and sing a chorus of Jingle Bells, Victoria Square’s Christmas fairy began to float upwards; after a few entertaining summersaults and a flash of her wand, the lights came on. Having saved the day, the Christmas fairy flew upwards to the dome, from where a shower of snow began to descend over the crowd, much to everyone’s delight.

Following the light switch on Victoria Squares Santa’s Grotto opened its doors, welcoming little ones to meet Santa, share their Christmas wishes and capture a special festive photo. Taking up residence on level 2, the Grotto is open every weekend up until Christmas with mid-week opening hours scheduled for late November and December.

With over 70 top international and local brands, cafes, restaurants and an Odeon cinema, Victoria Square has everything you’ll need for Christmas under its twinkling dome. A special Christmas Fayre will also take up residence on the mall each weekend in November and daily from Friday 6 December through to Monday 23 December, offering a variety of local sweets and treats, as well as handcrafted gifts.

For those with a friend or family member that’s tricky to buy for, you can fir-get the stress this Christmas and give them the gift of choice with a Victoria Square Gift Card. Accepted in VSQ’s stores, restaurants and the Odeon Cinema, the possibilities are endless. Plus, you can ‘gift as a group’, pooling your money with friends and family to gift a VSQ Gift Card to a loved one.