Original Tender Description
Huntingdon Town Council is the most local tier of government in Huntingdon. We provide services for over 24,000 residents and strive to make Huntingdon a better place to live, work and visit. These services include community venues, sports facilities, parks and open spaces, a crematorium and cemeteries, allotments and community & seasonal events such as the annual Christmas Market, complimented by a town centre Christmas lighting. Huntingdon town centre consists of over 300 businesses covering key sectors such as retail, hospitality, business and professional services. Monthly footfall for the town centre during 2025 averaged at 514,128 with numbers for the month of December at 540,101. Since 2017, the Christmas Lights Switch On event has launched the town's annual Christmas Market, with footfall numbers over the 2025 event weekend totalling over 50,000. Background Information Huntingdon Town Council has included the provision of town centre Christmas lighting in its service offering for many years. The Council is committed to ensuring best value for money, partnered with giving residents and visitors to the town bespoke festive lighting displays that are changed on a three-year rolling programme. Huntingdon's Christmas lights are always installed after the town's Armistice services have taken place in November. They are switched on as part of the big 'Switch On' event, usually held across the last weekend of November. The switch on is undertaken by the Mayor of Huntingdon, accompanied by festive characters and invited guests. Year on year, the Town Council, in partnership with BID Huntingdon and Huntingdonshire District Council puts on an increasing number of festive events in the town centre, putting Huntingdon on the map as a Christmas destination. The lighting scheme in Huntingdon has historically consisted of: Cross street displays (13 No.) Lamppost motifs (12 No.) 3D roof mounted motifs (2 x pieces for Town Hall north side flat roof) Ceilings of light (Chequers Court and St Germain Walk) Feature tree lighting (St Benedicts Court, St Mary's Church) Christmas tree lighting (Bus Station, St Mary's Church and Sainsbury's) Huntingdon High Street forms the centre of our historic market town, and with its history comes a mixture of building heights and materials. This means suitability for lighting schemes and fixtures in some areas have proven to be challenging in previous years. For 2026, we would like to provide greater lighting coverage to support businesses who have fallen outside of the previously illuminated areas, ensuring that we promote more shops and services to our community than ever before. We are seeking bids from Christmas lighting contractors to provide and install a new 3-year festive lighting scheme for Huntingdon town centre for residents and visitors to the town to enjoy. This should be delivered within an identified budget of £25,000 per year, totalling £75,000 over a 3 year contract. Design Brief Please find below a detailed design brief for Huntingdon Town Council's Christmas Lights as part of this Christmas Light Tender Bid. This specification covers all three years of the contract, commencing November 2026 and finishing after the 2028 Christmas period. This is the minimum required lighting offer that Huntingdon Town Council will accept for this Tender Bid. Theme The theme for the Huntingdon Christmas Market for 2026-28 will be Candy Cane Lane, and all associated graphics and promotional materials will be linked to this. A mood board with inspiration is listed in the appendix. Christmas Trees Huntingdon Town Council source 4 x 12ft tall Christmas trees and arrange for their placement in the All-Saints Churchyard, Bus Station Green, St Mary's Churchyard and outside Sainsburys in St Germain Walk on or around the 2nd week of November. Additionally, there are three trees in St Benedicts Court and three trees in St Mary's Churchyard which are decorated for the Christmas period. Huntingdon Town Council will require the successful tenderer to: Provide cool white Christmas tree lights to cover the entirety of the 12ft Christmas trees located in the All Saints Churchyard, Bus Station Green, St Mary's Churchyard and outside Sainsburys in St Germain Walk. Provide a lit-up star and place this on top of the Christmas trees. Provide cool white Christmas tree lights to drape and illuminate the trees in St Benedicts Court and St Mary's Churchyard. The successful tenderer will be responsible for the design, supply, installation, removal, storage, and annual maintenance and testing of the lights on the Christmas Trees. The successful tenderer will be responsible for placing these lights shortly after delivery of the trees, ensuring an impressive presentation. Lampposts There are 18 lampposts located in Huntingdon Market Square and High Street. Huntingdon Town Council will require the successful tenderer to: Carry out required health and safety checks to anchor points to determine suitability for proposed lighting installations, including height restrictions Provide 18 lit-up lamppost decorations to complement the 'Candy Cane Lane' theme To install these lamppost decorations on the lampposts located in Huntingdon Market Square and High Street, as shown on the map included in the appendix. The successful tenderer will be responsible for the design, supply, installation, removal, storage, and annual maintenance and testing of the lamppost lights. Festoon / Canopy / Cross Street Lighting There are 13 anchor points in Huntingdon High Street, St Benedicts Court and Chequers Court to place across-street festoon hangings. Huntingdon Town Council will require the successful tenderer to: Carry out required health and safety checks to anchor points to determine suitability for proposed lighting installations, including height restrictions Provide across-street festoon/ cross street /canopy displays, to complement the 'Candy Cane Lane' theme To install these festoon hangings on the anchor points located in Huntingdon High Street, St Benedicts Court and Chequers Court, as shown on the below map. The successful tenderer will be responsible for the design, supply, installation, removal, storage, and annual maintenance and testing of the festoon/cross street lighting. Huntingdon Market Square / Huntingdon Town Hall Huntingdon Market Square is the focal point for the Christmas Lights Switch On event and the location of the Christmas Market. Huntingdon Town Hall sits on one side of the market square and has a flat roof which has historically had 3D displays. Huntingdon Town Council will require the successful tenderer to: Propose and provide a feature lighting installation for the Market Square and Town Hall, to create a dramatic impact, and complement the 'Candy Cane Lane' theme Carry out required health and safety checks to determine suitability for proposed lighting installation, including height and weight restrictions The successful tenderer will be responsible for the design, supply, installation, removal, storage, and annual maintenance and testing of the feature installation. Other Requirements Huntingdon Town Council will require the successful tenderer to: Be on site to support with annual switch on event Saturday 28th November provisionally held for the 2026 event Provide Wi-Fi controlled system to enable instantaneous switch on of lighting scheme and flexibility with timer settings (default timer settings from 4pm - midnight).