Enchanted Parks event lights up Christmas

Dec 10 2009 by Sam Wonfor, The Journal

THE 12 days of Christmas may not officially kick off for a while yet.

But a group of 14 artists have made sure the sentiment associated with the famously-festive song is alive, kicking, and literally in the spotlight on Tyneside.

Last night the finishing touches were being put to the third Enchanted Parks event in Gateshead’s Saltwell Park, which is set to make thousands of people smile through reddened cheeks in coming days.

Installations of light, sound, sculpture and performance are all to be found, and make sure that an after-dark meander through the park takes on a whole new meaning between now and Sunday.

Following the well-trodden success of the event during the past two years, it wasn’t surprising that all the free tickets for the guided tours around the park were snapped up before you could sing two turtle doves.

And, after enjoying a peek behind the event’s metaphorical modesty curtain last night, it’s clear there will be much to delight visitors of all ages.

The route, which takes you from one installation to the next, is punctuated by a variety of glittering pear-laden trees – each and every one attended by its own partridge of course, thanks to Ben Haig and the Northumbria Collective, who are also responsible for the bauble-laden arches representing the (altogether now) Five Go-o-o-ol-l-ld Rings.