Drumming santas and hundreds of school children will be helping to start the countdown to December 25.

Around 500 pupils from 10 local schools take part in a lantern parade for the Gravesham Festival of Christmas Lights on Friday, November 19.

Entertainment will be kicking off at 3pm in the town centre with street performances including musicians playing a number of different genres of music including brass with a pop twist and vibrant samba, as well as the popular drumming santas and show globe - a mobile life-size and interactive snow globe complete with a mystical Snow Queen.

The lantern procession will start from Community Square at 4.30pm, led by the Mayor of Gravesham Cllr Lyn Milner.

It make its way through town, with the Christmas lights being switched on as the parade passes by.

The schools have been working with Same Sky Arts for their Christmas lanterns around the themes of local heroes, friendship and community, they will showcase during the parade.

Produced by Cohesion Plus, working in partnership with Gravesham Borough Council and Kent Equality Cohesion Council, supported by Arts Council England, the arts organisation have been working hard to ensure the festival will be even bigger and better than before, in the safest possible way.

The festival is the start of a series of events happening in Gravesham in the lead up to Christmas.

The town will have its own augmented reality (AR) trail Friday, November 19, until Friday, December 31. Families have to find 10 special festive animals in the town centre hidden in the real world.

There will be a Santa Selfie Experience at Unit 33, St George’s Shopping Centre on Saturday 27 November 27, 10am to 5pm and Sunday, November 28, 10am to 4pm.

You can take your own camera or smart phone to take pictures. Tickets £3 per person or £10 for a group of four for a 20 minute slot. Booking is essential.

On Saturday, December 11, people can follow Mary and Joseph and their donkey and the three wise men on their camels on a journey through the town centre.

The parade will start at noon outside St George’s Church and head to the Old Town Hall in the High Street, New Road, go through St Georges’ and finish with Christmas carols and a Nativity display in Community Square.

There will be a chance to meet the camels before the parade, from 11am to 11.35am, in Community Square and photo opportunities afterwards too from 11.30pm to 2.30pm.

Children are encouraged to go along dressed as shepherds, stars, angels, or wise men.

There are also a series of events taking place at Gravesend Borough Market including twilight markets, craft sessions and a pop-up cinema showing Home Alone and Elf.

The market will also have a talking post box for chidlren to post their letters to Father christmas between Friday, November 26 and Sunday, December 24.

For details of all these events and how to book, click here.

Read more: All the latest news from Gravesend