Switch On Day
Switch on day officially opens at 10am with market stalls and the final lights switch on at 5:30pm.
The actual road closure starts earlier (06:00) and goes until 7pm since the road closure needs to be in place while the many market stalls pack up and leave.
For the volunteers, the morning starts at 6am or earlier and goes on until after 7pm because any remaining litter needs to be cleared up before leaving.
We operate a Santa's Grotto during the main hours of the day.
We should prepare identity badges on lanyards for the main volunteers.
We should tell Sittingbourne Police Station about the event in advance because we have had cases where they did not know the event was happening even though Kent Police themselves are one of the consultees on the event planning.
In 2024 we started giving an award in cooperation with Swale Young Carers to a young person who is a carer. The award was presented on stage on Switch On Day shortly before the switch on.
Pre-meeting
There is a pre-meeting of all volunteers and the marshals on the evening of the Thurday before the Saturday switch on.
Switch On Day Timeline
This is the rough timeline for events:
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 06:00 | Road closure order takes effect |
| 06:00-07:00 | Arrival of fairground |
| 07:00-09:00 | Arrival of stallholders, stage, ambulance etc. All vehicles that do not form part of a stall must be removed before 10:00. |
| 10:00 | Start of event |
| 17:30 | Lights switched on |
| 19:00 | Road closure order ends |
Roles on the Day
Generally all the committee members are present at Switch On Day in a general capacity, although some roles are more defined:
- Site manager - the person who is legally responsible for the road closure. Is not supposed to leave the site throughout the entire event.
- Treasurer - Needs to prepare a float for the grotto so that they can give change. Typically about £30 of cash will do. Also collects the grotto takings and pays them in to the bank.
- Stage and arena manager - Overall responsibility for the entertainment acts that are going on on the main and second stages.
- Welfare lead - Checks on and looks after the needs of other volunteers. For example if people are unable to leave their posts then can bring water, food or ask others for assistance etc. Can also offer to stand in for single stall-holders who need to leave their stall to go to the toilet, although this is an unofficial function that is entirely at the discretion of the individuals involved.
- Welfare support volunteer - assisting the welfare lead and other volunteers.
Things that need to be arranged in advance
| Item | Typical Cost | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Stage | £1,100 + VAT | Includes Stage, PA, Lights, Engineer and Crew |
| Fencing | £200 | Need to include delivery on the Saturday morning and pickup on the Saturday evening |
| Event Insurance | ~£1,100 | Insurance cover for the day |
| Ambulance and two staff | ~£800 | Medical and fire cover given the size of the event. |
| Lanyards with Id badges | Minor | Worn by volunteers on Switch On Day |
| Security guards | ~£1,000 | (Beginning in 2025.) |
Permissions Required
| Item | Obtain From | Typical cost | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Road closure order | Swale Borough Council? | ? | Required to close the road for the event |
| Premises licence | Swale Borough Council | ~£500 (but see description) | Required for entertainment events. Note that Swale Borough Council have their own Premises licence and are willing to allow us to use it for a fee so that we do not have to pay the full cost. We must let them know of this when discussing the event plan. |
| Event management plan | Swale Borough Council | ? | We prepare this in consultation with Swale Borough Council and the Safety Advisory Group which includes Kent Police. However, we have previously been told that it is not a "permission" as such so is more a collarborative working with local organisations. |
| Public liability insurance ("Event insurance") | Private insurance company | ~£1,100 | The document for this is also required to get one of the Swale Borough Council permissions. |
| Public performance licence (PPL/PRS) | PPLPRS | (TBD) | Needed for playing live music. We request the Charity and Community Discount to keep the costs lower. |
| Street trading license for market stalls | Swale Borough Council | £20 ? | Each individual market stall operator must apply for their own street trading license if they are selling anything. Stalls not selling anything may be exempt but need to check. |
| Street collection license | Swale Borough Council | ? | Two organisations are allowed to have collection pots for donations at the event. If we want to have our pots out then we need to apply for one of those two slots. |
Stalls
Some of the types of stalls that we have in the Switch On Day market:
- Fairground
- Food vendors
- Christmas related vendors
- Charity stalls such as Cats Protection
- Grotto
Entertainment
The main stage has a large performance area in front of it so dance groups use the ground in front of the stage and singers use the stage. The performance area is fenced off with crowd control barriers.
We try to accommodate disabled and wheelchair-bound users by creating an additional fenced off area in front of the performance area which can be opened to allow wheelchair users to have a front row viewing experience. Otherwise they would not be able to see over crowds of standing people.
Some of the entertainments include:
- Local singers and bands
- Childrens and adults dance groups
- Signing choirs (i.e. sign language)
We do not pay for entertainers. Many community groups like the opportunity to perform and do not expect payment.
We have recently expanded from having a single main stage in Central Avenue to having an additional entertainment stage near St Michael's church at the eastern end of the High Street.
We engage local community radio stations who send along DJs who compere the event. Swale FM have recently started compering the second stage at the eastern end of the High Street.