EXCITEMENT is building for Teddington Lights Up which is set to transform Teddington's town centre into a hub of seasonal cheer tomorrow evening (25 November.)

Organisers Teddington Together say the 2021 event will be bigger and better than ever with more traders taking part and Stanley Road joining in with the celebrations.

Here at Teddington Nub News we know lots of our readers are excited about the festivities and will be planning to go along tomorrow.

So we've put together this simple guide to tomorrow's event including:

- The main event timings

- The hero sponsors who made it happen

Road closures

Teddington High Street and Church Road will be closed to traffic between 3 and 9pm tomorrow.

Residents will not be able to access or park on the roads during this time.

Other streets involved in Teddington Lights Up including Broad Street, Stanley Road and the Causeway will remain open to traffic.

Main event

The official lights switch-on is happening at the Elmfield Gardens Stage, which you can find on the end of Teddington high street outside the Royal Mail Sorting Office.

Ex-England footballer Paul Merson is the local celebrity making an appearance this year and he will turn the lights on at 6.30pm.The stage is also hosting live music from 5.30 to 8.30pm all evening.

Acts include OKMT (5.35pm), the Carl Speck Community Choir (6pm), singer Claire Bender (6.40pm) and the fabulous Fake Tan band (7.25pm), billed as the UK's 'ultimate party band' who will be performing hits from the 80s up to the present day.

Market stalls and music

Teddington Lights Up officially begins at 5pm and there will be stalls from local businesses and charities on the High Street all evening - plus memorable performances from Teddington Choral Society and Richmond jazz band.

Church Road is also hosting market stalls and a live music stage with performances from local artists to keep you entertained.

Over on Stanley Road, Teddington Constitutional Club will be hosting a Christmas market with some of Teddington's favourite independent traders plus a bottle tombola and silent auction. Stanley School choir and Clarendon Choir will also be performing around here in the early evening.

You can also pop into the Landmark Arts Centre on Ferry Road which will be hosting artisan makers plus new work from Richmond artists as part of its winter exhibition. Harlequins rugby will also have a stall there so go and say hello!

Children's entertainment and family activities

Teddington Lights Up is a family-friendly event and there's plenty that kids and parents alike will be able to enjoy.

If you enjoy a good Christmas story, children's theatre group Dragon Drama will be performing alongside a reading of The Christmas Fairy at the Landmark Arts Centre.

The ever-popular Pony rides from Park Lane Stables will be going from Church Road and you can also find Santa's Grotto here at the newly opened Abercorn Arms.

Two adorable reindeer will be visiting Hamptons on Teddington high street and children are welcome to pet them or feed them a tasty carrot.

You can also go and meet the RNLI crew and ask them about their work running Teddington's Lifeboat station - find them outside Sainsbury's.

Down on Broad Street, the Happy Potter are hosting a design your own stocking workshop run by 'elves' which runs from 4-7pm at £8 per hour.

And children can also see a real Fire Engine from Twickenham Fire Station outside the Park Hotel, between 5.30 and 6.30pm - then grab a balloon from Teddington Rugby Club.

Teddington Constitutional Club's market also has activities for children including face painting.

Food and drink

Plenty of pubs and cafes will be taking part in the festivities with special offers and Christmas food and drink.

This includes pubs not on the main roads, with The Builder's Arms on Field Lane and The Railway on Victoria Road set to celebrate Lights Up in style.

Gourmet donuts can be found at The Fallow Deer in Teddington as Olly's Donuts returns for one night only with two festive specials. Make sure you get there quickly!

Newcomer La Pesca will be serving pumpkin soup and festive cocktails, while Piazza Firenze offers customers slices of pizza in return for donations to the Shooting Star Hospice.

Italian deli Girasole will be serving delicious hot toddies and chocolate for kids - or you can get a spiced hot drink from Cafe Benedict and a Christmas ginger biscuit treat.

Hot dogs, burgers and mulled wine can be found at The King's Arms and The Park hotel will be running a burger shack, also on the High Street.

On Church Road look out for live falafel making and samples from Sidra, while on Broad Street there will be music to go along with food at The Hogarth and Bar Estilo.

Stanley Road is also getting in on the action with mulled wine and mince pies at The Red Lion and hot drinks from Cafe Toscana.

The sponsors who made it happen

Teddington Lights Up is a FREE event and this year's celebration is happening thanks to the the heroic local businesses below.

Major sponsors include:

- Gold partners Greenacre Financial Services (Isleworth)

- Bronze partners Coversure insurance services (Stanley Road, Teddington)

Also supporting the event as sponsors are Shambles Restaurant, The Landmark Arts Centre, Holmes & Daughters, RHP Homes and the Big Smoke Brewery.

Thanks is also due to the volunteers at Teddington Together who worked so hard to organise the evening.

We hope everyone enjoys it!

Teddington Nub News will be at Teddington Lights Up tomorrow and you can check out our Facebook page and Twitter for the latest updates