New details of Dundee Christmas village revealed as City Square ice-rink and funfair lined up

New details of the proposed Dundee Christmas village have been revealed as the council invites operators to bid for a half-a-million pound contract.

Last month it was confirmed that Dundee City Council was looking to partner with a professional event management company to operate a festive village later this year.

The local authority has now kickstarted the procurement process, outlining the key requirements the village – which will operate from City Square seven days a week – must have.

This includes:

• A real ice rink – which should provide an authentic ice-skating experience for visitors
• A varied food and drink offering
• A funfair, with a mix of traditional, family and thrill rides
• Associated theming and dressing, Christmas decorations, light features, projections, background music and designed site signage

The contract, which is listed as lasting 36 months, details that a minimum of 20% of market spaces must be allocated to local traders.

The successful bidder will also be responsible for the stewarding of the village, as well as marketing and promotion for the event.

The total value of the contract is listed at £540,000, with an option to extend for a further two, one-year periods.

Dundee Winterfest debacle

Plans for a festive village come after last year’s Dundee Winterfest – the city’s main Christmas event – proved to be a disaster when it failed to open.

The organisers, M&N Events, had planned to move the attraction from its previous home in Slessor Gardens to the High Street, near City Square.

They also said the offering would be “reduced considerably” from previous years, with no ice rink or big wheel, due to poor footfall and the cost-of-living-crisis.

But emails sent between M&N Events and Dundee City Council, obtained by The Courier, revealed a picture of disorganisation, frustration and even panic ahead of the  event.

And despite it being advertised to open on December 1, Winterfest 2023 did not materialise – leading to council leader John Alexander to call on Dundonians to ‘use it or lose it’.