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Shoppers searching for that perfect present can take advantage of a feast of fine foods and gifts when the annual Bury St Edmunds Christmas Fayre opens its doors during the last weekend of November.

Thousands of people are expected to flock into Bury St Edmunds to enjoy the entertainments and soak up the Christmas spirit as the hugely popular fayre takes place in the town for the fifth year. The three-day event kicks off at 10am on Friday 28 November and runs until 5pm on Sunday.

During the fayre, Angel Hill will be filled with scores of colourful stalls selling everything from delicious food and wine to traditional craft products. Anyone searching for that perfect Christmas gift will also get the chance to browse additional stalls in the Athenaeum, Corn Exchange and Abbey Gardens, where children’s games, jewellery and luxury bath and body products will be available.

St Edmundsbury Borough Council, which organises the fayre, is also laying on a huge variety of new activities to keep the crowds entertained this year. These will include old favourites such as fairground rides and a large stage, outside the Borough Offices, where a number of live performances will take place. In addition, a number of new attractions have been organised for 2008, including a reindeer visit, Punch and Judy shows and cookery demonstrations by chef Paul Wharrier, from the Boathouse restaurant at Sudbury. Throughout the weekend, there will also be street entertainments in the town centre and performances on the steps of the Corn Exchange, along with a Santa’s Grotto inside.

The fayre will officially open at noon on Friday, 28 November. Cllr Bob Cockle, Mayor of St Edmundsbury, will declare festivities open from the balcony of the Athenaeum.

During the weekend of the fayre, car parks in the town are likely to be very busy, so visitors are being encouraged to use St Edmundsbury’s special park and ride service from Kempson Way on Moreton Hall. Running every 15-minutes, buses will run a shuttle service on the Saturday and Sunday of the fayre at a cost of just £1.50 per car, regardless of the number of passengers.

Angel Hill will also be closed to traffic from 5pm on Wednesday 26 November to 9pm on Sunday 30 November. Diversions will be put in place.