THE smell of roasting chestnuts will be wafting through the streets of Tavistock tonight for the annual Dickensian Evening event.

Organised by Tavistock BID, the event attracts hundreds of people into the town centre for late-night shopping, Christmas carols and the Tavistock Christmas lights switch-on. This will be the fifth time Tavistock BID has organised the event.

The event starts at dusk and tends to run until around 9pm.

Town traders push the boat out for the event, decorating their shop windows and dressing up in Victorian garb to attract visitors into their stores.

Tavistock BID manager Lisa Piper said: ’It is a real opportunity to showcase or town at its best. When those Christmas lights get switched on, it makes Tavistock look even more magical!

’I am always in awe of the effort that traders go to to decorate their Christmas windows and to dress up on the night; all to help create a truly wonderful shopping experience, in fact probably Devon’s best late night shopping event!’

The Tavistock Times team will be taking part too, with staff dressed up in authentic Dickensian attire and handing out mulled wine and mince pies.

See next week’s Times for pictures from the event.