THE Christmas spirit was certainly in the air as Santa and a host of jolly characters paraded through a Basingstoke shopping centre, watched by hundreds of people.

The Santa Parade snaked through Festival Place last Sunday, and shoppers gathered to watch the festive spectacle.

Santa was joined by various friends, including two giant Emperor penguins, Bouncing Elves, the Red Hot Santa Band, Snowball Sprites and children.

The colourful procession made its way from Porchester Square at midday, surprising shoppers as the characters interacted with members of the public.

It arrived in Festival Square at 12.30pm, where those watching enjoyed a seasonal sing-a-long with the Fleet Rock Choir.

Sarah Murphy, marketing manager for Festival Place, said: “The annual Santa Parade was a hugely enjoyable event with some fantastic entertainment from Santa and his friends.”

She added: “Our extended shopping hours commenced in December, and we will also be offering a gift wrapping service from December 9 to help our shoppers’ Christmas go as smoothly as possible.”

The wrapping service will be run by volunteers from Shopmobility Basingstoke, and will be outside Paperchase on the upper level of the shopping centre.

There is a minimum £1 donation to Shopmobility for the gift wrapping.