Liverpool is to become the stage for a giant game with The Elf on the Shelf this December as a 15ft version of The Elf on the Shelf Scout Elf will appear at locations across the city centre until Christmas Eve.
Organised by Liverpool BID Company, the Scout Elf will be moved at night to various locations around the city centre from 1-24 December. People will be invited to seek out the Scout Elf each morning and snap a selfie as it embarks in some classic festive fun. On a Saturday morning, the Scout Elf will settle in a new spot for the weekend, before setting off to be found in a new place on Monday morning.
Daily clues will be found on Liverpool BID Company’s social media channels, but, as with tradition, no hints or announcements will be made before the Scout Elf appears.
Liverpool’s The Elf on the Shelf (monikered “R’Elf”) will land on buildings across the city, from Old Hall Street to Hope Street and the Waterfront to Lime Street.
The Elf on the Shelf is a beloved global Christmas tradition in which Santa’s Scout Elves visit families each day during the festive season and report back to Santa each night on their family’s Christmastime activities. With more than 21 million Scout Elves sold since 2005 and over 8.5 million fans on social media, the brand has achieved iconic status, and its Scout Elf is a Top 10 holiday character across the UK and US*.
Liverpool’s R’Elf is the creation of prop and puppet-maker Jenny Simmons, Liverpool BID Company, The Lumistella Company’s official The Elf on the Shelf team and Rocket Licensing.
At the same time as The Elf on the Shelf takes place in Liverpool, it will also be appearing in Bristol.
Leanne Wilks is Projects Officer at Liverpool BID Company,
“Liverpool loves a spectacle so as soon as we saw the giant The Elf on the Shelf Scout Elf we just had to get involved. This has been months of hard work and planning behind the scenes, and we have been delighted by the enthusiasm of our partners who, when we approached them to see if they wanted a 15ft Scout Elf scaling their building for Christmas, have all jumped on board adding ideas too. This is going to be full of fun and joy and we want to be able to spread Christmas cheer with this larger-than-life game of hide-and-seek this December.”
The fun begins on Sunday 1st December, location TBC!
Meanwhile, Liverpool city centre will start to feel a lot like Christmas when the lights are switched on from Thursday 14 November, as Liverpool BID Company reveals the decorations, installations and animation planned for the festive season.
Between 2023 and 2026, Liverpool BID Company is investing £490k in lights covering 80% of the city centre, from Lime Street and the Commercial District to the retail heart in Church Street and Lord Street, and into Hope Street. As well as the Georgian Quarter, this year’s lights will extend into Castle Street, Exchange Flags and an extension of the ceiling lights in Richmond Street. The funding from Liverpool BID Company comes from the levy paid by city centre businesses and helps to cover the shortfall in the public purse.
Christmas lights will be in Old Hall Street and Tithebarn Street, up to Lord Street and Church Street, Hope Street, Hardman Street and Leece Street. With lamp post motifs and light decorated trees, the festive decorations will add sparkle and animation to the city centre. Ceiling curtains will light up specific streets, including Basnett Street, Tarleton Street, Richmond Street and Williamson Street.
