Revellers brave chilly night to hit pubs and clubs – donning festive costumes as countdown to Christmas begins
CHRISTMAS revellers weren’t put off by chilly temperatures last night and hit the town to show off their festive cheer.
Celebrations were in full swing as hoards of partygoers braved the wild weather and packed into pubs, bars and clubs across the UK.
And while weather warnings are in place for parts of Britain, it didn’t put a damper on the evening.
With Brits gearing up for Christmas ‘panic week’ – when they are expected to shell out an eye-watering £3.31billion on the holiday – people raised a glass to the last Friday of freedom.
As reported by the Mirror, 38 million people are predicted to spend 15 per cent more of their hard earned cash this year than in 2022.
On what has been dubbed “Super Saturday”, festive shoppers are thought to generate a whopping £1.76billion in sales, meanwhile “Stampede Sunday” could bring in £1.55billion.
To escape the stress of manic present shopping expected this weekend, women celebrated Christmas in fancy dress costumes from Santas to angels and reindeers.
Grinning pals were seen giving each other piggy backs through the streets in Swansea to give their feet a break from the party.
Long sleeved-tops and jeans were worn in the hopes of not feeling the chill as temperatures struggled to reach double figures.
Meanwhile lads in Birmingham were spotted sporting Father Christmas suits and hats as they raised spread festive cheer.
The fake white beards and wooly hats may have come in useful, not only for entertainment, but to block out an 8C nip in the air.
Other impressive outfits included the Three Wise Men, donkey, angels and even a star as revellers re-created the Nativity scene.
Meanwhile, in Leeds, some girls opted for a more simple look and raised a glass donning glamourous dresses and heels despite temperatures hovering at 9C.
Elsewhere on the Leeds’ high street there were bands of revellers who kept their clothing basic but added a nod to Kris Kringle by wearing his hat.
The wet weather wasn’t enough to stop punters but some were seen getting creative, wearing full length ponchos to provide some shelter.
It comes as the Met Office issued a three day yellow weather warning for rain yesterday covering parts of north western Scotland.
A fresh amber alert was issued covering the same area which is in place from midnight tonight until midnight on Sunday as forecasters predict 100 to 150 mm of rainfall widely.
However, west-facing upslopes could see around 200 mm, according to the Met Office.
Meanwhile, the yellow weather warning comes into force at 6.pm tonight and ends at 6.am on Monday.
Met Office meteorologists explained how the jet stream to the north of the UK, and pressure to the south will create a mix of weather across Britain.
“This pressure pattern brings dry, settled weather for southern areas while low pressure systems track to the north of the UK,” stated the Met Office.
“Here, a slow-moving weather front will bring a spell of persistent and at times heavy rain to northwest Scotland.”
Meanwhile, as revellers raised a glass to the holiday season, forecasters have predicted snow for some of the UK in the days leading up to the big day.
Higher parts of northern areas are forecast to see the white stuff, however it is not expected to settle for long.
“Late in the week potential for a mild spell in the south as rain moves in with some small amounts of hill snow in the north before a period of more north or north-westerly winds with showers across coasts and turning wintry over hills,” predicted the Met Office long range forecast.