Shrewsbury’s much-loved Christmas Elf Trail is back for 2025 – and this year, the town’s cheekiest residents are out in even greater numbers.

From Monday 24 November until Christmas, 60 festive elves will be hiding in shop windows, cafés, independents and iconic town-centre spots, ready to be found by families, visitors and anyone up for a seasonal challenge.

The free, self-guided trail has become a firm favourite in Shrewsbury’s festive calendar, encouraging people to explore every corner of the town while discovering new businesses along the way.

Visitors can pick up a trail map from participating businesses or download one from the Original Shrewsbury website. Once on the hunt, participants are encouraged to share a snap of their favourite elf on social media using #ShrewsElf and tagging Original Shrewsbury for the chance to win a £100 shopping voucher to spend locally.

Emma Molyneux, Project Lead at Shrewsbury BID, said, “We’re so pleased to bring the Elf Trail back for 2025 - it was so popular in 2023 and, once again, businesses have been really excited to get involved in the mischief making this Christmas! We hope the trail will bring families into town, encourage people to explore streets they might not normally wander down, and most of all shines a spotlight on the amazing businesses that make Shrewsbury so special. With 60 elves this year, it’s our biggest trail yet, and we can’t wait to see the photos people share of their favourite cheeky elves. It’s a brilliant way to show some love to their favourite town centre businesses, too!"

The Elf Trail is just one part of Shrewsbury’s festive celebrations for 2025. The much-loved Letters to Father Christmas Post-box and Christmas tree in The Square - now a traditional part of the town’s seasonal scene – are also returning.

Children are once again invited to post their letters to Father Christmas directly through the magical post box. A template for letters is available on the Original Shrewsbury website and in local businesses, featuring the winning design from this year’s Letters to Father Christmas postcard competition. But little writers are more than welcome to use their own paper.

“There is a template for letters to Father Christmas on the Original Shrewsbury website and in local businesses, featuring the winning design from our Letters to Father Christmas Postcard,” Molyneux added. “If they want to, though, children can simply use their own writing paper.

“The most important thing is to include an email address so Father Christmas can send his reply – and letters need to be posted by Thursday 14 December to get to the North Pole on time!”