DUNBAR’s Christmas lights are set to be switched on this Sunday.

Large-scale public gatherings, such as Christmas lights switch-ons, have been cancelled throughout East Lothian due to coronavirus restrictions.

However, the volunteers behind the lights display in Dunbar are still making sure the town will be looking festive.

A small number of volunteers from the Christmas lights team will be joined on the High Street by a local hero whose name will be drawn out of a hat and who will perform the switch-on.

They will also be joined by a pupil from Dunbar Primary School who designed a special light for the town’s festive display.

Each year, the Christmas lights switch-on attracts a large crowd of people from Dunbar and beyond to the town centre.

Entertainment is also provided ahead of the switch-on but there will not be thousands of people on Dunbar High Street on Sunday, with members of the public urged to stay away.

Instead, plans are being drawn up to see the switch-on broadcast live on YouTube, with a second countdown for people to switch on their own Christmas lights.

Graham Adams, chairman of the Christmas lights team, said: “There will be a minimal number of people that will switch on the lights. That is going to be filmed and livestreamed on YouTube. Prior to that, we are getting the usual acts and we are asking them to do a short film for us. We will collate them together and stream it first and then livestream the switch-on.”