Coca-Cola have announced the return of their famous Christmas Truck Tour across the nation, aiming to spread the festive spirit and raise awareness for some societal issues.

The popular annual Christmas tour undertaken by the large red truck will be hitting cities across the UK in 2024, in support of FareShare, the country’s largest charity in fighting food waste and hunger.

Each person that attends the Coca-Cola Christmas Truck Tour will have the equivalent of a meal donated on their behalf, with the soft drink company aiming to donate up to the equivalent of one million meals through FareShare this Christmas period.

The iconic red truck is making its return (Getty/Peter John Dickson)

The charity works with the food industry to help redistribute surplus food to 8,000 charities and community groups in the UK.

In 2024, the Coca-Cola Truck Tour aims to focus on spreading kindness, with the company’s Christmas campaign message being: “The World Needs More Santas”.

Encouraging visitors to spread their Christmas spirit by sharing acts of kindness, the truck will be parked in major cities under sparkling festive lights, while Christmas-themed games will be available to visitors, and a lucky dip to win exclusive Coca-Cola merchandise.

The Coca-Cola Truck is a food truck too, at the end of the day, so some seasonal tastes will be up for grabs along with an ice-cold Coca-Cola Zero Sugar for customers.

Other features of the Coca-Cola Christmas campaign include:

Holidays are coming advertisement

The Truck will be making its annual festive appearance on our TVs later this November, with the classic ‘Holidays Are Coming’ ad signalling the beginning of the campaign.

Coca-Cola will also introduce an AI-generated interpretation of the original advert, in a modern twist of the ad.

We’ll be seeing the truck tour the country later this month (Matthew Horwood/Getty Images)

Real magic experiences

The soft drink company will also share a ‘festive digital AI experience’, allowing people to have conversations with Santa or a snow globe avatar, creating a personalised snow globe animation that you can share with friends.

This will be accessible by scanning the QR code on a Christmas bottle or can of Coca-Cola.

‘The world needs more Santas’

The slogan is being used for the second year running, as the advert reminds everyone to spread Christmas kindness to ‘spark the inner Santa’ in us all.

This advert will be soundtracked by British singer-songwriter Celeste, with a cover of ‘Anyone Can Be Santa’.

Florence Wheatley, the marketing manager for Coca-Cola Great Britain, stated: “Coca-Cola has and remains synonymous with Christmas, with many people eagerly awaiting the Coca-Cola Christmas Truck Tour and Holidays Are Coming advert to create a little festive magic.

“This year, we’re delighted to continue our relationship with FareShare to support its mission to reduce hunger and surplus food waste. We hope that every person that attends the Truck Tour not only experiences the magic of Coca-Cola Christmas, but also supports FareShare, knowing that the equivalent of a meal has been donated on their behalf, acting as a little moment of kindness to ensure that thousands of people across the country enjoy a more meaningful Christmas.”

Coca-Cola is using AI to bring some new features to customers as part of their Christmas Campaign (Mark Renders/Getty Images)

Kirsty Ford, the Head of Fundraising at FareShare also said: “We are so grateful to Coca-Cola for their continued support for FareShare. These invaluable donations help us get good-to-eat food to the people who need it rather than going to waste. Every day, the food we redistribute to a network of over 8,000 charities in every region helps to strengthen communities. Coca-Cola’s generous support for FareShare is instrumental in helping people affected by the cost-of-living crisis. This support means charities can unite more people through food to form connections and access essential support services. Thank you for helping FareShare make the food go further.”

If you can’t visit the truck in person, a promotion with Coca-Cola Zero Sugar and Coca-Cola Original Taste from November will allow fans to scan on-pack QR codes to be in with the chance to win Christmas shopping vouchers.

List of possible key destinations

• Glasgow
• Edinburgh
• Gateshead
• Leeds
• Dublin
• Belfast
• Liverpool
• Sheffield
• Manchester
• Rushden
• London

Coca-Cola Christmas Truck Tour fans can follow announcements about the schedule which will be made over the coming weeks at @CocaColaGBI (Instagram) and @CocaCola_GB (X).

Holidays are coming, holidays are coming, holidays are coming… you’re singing it now, right?

We all know that the Coca-Cola Christmas ad is the official confirmation that it’s time to get Christmassy. And with the company confirming the return of its annual truck tour, it seems it has got a rival this year.

Yep, Lidl is coming. The supermarket has launched its own big red Christmas cola truck that’s going on tour with a full list of UK locations and dates revealed.

Just when you thought Aldi vs M&S with their caterpillar cakes was the peak, this really takes the cake – or takes the coke, I guess.

I mean, fair play to be honest. (LIDL)

Based on its own-brand Freeway cola drink, Lidl’s truck is going to visit nine cities starting from next week.

At each of its stops, the supermarket is going to give out over 2,000 present boxes, food shops and samples.

Plus, if you do go to one of the tour stops, you get to submit your own little Christmas wish, which Lidl is apparently going to grant a number of. But maybe be a little realistic lads, don’t go wishing for a Tesla or a new-build.

Joanna Gomer, Marketing Director at Lidl GB, said: “Giving back to the communities we serve is really important to us and our exciting new Freeway truck allows us to get right into the heart of them this year.

“By touring nine stops across the country, we’ll be using our giant truck to hand out present boxes, give away festive food shops and grant wishes that will make dreams come true.

“Look out for the Freeway truck on its tour and most importantly, come join the fun.”

Here’s the full list of the Lidl Freeway cola truck locations:

• Dundee – 14 November
• Harrogate – 16 November
• Hull – 17 November
• Nottingham – 21 November
• Wolverhampton – 23 November
• Wrexham – 24 November
• Luton – 28 November
• Bournemouth – 30 November
• Southampton – 1 December

The tour starts next week. (LIDL)

This announcement follows Coca-Cola’s, as their 2024 Christmas Truck Tour aims to spread both the festive spirit and support FareShare, the country’s largest charity in fighting food waste and hunger.

Each person that attends will have the equivalent of a meal donated on their behalf, with the soft drink company aiming to donate up to the equivalent of one million meals through the charity this Christmas period.

Coca-Cola Christmas Truck Tour fans can follow announcements about the schedule which will be made over the coming weeks at @CocaColaGBI (Instagram) and @CocaCola_GB (X).

The festive season is pretty much here, which means the majority of UK households will finally start chipping into their stockpile of Christmas treats.

Brits don’t mess about when it comes to food and drink at this time of year, especially in the chocolate department – but there’s going to be a few unmerry people when they crack open the Celebrations tub.

The vibrant red containers are brimming with various tasty confections from the cocoa world in miniature size, allowing us all to feel a bit less guilty about constantly snacking on them.

We all have our favourites, and I think it’s safe to say we can collectively agree there is nothing worse than peeling back to lid to find they’ve already been ravaged.

However, some people think the fact that one of the most iconic flavours in the Celebrations collection has been discontinued is even more of a tragedy – which really is saying something.

Brits still have the likes of Snickers, Mars, Twix, Bounty, Galaxy, Maltesers, Milky Way and Galaxy Caramel to tantalise their tastebuds, but nothing can replace the iconic Galaxy Truffle.

Let’s not beat around the bush about it – the entirety of the UK was left outraged after the fan favourite was given the axe back in 2011.

Despite desperate pleas and even petitions calling on Mars Confectionary to reverse the decision, the velvety chocolate treat with a firm outer shell has never been seen in the tubs again.

It marked the end of an era for Celebrations buyers, as the Galaxy Truffle had been a staple in the tubs since they launched back in 1997.

To rub further salt in the wound, it was replaced by a Twix…and although we’re all partial to one from time to time, they aren’t a patch on its predecessor.

Tubs of Celebrations will never be the same again without this iconic chocolate (Richard Baker/In Pictures via Getty Images)

Speaking to LADbible in 2022, Mars Wrigley General Manager Michelle Frost discussed the prospect of bringing the Galaxy Truffle back and making the nation whole again.

Unfortunately though, she’s firmly on the Twix train.

Frost told LADbible: “We replaced Galaxy Truffles with Twix in 2011 and it’s been a hit. Who doesn’t love a caramel, chocolate and biscuit treat?

“We don’t have current plans to bring back Galaxy Truffles to the Celebrations mix.”

In what appeared to be something of a compromise, Mars brought out boxes of Galaxy Truffles as a standalone product in 2019, rather than stuffing them in Celebrations tubs.

Brits who were in desperate need of a fix could pick up 190g gift boxes for £5 at UK retailers such as Tesco – a move which Galaxy described as ‘ extremely exciting’.

The esteemed Galaxy Truffles was discontinued in 2011 (Galaxy)

At the time, Brand Director Sarah Mellor said: “We are extremely excited to be launching Galaxy Truffles in the UK this year and to be entering the all year-round gifting market for the first time as a brand.

“For so many, Galaxy Truffles were part of a much-loved festive tradition and we are thrilled to be answering the undeniable demand, reinventing this favourite, now available all year round, as the perfect gift to bring pleasure to the next generation of Galaxy fans.”

These didn’t hit the same for a lot of fans…which might be why these also seem to have disappeared off the face of the earth now too.

It seems like we’re all just simply going to have to come to terms with the fact that Galaxy Truffles brought us sheer festive joy at one time, but those days are over.

Gone but never forgotten.

The Christmas ads are on, I’m A Celeb’s back on telly and the supermarkets are flogging every kind of party food they can think up and today (20 November), the final puzzle piece slots into place.

Truly marking the start of the festive period, the new McDonald’s menu is now out across the UK. And it includes a never-seen-before burger – Christmas or not, that’s pretty exciting.

Plus, there’s a brand new dessert and the return of some favourites. Yes, I’m talking about the Cheese Melt Dippers with Rich Tomato Dip.

Launching in restaurants today, the festive menu will be sticking around for a long six weeks, so you’ve got plenty of time to scran your way through the food.

To be fair, the burger sounds good enough to have it a fair few times during its limited life.

A step up from an already popular item, the Cheesy McCrispy takes the chicken burger to a new level.

A brand-new burger for Xmas. (McDonald’s)

It features a 100 percent chicken breast fillet in that classic crispy, crunchy coating with lettuce, crispy onions, pink pickled onion chutney, bacon, two slices of cheese, and cheese sauce. Wow, I’m loosening my waistband just thinking about it.

The Cheesy McCrispy is priced from £5.99 on its own and at £7.79 as a meal.

They’re backkkk. (McDonald’s)

The McDonald’s festive menu also sees the return of the Big Tasty and Big Tasty (with Bacon) as well as the aforementioned Cheese Melt Dippers.

Those are made with Camembert and served with the usual rich tomato dip – you can indulge on these by yourself or get them in a sharebox to have with your mates.

This year’s special seasonal menu is also a big one for chocolate orange fans as it takes over the dessert items.

Brand new, the food giants are bringing in the Terry’s Chocolate Orange Pie which consists of a crispy chocolate pastry filled with a Terry’s Chocolate Orange flavoured chocolate ganache.

There’s a new dessert on the block. (McDonald’s)

Then, there’s the Terry’s Chocolate Orange McFlurry back on the menu with the mini segments of the choc and a special sauce.

If that’s not really your vibe, there’s also the Galaxy Caramel McFlurry with little chocolate stars and a caramel sauce.

McDonald’s festive menu for 2024 will also include the Galaxy Caramel Latte and Galaxy Caramel Hot Chocolate plus a special Grinchmas Happy Meal.

The festive menu is now available in McDonald’s restaurants across the UK.