THOUSANDS of people were being given the good news they will be first to see Glasgow’s new Christmas lights.

A total of 14,000 people have been selected to receive tickets for the George Square festive switch-on. 

Changes to the programme for the event, which is held on Sunday, November 20, means the total size of the crowd in George Square is being increased by around 20%.

Glasgow Life has said there will be no live performances this year which has increased crowd capacity. The traditional fireworks display will still take place.

Emails conforming the results were being sent out to the lucky ballot winners.

This year’s ballot received 56,995 applications requesting 272,830 tickets meaning George Square could have been filled more than 16 times over. 

There were 140,098 applications from Glasgow City Council post codes with 132,732 applications from elsewhere. Just over 10% of all applications were duplicates and were removed from the ballot. 

Lord Provost of Glasgow, Sadie Docherty said: “The Christmas Lights switch-on is the moment Glasgow starts counting down until the big day. This year, the event is going to be extra special because we will be seeing the new lights for the first time. 

“Even if you weren’t successful there is still plenty on offer throughout Glasgow Loves Christmas and I hope you and your loved ones will be joining us throughout the festive period for some of our great events.”