Every stop on the Coca-Cola Christmas Truck Tour 2021 so far - is it coming to Liverpool?

The iconic red Coca-Cola truck is synonymous with Christmas.

COVID-19 put a stop to the Coca-Cola Christmas truck 2020 tour but with the festive period just around the corner, people all over Liverpool will be hoping to catch a glimpse of the vehicle in 2021.

In 2019 the Coca-Cola Christmas truck spent two days near Ellesmeare Port.

What is the Coca-Cola Christmas lorry tour?

The tour started in 2010 and travels south from Scotland stopping at cities such as Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds before reaching its final destination, London, four weeks later in the middle of December.

The last year the tour was on was in 2019 and Coca-Cola donated 10 pence to charity for every can placed in their recycle bins throughout the tour.

What happens when people visit the Coca-Cola Christmas truck?

In 2019, those attending received 150ml Coca‑Cola zero.

When the truck stopped at an Asda and Sainsburys stores, people were able to visit the truck and purchase four 250ml glass bottles of Coca-Cola personalised with their name.

Will the Coca-Cola Christmas lorry be coming to Liverpool in 2021?

Coca-Cola have made a change to the way they announce the tour dates and have only announced each visit near to each city date so that there is less likelyhood of cancellation due to COVID-19 restrictions and such like.

The tour is already underway, with Glasgow, Newcastle and Leeds already playing host to the Christmas truck.

The rest of locations are still to be revealed and will be announced region by region.

The confirmed dates so far are as follows:

• 24 - 25 November: Glasgow, Silverburn Shopping Centre
• 26 November: Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Metro Shopping Centre
• 27 - 28 November: Leeds, White Rose Shopping Centre
• 1 December: Castleford, Xscape Castleford
• 2 December: Sheffield, Fox Valley Shopping Park
• 3-5 December: Manchester, The Trafford Centre
• 9-10 December: Cardiff, St David’s Centre
• 11-12 December: Bristol, Cribbs Causeway

Keep an eye on our Facebook page and Twitter profile for updates and further announcements.

Why are some people opposed to the truck?

In 2018, Coca-Cola scaled back its annual Christmas truck tour as a charity claimed resistance was growing to the company giving out free sugary drinks.

Sugar Smart UK campaign coordinator Vera Zakharov said: “Bizarrely, Coca-Cola equates handing out their sugary products with the start of the cherished holiday season, which has nothing to do with fizzy drinks.

“But this strategy takes on a sinister tone when you consider that the Coke truck visits areas with some of the worst health problems in the country.”

Jon Woods, general manager of Coca-Cola UK and Ireland, said the company expected 90% of the drinks given out on the tour to be zero sugar, and none would be given to children under 12 without a parent present.

In 2017, Duncan Selbie, the chief executive of Public Health England (PHE), criticised the soft drink giant’s annual PR stunt, saying “big-name brands touring the country at Christmas to advertise their most sugary products to children and boost sales does nothing to help families make healthy choices and wider efforts to combat childhood obesity and rotten teeth”.

“Every year the Coca-Cola Christmas truck gives away its products to children and families as it tours the UK. Much of this is no sugar or diet variants, signalling a welcome change in people’s preferences.

“PHE would like to see the tour give away 100% no sugar products and consider its use of the iconic brand in its approach to marketing and sales.”