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DISCOUNT retailer Lidl's version of the Coca-Cola truck takes to the roads today to spread festive joy and give away free gifts.

The popular budget retailer launched its rival to the iconic red Christmas truck this year for the very first time.

Lidl's answer to the iconic Coca-Cola Christmas truck will appear on the roads of Britain today
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Lidl's answer to the iconic Coca-Cola Christmas truck will appear on the roads of Britain todayCredit: Lidl
The truck will arrive at each stop around midday and will be giving out freebies until 6pm
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The truck will arrive at each stop around midday and will be giving out freebies until 6pmCredit: Lidl

Lidl's Freeway cola truck will begin its tour of Great Britain on Thursday.

The festive tour will see the truck visit nine different cities until December 1.

Tomorrow, the lit-up red lorry will pull into Dundee and the fun will begin at midday, ending at 6pm.

The timings stay the same for all locations.

read more on Lidl

People who are lucky enough to spot the red truck will find that 2,000 mystery present boxes will be given out.

Each box contains several items from Lidl's famous "middle aisle."

However, it is on a first-come-first-serve basis so you must hurry to grab one.

As an extra treat, Lidl has ensured that one in 10 of the boxes contains a "Golden Ticket" as well as the middle aisle freebies.

This ticket will be a coupon worth £100 that can be redeemed on the Lidl Plus app.

Visitors will also find that Lidl will be handing out festive food and even granting wishes.

Christmas has landed in Aldi - with £3.49 decorations and 'paint your own' wooden toys that are even cheaper than Lidl's

The supermarket chain said visitors to the truck can also make a "wish" for something they want this Christmas, with the retailer granting a number of them.

The full list of locations the truck will visit, and the dates it will arrive there are as follows:

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

As Lidl hopes to "highlight the magic of giving, sharing and wish-making this Christmas with a pop-up wonderland at each stop," Coca-Cola has also detailed some of the plans for its truck this year.

Why is the Coca-Cola truck famous?

The Coca-Cola Christmas truck was first seen in the brand’s hugely popular 1995 advert.

At the time they were known as Christmas Caravans and were decorated with images of the Coca‑Cola Santa by artist Haddon Sundblom.

The 60-second clip features the now-iconic Holidays Are Coming song, which is still synonymous with Coca-Cola to this day.

The truck began touring the US in 2001 but didn’t start visiting the UK until 2010.

The drinks company confirmed the return of the iconic truck last week promising that the tour this year will be "bigger and better than ever."

Visitors will be able to take part in festive games and a lucky dip which will give them the chance to win exclusive Coca-Cola merchandise.

A food truck will serve up seasonal food and ice-cold Coca-Cola Zero Sugar drinks.

The exact dates and locations have not yet been released as Coca-Cola urges fans to keep their eyes out for updates on its Instagram and X pages.

READ MORE SUN STORIES

Last year, the truck visited some of the UK's most major cities including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Liverpool and Manchester.

It started on November 23 and ended on December 3, so the wait should not be too long.

Cola-Cola has remained tight-lipped about its 2024 tour that promises to be 'bigger and better than ever'
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Cola-Cola has remained tight-lipped about its 2024 tour that promises to be 'bigger and better than ever'
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