Sydney’s festive season is officially underway with an action-packed calendar of events that include six free children’s concerts, choirs, Christmas markets, decorations, lights and the State’s largest Christmas Tree at Martin Place.
“Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year in Sydney as the city sparkles with decorations and lights, the sound of carollers, and free childrens’ concerts,” Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore AO said.
“We put on these events so friends and neighbours can come together to spread festive cheer and celebrate the end of the year.
“Santa Claus is taking time from his busy schedule to visit our city throughout the month of December, taking present requests and posing for photographs.”
Santa joined the Lord Mayor in Martin Place today as she unveiled details of the City of Sydney’s Christmas program. Highlights include:
Santa’s sleigh ride
The lighting of the Martin Place Christmas tree will formally kick off celebrations.
Santa and the Lord Mayor will board a sleigh at Circular Quay at 6.30pm tonight and make their way to Martin Place, led by an 80-piece marching band and elves on reindeer tricycles.
The Lord Mayor and Santa will officially light the 24-metre-high Christmas tree under a glittering fireworks display. As the tallest Christmas tree in NSW, it’s decorated with more than 100,000 lights and 300 glossy baubles.
This year, new pink and gold baubles are among the 15,000 Australian-themed decorations which adorn the 800 branches.
For the first time, fireworks celebrating the launch of Christmas in Sydney will be fired from two separate positions. A new lighting system will impress the crowds with four bespoke rotating sound and light shows. The shows are split into pairs and played on alternate days, taking place every 15 minutes from 8pm to midnight from Thursday 28 November to Sunday 5 January.
Opening weekend
Music and markets make it a season to be merry from Friday 29 November to Sunday 1 December.
Roving entertainers will bring festive cheer to Pitt Street Mall and Martin Place from 12pm to 5pm, while Christmas markets in Martin Place run from 11am to 8pm.
Children can have their photo taken with Santa at his house in Martin Place, open every day until 24 December.
Neighbourhood Christmas concerts
Six free community concerts will take place over three weekends in November and December.
Jayden Rodrigues, Justine Clarke, The Quokkas and The Listies are among the performers who will wow the crowds. Games and food trucks will be on offer at each event with special guest Santa paying a visit.
Families can have their photo taken with Santa for a $5 donation to the City of Sydney’s charity partner, Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation.
Everyone is welcome, with accessible features including Auslan interpreters, sensory and quiet tents, big screen live captioning, pick-up and drop-off areas, and accessible toilets.
Christmas concert dates:
Pyrmont Christmas concert, Pirrama Park, Saturday 30 November, 6pm-8pm
Surry Hills Christmas concert, Prince Alfred Park, Sunday 1 December, 6pm-8pm
Rosebery Christmas concert, Turruwul Park, Saturday 7 December, 6pm-8pm
Rushcutters Bay concert, Reg Bartley Oval, Sunday 8 December, 6pm-8pm
Glebe Christmas concert, Bicentennial Park, Saturday 14 December, 6pm-8pm
Alexandria Christmas concert, Alexandria Park, Sunday 15 December, 6pm-8pm
Martin Place Christmas markets
From international cuisine to festive delicacies, the Christmas markets will return to Martin Place for the third year in a row.
More than 58 stallholders will sell gifts, Christmas goodies, clothes, toys, homewares, art and food.
The markets will be open from 11am to 8pm every Thursday, Friday and Saturday until 21 December.
Choirs in the City
The Australian Girls Choir, Sydney Philharmonia, With One Voice and the Jingle Belle Singers are among those featured in Sydney Choirs in the City.
Choirs in the City will showcase all the Christmas classics at the Martin Place Christmas tree each evening from 6pm to 8pm, 1 to 24 December.
Carols will also be performed at Customs House Square from 16 to 24 December.
Lights and decorations
Sydney is set to sparkle with 11 Christmas trees up around the city centre and local neighbourhoods.
From the last week of November throughout December, a shimmering canopy of 60,000 suspended lights will illuminate Pitt Street Mall with four different light shows.
Christmas stars will light up each smart pole along George Street, and the Woolworths building opposite Sydney Town Hall will be draped in a curtain of light. A further 8,000 icicle fairy lights will be up in Martin Place.
Full details of the sparkling decorations can be found on the Sydney Culture Walks app, which takes visitors on a tour of the best effects across the city centre.
Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation
The City of Sydney is proud to support Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation (SCHF) this festive season.
SCHF CEO Kristina Keneally welcomed the partnership.
“We are delighted to be joining the City of Sydney at this special time of year and for the City’s generous support of SCHF’s annual Christmas Appeal. The money raised through this partnership will create new opportunities for treatment and care for the 167,000 sick kids who visit The Children’s Hospital at Westmead and Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick each year.
“Each year, thousands of kids across the country will spend Christmas in hospital because of a serious illness or injury. We may not be able to grant all of them a Christmas wish of being at home, but with the support of communities across NSW, we can come together to give them the brightest Christmas possible.”
Donate here to help provide urgent support, secure the best facilities to care for childhood health conditions, and create environments focused on improving quality of life for sick kids in the short and long term.
Visit Sydney Christmas for full event details.
To donate or find out more about Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation visit https://www.schf.org.au/xmas
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