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| Charlie Hodgon, 4, Lola Treseder, 7, and Ted Treseder, 9, at the Lego Christmas Tree in the Pitt St Mall. Picture credit: John Fotiadis |
By DAVID FITZSIMONS
EMBRACE the spirit of Christmas with this A-Z guide to Sydney’s biggest trees, best places for carol singing, Christmas markets, gift ideas and a few surprises. From Alexandria to Zetland, Bankstown to Engadine, we’ve got you covered.
ALEXANDRIA, AUBURN:
● Alexandria Village concert, Alexandria Park Oval, Power
Ave, Alexandria; December 6 6.30pm-8.30pm, free, sydneychristmas.com.au
Head to the inner-city for a fun family concert featuring kids entertainment, music, fireworks and a visit from Santa Claus.
● Auburn Carols In The Park, RAAF Stores Park, Princes Rd East, Auburn; December 21, 3pm-7.30pm, free, auburn.nsw.gov.au
Start the afternoon with a sausage sizzle, while the kids meet the animals in the kindy farm before carol singing starts at 5.30pm.
BANKSTOWN, BONDI,
● Bankstown Carols By Candelight, Paul Keating Park, The Mall, Bankstown; December 13, from 6pm, free, bankstown.nsw.gov.au
Sing along with local choirs and enjoy a sausage sizzle to celebrate Christmas around Bankstown’s new 10m-high Christmas tree — one of the tallest in Sydney.
● Bondi Carols By The Sea,
South Park, Bondi Beach; December 10, 6pm-8.30pm, free, waverley.nsw.gov.au
It’s a popular annual event where local groups unite at the beach for carol singing, performances by local artists and kids entertainment, led by the Bondi Brass group.
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| Martin Place lights up for Christmas |
CAMPBELLTOWN, CANBERRA, CASTLE HILL, CITY, COOGEE
● Campbelltown City Christmas Carols, Campbelltown Arts Centre, 1 Art Gallery Rd, Campbelltown; December 6 6pm-9.30pm, free, Campbelltown.nsw.gov.au
The crowds will gather outside the Arts Centre at the amphitheatre for carols, the lighting of the tree, song and dance performances from local artists plus a visit from Santa.
● Canberra Old Bus Depot Markets, 21 Wentworth Ave, Kingston, Canberra; December 6-7, December 13-14 and 20-21, 10am-4pm, free entry, obdm.com.au
If you’re in the ACT, head to these massive Christmas markets over the next three weekends to find everything you need for the festive season, from gifts to decorations, trees and more.
● Castle Hill Christmas Sky Show, Main St, Castle Hill; daily until December 30, 8pm-9pm, free, thehills.nsw.gov.au
Treat yourself and the family to a spectacular light show featuring a 40m x 10m canopy over the street. Local music schools and choirs will lead Christmas singing.
● City, Martin Place Christmas Tree and Street Light Disco, The Lego Christmas Tree outside Westfield Sydney, Christmas Light Forest in Pitt St Mall, Christmas Projections on Sydney Town Hall, Lights Of Christmas, St Marys Cathedral; various times, free, sydneychristmas.com.au, lightsofchristmas.com.au
The CBD is bathed in festive fun all through December, with huge Christmas trees, light shows and light projections on the Town Hall and St Marys Cathedral reminiscent of the Vivid Festival. Paulini and Mark Vincent will perform at the St Marys opening ceremony from 7pm on Tuesday. The Lego tree has 500,000 bricks weighs 3.5 tonnes, stands 10m high and took about 1300 hours to build.
● Coogee Carols, Goldstein Reserve, Coogee Beach; December 21, 6.30pm-8.30pm, free, coogeecarols.com.au
A host of stars and entertainers and a 12-piece band will lead the thousands of people expected at the beach once again for this major carolling event.
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| St Mary’s Cathedral will be illuminated until Christmas Day |
DARLING HARBOUR, DEE WHY, DOMAIN
● Darling Harbour Santa Fest 2014, Darling Harbour; daily until December 24, various times, most events free, darlingharbour.com
Movie nights, paddleboat rides, a huge tree, the Santa Fun Run and the Polish Christmas Festival tomorrow, Saturday night fireworks and 21 glow-in-the-dark inflatable Santas add up to an incredible chunk of Christmas cheer for the whole family.
● Dee Why Christmas By The Beach, Dee Why Beach; December 19, 5pm-9pm, free entry, warringah.nsw.gov.au
Head to Dee Why on the last Friday before Christmas for twilight markets that might just have your last-minute Christmas gift. There will be kids craft, music, carol singing and, of course, Santa.
● Domain, Carols In The Domain, Royal Botanic Garden; December 20, 8.30pm-11pm, free, carolsinthedomain.com
For more than 30 years, families have taken their rugs, low seats and picnics to the city for Australia’s biggest free carol-singing festival. This year’s stars include Adam Garcia, Judith Durham, the cast of Wicked The Musical and The Wiggles.
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| Carols return to The Domain on December 20 |
● Engadine Christmas Fun Day, Engadine Town Square, 1040 Old Princes Hwy, Engadine; December 6, 9am-3pm, free, sutherlandshire.nsw.gov.au
Join Santa at Engadine today for heaps of fun, including markets stalls, mini train rides, a petting zoo, mini putt golf and entertainment.
FAIRFIELD
● Fairfield Christmas Tree, Epoch Plaza, Fairfield Town Centre, daily; Carols In The Garden, Fairfield City Museum And Gallery, 632 The Horsley Dve, Smithfield, December 6, 6pm-8.30pm; fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au
Check out the huge tree in the centre of town and join in tonight’s session of carol singing, along with live entertainment, a craft market and refreshments.
GLENHAVEN
● Glenhaven Carols By Candlelight, Glenhaven Oval, Glenhaven; December 14, 5.30pm-9pm, free, thehills.nsw.gov.au
Carnivale comes to the hills when local dance groups, young entertainers and school dances perform and support carol singing. It culminates in a big fireworks show.
HUNTERS HILL, HUNTER VALLEY GARDENS, HYDE PARK BARRACKS
● Hunters Hill Carols In The Park, Boronia Oval, Ryde and Park Rds, Hunters Hill; December 7, from 6pm, free, huntershill.nsw.gov.au
Carols, Santa, fireworks, face-painting, an animal farm, crafts — what more would you want from a Yuletide event?
● Hunter Valley Gardens Christmas Lights Spectacular, 2090 Broke Rd, Pokolbin;
daily except Christmas Day, 6.30pm-10pm, adult $25, child $20, under 3 free, family $60, huntervalleygardens.com.au
More than 1.5 million lights will dazzle people young and old in this amazing show featuring Winne The Pooh, Alice In Wonderland and a North Pole display. There is also live music, roaming performers and the chance to meet Santa for a photo.
● Hyde Park Barracks Museum Christmas Fare, Macquarie St, City; December 18, 4pm-8pm, gold-coin entry, sydneylivingmuseums.com.au
More than 40 food artisans will be selling their handcrafted specialist foods and beverages at this unique Christmas fair. You can buy gifts and sample some of the fine produce on offer plus explore the museum.
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| Grab a gift, or two, at Hyde Park Barracks Christmas market |
ILLAWONG
● Illawong RFS Santa Runs 2014, Illawong; December 13-24 weekdays from 6pm, weekends from 4pm, free, facebook.com/IllawongRFS
The fire brigade will be taking Santa for rides through the Illawong area to meet local families and kids.
JENOLAN CAVES
● Jenolan Caves Christmas Day Lunch and Dinner, Chisolms Restaurant, Jenolan Caves; December 25, various times and prices, jenolancaves.org.au
If you’re looking for a different Christmas experience, why not chill out in the mountains? Lunch and dinner menus and accommodation in the heritage complex are available and cave tours will run on Christmas and Boxing Day.
KARIONG, KELLYVILLE, KING STREET WHARF
● Kariong Christmas Fair 2014, Mount Penang Gardens And Event Park, Kariong; December 7 9am-2pm, free, fixxevents.com.au
Join MasterChef’s Julie Goodwin and 150 stallholders for the Central Coast’s largest Christmas fair. There will be heaps of entertainment and plenty of activities at a great new location.
● Kellyville Hills Community Carols, Hills Adventist College, 4 Gum Nut Close, Kellyville; December 14, 5pm-8pm, free, hillscommunitycollege.com
This is a true family Christmas event with live entertainment, carol singing as well as organised fun and games for the kids.
● King Street Wharf Ribbon Cone Christmas Tree, Promenade and Lime Sts, City; daily from 8pm, free, kingstreetwharf.com.au
You won’t miss this Christmas tree. Standing 13m tall, this unique Slovakian-made, Australian-designed ribbon tree has 1500 LED lights and is environmentally friendly.
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| King St Wharf’s Christmas tree has 1500 LED lights |
LIVERPOOL
● Liverpool Tree Lighting Ceremony and Night Markets, Macquarie St, Liverpool; December 6, 4pm-9.30pm, free entry, Liverpool.nsw.gov.au/nightmarkets
Sing along with Christmas carols as Liverpool’s big tree is lit. Check out the night markets for Christmas gifts and a delicious meal.
MARRICKVILLE
● Marrickville Kids Zone: Christmas Craft, Marrickville Library, Marrickville and Petersham Rds, Marrickville; December 11, 3.30pm-4.30pm, free, marrickville.nsw.gov.au
Book ahead for this terrific kids craft workshop that will teach your youngsters how to design and make their own Christmas cards and decorations.
NORTH RYDE
● North Ryde Carols On The Common, Wicks and Twin Rds, North Ryde; December 21, from 5.30pm, carolsonthecommon.org.au
Join the crowds at one of Sydney’s biggest carols festivals. There will be live entertainment, kids rides, food stalls and fireworks.
ORAN PARK
● Oran Park Christmas Lights, various venues, Oran Park; daily, free, oranparktown.com.au
The residents of one of our newest suburbs have been encouraged to light up their houses for a Christmas competition so there should be plenty to see if you take a drive to the southwest.
PARRAMATTA, PENRITH
● Parramatta Christmas Tree, Centenary Square, Parramatta, daily, free, parracity.nsw.gov.au; Carols By Candelight, Old Government House, Parramatta Park, December 6, 7pm-9pm, gold coin donation, nationaltrust.org.au
Check out the massive tree in the new-look square in Church St and head over to the park to sing traditional carols along with the NSW Police Band, the Model Farms High School choir. See Santa arrive as well.
● Penrith Carols By Candlelight, Penrith Paceway, Penrith; December 14, gates 4pm, from 6pm-9pm, free, clubpacewaypenrith.com
Father Christmas is flying in by chopper, there will be live entertainment and dancers and there’s even a race for people dressed as Santa. Add in carol singing and fireworks and you have a big night out.
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| Imaad Scowdhury, 2, and Scarlet Aiken, 2, check out the tree in Parramatta’s new-look square. Picture credit: Phillip Rogers |
QVB
● QVB Christmas, George St, City; daily, various times, free entry, photos various prices, qvb.com.au
The Swarovski Christmas tree, with more than 144,000 ornaments and 60,000 lights, is a majestic sight, particularly in such an iconic setting as the historic Queen Victoria Building. Santa and his helpers will be in residence in the crystal garden for those wanting a Christmas photo.
RICHMOND
● Richmond Rotary Carols in Richmond Park, Windsor and East Market Sts, Richmond; December 14, 6pm-10pm, free, hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au
Settle down for a family night in the centre of Richmond. You can buy electric candles, glow sticks and glowing bracelets to help light up your night as you sing along.
STRATHFIELD, SYDNEY TOWER
● Strathfield Christmas Carols Featuring Movies In The Park, Strathfield Park, Homebush Rd, Strathfield; today 5pm-10pm, free, strathfieldmovies.com.au
Combine carol singing with the outdoor screening of the kids movie Frozen. Santa will appear and the evening ends with a big fireworks display.
● Sydney Tower Eye Santa’s Grotto, Westfield Sydney, 100 Market St, City; daily 9am-10pm, adult $26, child $15, sydneytowereye.com
Soar 250m into the sky to see Santa at the highest place in town — the top of the Sydney Tower. Get a free photo with Santa, receive a free gift and admire the spectacular view.
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| Get a photo with Santa at Sydney Tower |
THORNLEIGH, TURRAMURRA
● Thornleigh Family Christmas Carols By Candelight, Headen Park, Sinclair Ave, Thornleigh; December 14, 6.30pm-9.30pm, free, hornsby.nsw.gov.au
Bring a picnic rug and settle in for live music and community carols. And there’s face-painting for the kids.
● Turramurra Carols In The Chapel, Lady Davidson Hospital Chapel, Bobbin Head Rd,
North Turramurra; December 14, 5pm-6.30pm, free, bobbinheadchurch.com.au
Enjoy a traditional night of carol singing in church led by the Landings Choir following a festive supper.
UMINA
● Umina Library Christmas Storytime, Umina Library, West and Bullion Sts, Umina; December 16, 10.30am-11.30am, free, gosford.nsw.gov.au
There are plenty of Christmas events around the Central Coast but if you are looking at something a little different for the kids, check out the activities at Umina library. Even Santa will be showing up.
VAUCLUSE
● Vaucluse House Make And Take: Christmas Craft, Wentworth Rd, Vaucluse; December 13 and 14 noon-3pm, child $5 plus museum entry, sydneylivingmuseums.com.au
Kids aged three and over can learn how to make Christmas decorations and try ginger biscuits in two fun afternoons.
WOLLONGONG
● Wollongong 25th Annual Bikers Toy Run, Crown St Mall, Wollongong; December 6, from 10.30am, free, wollongong.nsw.gov.au
The motorbikes will be cruising from Shellharbour to the centre of Wollongong bringing gifts for disadvantaged kids. They arrive from 11am and Santa will be there too. There will be live entertainment and free face-painting.
XMAS X-FACTOR
● Xmas X-Factor, A Very Puppy Christmas, The Skyline Drive-In, Blacktown; December 21, 7am-2pm, car $2, walk-in $1, blacktownmarkets.com.au
We don’t have any suburbs starting with X but this event should be a great way to start the Christmas week. Bring along your pooch and enter the best dressed dog, owner-dog lookalike and ugliest dog contest. There will be heaps of pet-themed stalls and live entertainment.
YAGOONA
●Yagoona Lights, 169 Wycombe St, Yagoona; daily from 7.30pm, free, yagoonalights.com
Plenty of people put Christmas lights on their houses but few set up a website complete with videos and lighting details. This guy even has an FM radio station you can tune into for music to sequence the lights.
ZETLAND
● Zetland Laneway Learning At the Library; Bath Bombs, Green Square Library, Joynton Ave, Zetland; December 6, 11am, free, cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
At this workshop, all materials are supplied to make perfumed bath bombs.
Source: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/arts/embrace-the-spirit-of-christmas-with-our-a-z-of-festive-events-across-sydney/story-fniv7r7y-1227145536521
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