Christmas Festivities to Spark Holiday Spirit Across Southern Grampian
Published on 11 November 2024
Southern Grampians Shire Council is feeling jolly because our elves are already hard at work, planning for the most wonderful time of the year.
Decorations will start popping up across the Shire from November 15. The newly decorated Hamilton Christmas tree will commence the much-loved sound and light show from Friday 21 Nov in front of the Hamilton Library, signalling the unofficial start to the season.
Businesses across the Shire are also encouraged to deck out storefronts for the annual Christmas Window Competition with fantastic prizes up for grabs. Shoppers; don’t forget to cast your votes – every vote enters you into a draw for a chance to win! Voting will open 18 November.
Another season classic is back this year with the return of the popular Hamilton CBD Busking Competition. This competition adds a spotlight to some of the extremely talented musicians and entertainers from around the Southern Grampians as they bring festive tunes to life across Hamilton. Applications are open now so check out Council’s website for entry details.
The St Marys Christmas Parade is back bigger and better than ever on Friday 6 December starting at 6:00pm on Gray Street. The parade finishes in front of the Hamilton Performing Arts Centre on Brown Street.
Streets will be closed to traffic until 9pm, so pedestrians can wander freely to enjoy the festive displays, live music performances, and late-night shopping with local businesses. Participating stores will have the opportunity to bring stalls onto the street, with permit fees waived by Council for the evening.
The massively popular Santas Wonderland is also returning, with Santa Clause setting up his grotto in the Hub in Hamilton. Santas workshop will be open from December 4 where the man in red will delight children and the young at heart alike. If you know someone who wants to deliver their Christmas list directly to the source, keep an eye out for announcements closer to the day.
Southern Grampians Shire Council CEO Tony Doyle is looking forward to local festive cheer these holidays.
“This year, we’re really encouraging people to look locally before shopping outside of the Southern Grampians. We are really spoilt for choice in terms of shopping opportunities as well as experiences within our region so I would encourage you all to look and love your local wherever you can this holiday season.
“By shopping locally, we put food on local tables, put kids in local schools and keep a wide variety of jobs in the region. Shopping local is the best way to spread Christmas cheer far and wide this year.
“We have brought back the busking competition to hear from some fantastic musicians, we will have the window display competition back for businesses to spread the holiday cheer, Santa will be back this year at a newly located Wonderland in the Hub, and we are also supporting the St Mary’s Christmas parade to encourage late night shopping with Hamilton traders.
“This is a very special time of year where friends, family and neighbours can get together. Make the most of the Southern Grampians this Christmas and support local,” concluded Mr Doyle.
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