Tis' the season!
Save the date Christmas lovers: The iconic Geelong floating Christmas tree is heading back to the waterfront for the start of a new festive season.
Marking its eighth year in the bay, the world-class silver structure will be lit up on Saturday, November 12 to mark the beginning of Geelong’s annual Christmas celebrations.
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Courtesy of Darryn Lyons, the infamous 25-metre structure debuted back in 2014 and has since given locals a spot to spend their nights leading up to Christmas, watching the light show synchronised to music and delighting people of all ages. Not only bringing our community together and spreading that festive spirit, but the structure has attracted an attendance of around in excess of 1.6 million people prior to 2020, with that number only increasing since.
Tipped to be the ‘best and biggest Christmas in Geelong program to date’, the Floating Christmas tree opening celebrations will see one lucky Geelong child flick the switch to turn on the iconic tree with Santa.
The popular community event is back for the first time since 2018, after the celebrations were rained out in 2019 and cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The Opening Night event has also been moved to a Saturday night for the first time as a trial, in a bid to allow more families and visitors from outside the region to enjoy the festivities and boost Geelong’s economy.
“The opening night celebrations will include a stage show, roving performers and live entertainment so it’s a fabulous opportunity for the whole family to come into Central Geelong,” says Major Events Chair Councillor Ron Nelson.
“It’s going to be a big night for Geelong, so we encourage everyone to get in early to make a booking at their favourite café or restaurant on the Waterfront to continue helping to support local businesses. Make it a memorable night to enjoy with your family and friends while taking in our Christmas show.”
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As for the competition for a child to win the opportunity to flick the switch to light our floating Christmas Tree, all you need to do to enter is fill in the main details and cross your fingers.
Twelve finalists will be drawn for the competition with each finalist and their immediate family will receive access to an exclusive area at the opening night event to enjoy the show, while one lucky child will be randomly drawn on the night to flick the switch alongside Santa and the event hosts.
Following the Christmas Tree’s launch, the next few months will see a spectacular Floating Christmas Tree sound and light show staged each night for people to visit in person down on the waterfront. The light show on the tree will be changed three times, running from 12 November to 2 December, 3 December to 25 December and 26 December to 8 January.
Decorating the floating tree is not a simple task, and lighting experts from Geelong company Total Events will spend the week before the opening event testing and programming the LED lights. Total Events has worked on the Christmas lighting display for the last six years.
This year, we will also see a return of more in-person activities, with the 2022 program being more accessible and held in more venues than ever before. Projections on City Hall will also be turned on the same night.
The full Christmas in Geelong program will be released next month.
The competition closes 12pm on Tuesday 1 November and can be entered here.
