Melbourne will welcome the festive season with more than 600 decorations, a giant Christmas tree, free entertainment and the return of the Queen Victoria Market Christmas Night Market as the city’s annual Christmas Festival gets underway on 27 November.
The city’s streets and laneways will be transformed with sparkling lights and a new Christmas decoration trail inspired by the 12 Days of Christmas, featuring native Australian flora and fauna.
Fed Square’s Christmas Square will lead the celebrations, with the lighting of a 17.5-metre Christmas tree on Friday 27 November. The opening night will include a performance from Lucy Durack’s Glee Club, followed by a sound and light show and entertainment from local artists.
“No one does a summer Christmas quite like Melbourne. Our streets sparkle, landmarks light up and festive fun fills every corner of the city. That’s a very Melbourne Christmas,” Lord Mayor Nick Reece said.
The Queen Victoria Market Christmas Night Market will return for the first time in five years, running across four Wednesday evenings from 25 November. Visitors can expect festive food, handmade gifts, falling snow and free Christmas photos, with real deer at Santa’s Stable on 9 and 16 December.
Other highlights include a new 90-metre canopy featuring 25,000 lights above Bourke Street Mall, Christmas projections at Melbourne Town Hall and St Paul’s Cathedral, and the Crown Christmas River Show on Southbank, all from 4 December.
The Christmas Carnival will also return to Birrarung Marr from 11 December, bringing rides, food trucks and family activities to the Yarra riverbank.
A new Melbourne Sings program will bring community choirs, cultural groups and buskers together for free performances and city-wide sing-alongs through to Christmas Day.
“More than 1.6 million visitors choose to celebrate Christmas in Melbourne each year – pumping more than $125 million into city businesses,” Head of Events and Tourism portfolio Councillor Mark Scott said.
The full Christmas Festival program is available through What’s On Melbourne.
