Melbourne’s iconic Christmas Festival kicked off last Friday with the lighting of the city’s seven metre, 4.5 tonne living Christmas tree.
The tree is the centrepiece of a transformed City Square (renamed Christmas Square) complete with a magical forest for children to explore, free activities such as Christmas story time and carols, and man of the month Santa who will be in the Square daily to hear gift requests and pose for photos.
The spectacular light projections on Melbourne Town Hall will start on Wednesday 30 November, delighting crowds from 9pm to 10.20pm until Christmas Day. For the first time, projections will also be on show at a second location: Federation Square.
Lord Mayor Robert Doyle said the variety of retail, hospitality and entertainment offerings in Melbourne makes it the destination of choice in the lead up to Christmas.
“We expect visitors to flock to Melbourne from today right through to Christmas Day as crowds of people explore everything the city has to offer at this exciting time of year,” the Lord Mayor said.
“Last year we saw 330,000 attendees at Christmas Square and 215,000 spectators of the light projections on Town Hall; that’s more than 7,500 a night.
“Retailers are set for a rush in sales, with Christmas trade in Victoria forecast to increase by $233 million on last year’s figures.
“To support our businesses, we have orchestrated a month long extravaganza of free entertainment and activities to spread the spirit of Christmas and provide families with some festive cheer.
“Whether you’re looking to shop, celebrate or take in the sights, there’s something to see and do right across Melbourne this Christmas.”
The magnificent Gingerbread Village by EPICURE will return for its sixth year from 1 December through to Christmas Eve at Melbourne Town Hall, this time raising funds for the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation.
Other festival highlights include the Christmas at The Dock family day out on 10 December and the Christmas Night Markets at Queen Victoria Market which are on each Wednesday night in the lead up to Christmas.