We are pleased to announce the opening night for Christmas in Geelong.
Our annual Christmas program will begin with the illumination of our beloved Floating Christmas Tree and a free community celebration on Saturday 11 November.
The family-friendly festivities will commence at the picturesque Steampacket Quay at 7:00pm, culminating with a fireworks display at 9:00pm.
Performers and live entertainment will be announced shortly.
Following opening night, the six-minute Floating Christmas Tree Sound and Light Show will be staged each night from 8.30pm until midnight, running every 15 minutes.
Visitors can control the colourful lightshow in between shows via mobile devices by logging onto our nominated URL.
Family-friendly shows will be staged on Saturdays in December commencing at 5.30pm, to give families and those not wanting to be out after dark the opportunity to enjoy the show at an earlier timeslot.
The light show on the tree will be changed three times, running from 11 November to 1 December, 2 December to 25 December and 26 December to 7 January.
The tree will be in operation until the 7 January and will also feature in the spectacular New Year’s Eve fireworks display.
Mayor Sullivan:
No Christmas in Geelong is complete without our Floating Christmas Tree Sound and Light Show down at the Geelong Waterfront.
It attracts thousands of visitors from near and far.
Once again, this year we’ll give one lucky child the opportunity to help Santa light the tree at our Opening Night celebration.
Deputy Mayor Aitken:
Since moving our Christmas in Geelong Opening Night event to Saturday night more families and visitors from outside the region are coming to enjoy the festivities. Our Christmas in Geelong program definitely boosts Geelong’s economy.
Beyond the tree, our Christmas in Geelong program is always well-received. It brings families together and gets everyone into the festive season spirit. I’m really looking forward to opening night and for all the other magical Christmas activities and events we’ve planned this year.
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.
The full Christmas in Geelong program will be released next month.
More than 297,000 attended last year’s Christmas in Geelong program and there was an economic output of $15 million for our region.
The City respectfully acknowledges 11 November is Remembrance Day and consulted closely with local RSLs to ensure there is no impact on Remembrance Day activities which are taking place in Johnstone Park at 11am.
