Noël Sydney draws thousands into festive spirit

NSW Gov

Noël Sydney has brought festive cheer and a welcome Christmas bonus to the CBD and regional NSW businesses, with more than 145,000 attendees enjoying the 16-night event.

The hugely popular family-friendly Christmas celebration was held from 9 – 24 December and featured a magical wonderland of digital Christmas trees and market stalls selling products from around the state in the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, stunning lighting projections on Macquarie Street heritage buildings, nightly variety performances and spectacular drone shows.

Premier Dominic Perrottet said Noël Sydney gave the opportunity for Sydneysiders and visitors to soak up the festive spirit in the Botanic Gardens, with something for everyone.

“Noël Sydney has been so important to our state – injecting dollars into the local economy and supporting local hotels, bars, restaurants, tourism operators and small businesses, while bringing people together at this special time of year.

“This world-class event has delivered a significant boost to our economy but just as importantly, it has also provided visitors a summer in Sydney to remember.”

Minister for Tourism Ben Franklin said Noël Sydney had proven to be a hit with visitors and locals who were eager to soak up the Christmas spirit in Sydney.

“Noël Sydney has been a standout of the NSW Government’s Summer in Sydney event series, bringing people together to enjoy music, entertainment, food and drink, creativity and festive displays in the heart of the city,” Mr Franklin said.

“Summer in Sydney aimed to bring people into the city and support local businesses, artists and suppliers, providing a welcome boost to our state’s visitor economy and these numbers show that’s exactly what Sydneysiders and visitors wanted.

“We are incredibly proud of the events we have been able to offer the public, from OPEN FOR LUNCH to Noël Sydney and the upcoming ELEVATE Sydney festival on the Cahill Expressway, which showcase Sydney both locally and globally.

“The NSW Government has secured a bumper program of events for Sydney including Sydney Festival, United Cup (ATP and WTA tennis), HSBC Sydney 7s, Madagascar – The Musical and Sail GP to surprise, delight and entertain visitors of all ages, from all over the world, the country and NSW.”

Gabriel Gutnik from Ziggy’s Wild Foods travelled from Bellingen NSW to participate in the Noël Christmas market.

“Its been an incredible opportunity to highlight the importance of artisan products and showcase our unique regional offerings over any type of mass production. This has been an amazing initiative, I’ve had the best 15 days here and the support from Sydney-siders and visitors has been tremendous.”

Noël Sydney, created and produced by AGB Events, included:

  • 80 artisan products from local businesses and regional NSW and 17 food and beverage offerings
  • 13 incredible Christmas Skyshow drone displays over Farm Cove
  • 32 variety performances on the Noël Sydney main stage including appearances by David Campbell, Katie Noonan, Bella Taylor Smith, Emma Pask and more
  • Projection and lighting treatments on five heritage Sydney buildings as part of the Noël Light Trail each evening
  • 23 digital Christmas trees lighting up the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney.

The Summer in Sydney series was created by the NSW Government, delivered through its tourism and major events agency Destination NSW and event delivery partners.

To find out more about the upcoming ELEVATE Sydney program, go to elevatesydney.com

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