Festive Fun for Everyone: Newcastle's Christmas & New Years Spectacular
IMAGES: SOURCE CITY OF NEWCASTLE
The uplifting music of Christmas carols and children laughing in excitement and delight are the sounds of Christmas in the city, and there’s no better place to be this Christmas and New Year than Newcastle.
The city is celebrating in style this year with giant Christmas displays, activities for the whole family (including your pets!), musical performances and the party of the year along the harbour for New Year’s Eve. Make memories and get into the festive spirit by immersing yourself in all the wonders that the city has to offer.
Christmas in Wheeler Place, Newcastle
The festive season kicks off when Lord Mayor Dr Ross Kerridge hits the ‘big button’ as children do the countdown to light the 12.5 metre Christmas tree in Wheeler Place on Friday, 29 November, from 5pm to 7pm accompanied by the vocal talents and festive sounds of Marmalade Sky. Santa will be there with his sleigh, and photos will be encouraged.
Across three weekends, the magical spirit and sounds of Christmas will continue at Wheeler Place on Friday evenings from 5pm to 7pm and Sunday afternoons from 4pm to 6pm when Santa will make his special appearances accompanied by live musical performances from local schools, community groups and professional performers including the Novotones, the Bel-Air School Band, performers from the Hunter School of Performing Arts, and the Newcastle Music Academy. On Friday, 13 December, the Newcastle Youth Orchestra will be a highlight performance featuring instrumental ensembles, and emerging local vocalists leading traditional Christmas carols.
Parents who may be wondering how they can afford their annual Santa photos this year amid a cost-of-living crisis may be pleased to learn that photography with Santa, his sleigh, and his elf helpers is encouraged and free. Pets are welcome, and ‘paw-traits’ will be a fun addition to family Christmas traditions. It will even be possible to clip your pet to the front of Santa’s sleigh in place of his reindeer! Children will be able to get busy on the craft table, assisted by Santa’s helpers, to write and craft their annual Santa letter which they can post at the on-site mailbox next to the reindeer. After posting their letter, let the kids run through the Christmas tree tunnel for extra fun.
The grown-ups can explore Santa’s Shopping List, which features special offers, promotions, discounts and vouchers from participating local businesses in the CBD and Darby Street precincts to encourage local shopping. There are approximately 12 businesses involved, including Blackbird Corner, Cooks Hill Books and Records, Blank Store and
Foghorn Brewery. Christmas shopping in the city provides a more diverse range of options than suburban shopping centres. Find that quirky something for your difficult-to-buy-for relative, something artsy, trendy, handmade or bespoke. There is a ‘spend-to-win’ promotion where shoppers who spend in participating stores have a chance to win a staycation. The prize includes a Civic Theatre voucher, one night’s accommodation at Quest Apartments Newcastle West in a studio apartment with a bottle of sparkling on arrival, a drinks voucher for Miss Mary’s at Crystalbrook Kingsley and a $50 voucher for Banana Blossom Newcastle and is drawn on Friday, 15 December.
Christmas in Hunter St Mall
As if that’s not enough festive fun for the family, you can also head up to Hunter St Mall where a purpose-built Christmas installation is designed to encourage selfies and social media interactivity. This giant double-sided Christmas gift lights up and allows people to hop inside, look out of the four little windows and take photos to post across social media. Created in
collaboration with local artists and curators, Sawtooth Timber Creations, Mitch Revs and Canvas Events, the installation will be at the Market Street Steps from 29 November to 26 December.
“These Christmas activities aim to bring the community together, create a festive ambience, and drive support for local businesses while celebrating the holiday season through music, interactive displays, and community engagement,” said Alissa Jones, Executive Director Creative & Community Services, City of Newcastle.
“It’s part of our Community Strategic Plan to be a creative and vibrant city. Christmas and New Year are flagship events, and we’re very proud to be able to produce opportunities for people to come together to celebrate in a positive way. I love that it’s free so that everyone can participate and have fun.
“We want as many people as possible to come into their city, to gather here, stay for a bit longer, to shop, eat, to patronise local businesses. As a city, we’re very proud to support major community events, to celebrate the work of local artists and producers and to create a safe and inclusive space where the people of our region can come together to lean on the spirit of Newcastle and create a colourful and happy time for everyone.”
In this ‘spirit of Newcastle’, the Newcastle City Business Improvement Association and NHM Newcastle Hunter Mummas are presenting Santa’s Big Newcastle Toy Swap on Saturday, 30 November, at Hunter St Mall.
“Talking to local business owners, we were hearing that people were delaying their Christmas shopping this year because so many are doing it tough,” said Mel Sargeant of NHM.
“In our own NHM network, we hear from 80,000 mothers monthly. There’s a lot of stress out there at the moment, so we see this as an opportunity to help out. We’ve run toy swaps before within our NHM community. Families show up with their picnics and their toys and do a swap. It’s great for sustainability, and kids don’t care about packaging. Some of my kid’s favourite toys came from toy swaps.”
The concept to sell it to your children is that Santa has been super busy in his workshop this year but wants your help to save the planet. He and Mrs Claus know many children don’t play with toys anymore that other children would cherish and still enjoy; that’s why he’s bringing the children of Newcastle together just in time for Christmas so they can meet him, have a photo with him, give him their Christmas wish list and take home a toy they love that another child has once loved. He’s even invited your furry dog friends to be included in the Santa photos.
Toys can be dropped off from 9am to 10am, then from 11am to 12 noon; the toy swap will take place and finish with a prize draw where mums can win $1000 thanks to Grace Family Law Solicitors and Genea Newcastle. Other raffle prizes drawn on the day include a Surrender Spa treatment from Endota, a two-night stay with wine on arrival at 291 on
King Newcastle, a Humbug experience, award winning Serum Laboratory transformational skincare, a stay at Quest Newcastle with breakfast from The Happy Wombat, a red light therapy treatment from Cryoking, a class package from The Yoga Loft Newcastle, a Pilates Space experience, Hunterbelle Diary Co cheese pack and a Woolworths voucher and grocery hamper.
There will be free coffee and baby chinos from several cafes to enjoy, a sustainable Christmas craft workshop by Full Circle Collective, face-painting and wine tasting from Artisanal Cellars and a choir for the musical entertainment. People are encouraged to bring both toys and books for the swap, to come along, have some fun and take some pressure
off. Any leftover toys will be donated to the Toy Library at New Lambton, and NEW FM will broadcast live from the event.
New Year’s Eve
The most common question asked about everyone’s favourite party night of the year, New Year’s Eve (NYE), is, ‘Will there
be fireworks?’ The short answer is yes – absolutely – but so much more! Newcastle’s NYE celebrations will take place along the harbour from 5pm to 9.15pm and will be a creative, colourful, light-filled, inclusive community event with something for everyone to enjoy. Produced by local creatives Fingers Crossed Creative and Canvas Events, it features a breathtaking Giant Newy NYE Inflatable tunnel ten metres by five metres, a magical illuminated Wishing Dome featuring giant floating Jellyfish and flower characters creating a hopeful and inspiring atmosphere where you can write your wishes anonymously on a tag and tie it to the dangling strings to set your intentions for the new year, and a quiet zone for those wishing to unwind that includes ambient elements that tie into the thematic aesthetic, with seating, headphones, and
tactile experiences to help calm and reset.
Of course, there will be the usual amazing array of local cuisine from diverse food vendors, dedicated zones for families and picnics, DJ stations at different points of the harbour path, face-painting and texta tattoos and inflatables for the kids to play on. The Station will feature live acoustic music and Eat Street with food provided by local restaurants and providers.
Perhaps, aside from the 9pm fireworks, the other highlight event of the evening may well be the Big Bike Parade which will be due to kick off at 5.30pm.
“We wanted to pull out all the stops this year,” said Zackari Watt, Creative Producer at Fingers Crossed Creative.
“It will be bigger and better than ever. We’ve made sure that 99 per cent of what we’ve created has been with local content, suppliers and materials. This is by Newcastle for Newcastle.
“The aim this year was to provide an experience where the community could be part of the action. The Big Bike Parade will include several wacky inflatables, puppets, and
creatures attached to bikes, as well as anything with wheels. The community is invited to join the parade with their bikes, prams, skateboards, wheelchairs, scooters, and anything unmotorised with wheels.
“They can decorate their wheels beforehand, or we’ll have Creation Stations, a dedicated area for participants to get inspired and receive assistance in decorating their ‘wheels’ before joining the parade, which will run for 45 minutes, break for 15 minutes and then run again on a one-kilometre loop continuously until 8.30pm. People without wheels can still join in and walk the course, and if you miss one parade, you can join the next one, or you can sit back and watch. No pressure!”
It's important to note that the entire event is inclusive, with dedicated accessible parking and a drop off zone located near the event. There are accessible toilets, a quiet zone, continuous paths of travel, and dedicated viewing areas for the fireworks for people with accessibility needs. The fireworks will also see registrations for an audio description through dedicated headphones for people with low vision or blindness.
At 9pm the fireworks will begin, providing a dazzling finish to the New Year's Eve celebrations. The fireworks will be visible from the Newcastle Foreshore. They’ll run for 15 minutes, and the event will officially close.
“This inclusive event promises unforgettable connections and memories as we ring in 2025 together,” said Alissa Jones.
“It celebrates local talent, creativity, and community engagement. The objective is to create an inclusive, vibrant atmosphere that resonates with our community. As we usher in 2025, this event will not only put a colourful lens on the spirit of Newcastle but also foster connections and lasting memories for all who attend.”
Newcastle Christmas and New Years at a Glance
FRIDAYS (29 NOV, 6 & 13 DEC)
Santa Letter Craft Station & Mailbox at Wheeler Place, 5-7pm
Santa visit, DIY photos & paw-traits at Wheeler Place, 5-7pm
SUNDAYS (1, 8 & 15 DEC)
Santa Letter Craft Station & Mailbox at Wheeler Place, 4-6pm
Santa visit, DIY photos & paw-traits at Wheeler Place, 4-6pm
FRIDAY 29 NOV
Official Lighting of the Christmas Tree at Wheeler Place, 5-7pm
Christmas Gift Installation (continuous) at Hunter St Mall, 24hrs
Marmalade Sky Music at Wheeler Place, 5-7pm
SATURDAY 30 NOV
Toy Swap Behind at the QT Hotel, 9-12pm
SUNDAY 1 DEC
Novotones at Wheeler Place, 4-6pm
FRIDAY 6 DEC
Belair School Band at Wheeler Place, 5-7pm
SUNDAY 8 DEC
Hunter School Performing Arts at Wheeler Place, 4-6pm
Messiah in the City, Feat. Newcastle University Choir at City Hall, 2.30pm
FRIDAY 13 DEC
Newcastle Youth Orchestra at Wheeler Place, 5-7pm
SUNDAY 15 DEC
Newcastle Music Academy at Wheeler Place, 4-6pm
Santa Letter Craft Station & Mailbox at Wheeler Place, 4-6pm
Santa visit, DIY photos & paw-traits at Wheeler Place, 4-6pm
THURSDAY 19 DECEMBER
One Song Singalong at Wheeler Place, 5.30pm
TUESDAY 31 DEC
The Big Bike Parade & Creation Stations at Harbour Foreshore, 5.30-8.30pm
Giant Inflatables & Wishing Dome at Harbour Foreshore, 5-8.45pm
Live music, Eat Street at The Station, 5-8.45pm
DJs, food vendors, picnic areas at Harbour Foreshore, 5-8.45pm
Quiet Zone at Harbour Foreshore, 5-8.45pm
Fireworks at Harbour Foreshore, 9-9.15pm
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