The City of Greater Geelong is excited to announce the lights on Geelong's famous Floating Christmas Tree will be switched on with a free community celebration on Saturday 12 November.
The hero event kick starts what will be best and biggest Christmas in Geelong program to date and will see one lucky Geelong child flick the switch to turn on our iconic tree with Santa.
The popular community event is back for the first time since 2018, after the celebrations were rained out in 2019 and cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions.
This year, we will also see a return of more in-person activities, with the 2022 program being more accessible and held in more venues than ever before. Projections on City Hall will also be turned on the same night.
The City will again host a competition for the opportunity to turn on the Floating Christmas Tree.
Out of 12 finalists on the night, one child will be randomly drawn to flick the switch with Santa.
The light show on the tree will be changed three times, running from 12 November to 2 December, 3 December to 25 December and 26 December to 8 January.
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.
The competition for a child to win the opportunity to flick the switch to light our floating Christmas Tree is now open!
To enter: https://bit.ly/3Ri07Vh
Mayor Peter Murrihy
Everyone looks forward to the return of the tree to Geelong, but this year's celebrations will be so much bigger and better now that we can again celebrate together as a community.
We have moved our Opening Night event to a Saturday night for the first time as a trial, which we hope will allow more families and visitors from outside the region to enjoy the festivities and boost Geelong's economy.
Major Events Chair, Councillor Ron Nelson
One lucky child will be given the opportunity to help Santa light the tree at our Opening Night event. The opening night celebrations will include a stage show, roving performers and live entertainment so it's a fabulous opportunity for the whole family to come into Central Geelong.
It's going to be a big night for Geelong, so we encourage everyone to get in early to make a booking at their favourite café or restaurant on the Waterfront to continue helping to support local businesses. Make it a memorable night to enjoy with your family and friends while taking in our Christmas show.
