Santa’s Boulevard tickets on sale next week

FLOAT BEING PREPARED: Event volunteers Mike Scutter (left), Alan Liptrott and Greg Muller on the revamped Pirates Arrr Us float.

TICKETS for the NF McDonnell and Sons Santa’s Boulevard event will be available from next Monday.

Mount Gambier City Council’s events team, the Mount Gambier Christmas Parade Advisory Group, and many volunteers have been planning the Covid-safe drive-by static Christmas spectacle to be held on Haig Drive at the Valley Lake in place of the annual Christmas Parade which won’t go ahead due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Santa’s Boulevard will include 14 revamped Christmas floats, lights, decorations and Christmas music in the Valley Lake precinct over five nights between November 25 to 29 from 7 until 10pm.

“You’ll see some of our favourite floats including Christmas in Toy Town, Pirates ‘R’ Us, Bill the Steam Shovel, Hansel & Gretel, The Christmas Tree, T’was the night before Christmas, Humpty Dumpty, and of course the Christmas Stocking and Santa,” City of Mount Gambier Events Team Leader Xarnia Keding said.

“Many of the floats have been repainted and freshened up in preparation for the event.

“We are working with local businesses to light up the floats and the trees to create ‘pockets of delight’ along the one kilometre route.

“You’ll also see our local primary school group Christmas art display on the big screen as you drive through.”

The Christmas event is ticketed this year to enable traffic control and to ensure that wait times are reduced.

Tickets are free and will be available from the Visitor Information Centre or online at Sticky Tickets.

Participants are requested to bring a donation to support the Mayor’s Christmas Appeal.

The Valley Lakes area will still be accessible during the day as per normal and will be closed to prepare for the event at 6pm daily during the period of the event.

Santa’s Boulevard will be a free, family friendly, smoke free, dry event for the entire community.