The City of Sydney has announced its free program of events for the 2024 Christmas season, and it looks like it's shaping up to be a jolly one. The program – which kicked off over the weekend, and will run for four weeks – will light up the city with light displays, a huge Christmas tree, choral performances, children's concerts, markets and visits from Father Christmas himself. (But if you can't catch him in person, you can always try him on the phone).
With pop-up festivities in suburbs and precincts across the city (the Christmas calendars at Sydney Cathedral, Darling Harbour, Barangaroo and The Rocks deserve special mentions), Christmas cheer won’t be hard to come by wherever you find yourself this December. But as per, Martin Place will be the focal point of the City of Sydney’s Christmas celebrations.
The tallest Christmas tree in NSW
Illuminated by more than 100,000 lights, the Martin Place Christmas tree is the tallest in NSW, and it’s always a sure-fire stop if you’re looking for a dose of Christmas magic. Stretching 24-metres high into the sky above Martin Place Metro Station, the tree’s 800 branches are adorned with Australian-themed decorations including 300 glossy baubles. The lights on the tree turn on every day at 8pm, and stay shining until 1am – with the last night being Friday, January 3, 2025. In total, the City of Sydney is responsible for 11 Christmas trees that are sparkling right now across the city.
Christmas lights in Sydney
In the heart of Sydney's CBD, a shimmering canopy of 60,000 suspended lights will illuminate the sky above Pitt Street Mall with a series of four dynamic light shows, stars will light up each smart pole along George Street, and the Woolworths building opposite Sydney Town Hall will be draped in a curtain of light. For a super sparkly experience in the heart of the city, wait in Martin Place to catch one of the rotating sound and light shows – taking place every 15 minutes between 8pm and midnight until Sunday, January 5. Full details of the City of Sydney’s decorations can be found on the Sydney Culture Walks app, which will take you on a tour of the best decs across the city centre.
Free children's Christmas concerts
This year’s Christmas program also includes six free children’s concerts, which will be popping up across the city with music and dance performances, alongside games and food trucks. The concerts will be taking place in Pyrmont, Surry Hills, Rosebery, Rushcutters Bay, Glebe and Alexandria. You can check out dates and details over here. Crucially, Santa will also be in attendance at these concerts, and families can get a photo with the king of the season for a $5 donation to the City of Sydney’s charity partner, Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation.
Martin Place Christmas Markets
Martin Place will transform into a super merry marketplace every Thursday, Friday and Saturday in December leading up to Christmas; with everything from festive wreaths to Christmas puddings available to buy from local stallholders.
The full festive program including concert dates and locations can be found here, and Sydneysiders are encouraged to donate to Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation here.
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