Sovereign Hill opens for Christmas shopping night

SOVEREIGN Hill will again open its doors to provide an opportunity for the community to shop for Christmas.

To be held on Thursday 4 December from 6pm until 8pm, the free entry Christmas shopping night will provide a chance for visitors to browse the outdoor museum’s stores.

Mark Hemetsberger, chief marketing officer, said the event provides a great opportunity for the community to shop locally for the festive season.

“We are a charity and a registered not-for-profit business,” he said.

“What that means is when you purchase a gift at Sovereign Hill your money is really doing two things: It’s giving a gift of something to someone you love and care about, but at the same time it’s also supporting a local charity that generates approximately $200 million a year into the local economy.”

The night will include a chance to meet St Nicholas, go gold panning, try candle dipping, see confectionary demonstrations, and listen to Christmas tunes.

“At Sovereign Hill we know that we are part of Ballarat… we know that our local community supports us and has done through thick and thin,” Mr Hemetsberger said.

“Christmas shopping night is our chance to welcome our community into Sovereign Hill after hours and offer a festive environment that people can come and engage with each other.”

Mr Hemetsberger said the event also provides a chance for residents of the Ballarat Local Government Area to purchase a locals pass, which cannot be bought online.

The pass costs $69.50 for an adult and provides free entry to the outdoor museum for a year.

“The locals pass is another offer that we’ve given to locals,” Mr Hemetsberger said.

“We sold just over 6000 locals passes during Winter Wonderlights which means about five per cent of the entire Ballarat LGA now has a pass and we are hoping to grow that to 10 per cent.”

For more information, visit the Sovereign Hill website.