Get into the Christmas spirit

IT’S no secret Highton sleighs Christmas, and Yule love what’s planned for this year’s festivities.

The fun begins at Highton Village on December 5 with a Friday evening full of festive cheer.

The Highton Village Christmas Festival kicks off at 5pm featuring free fairy floss, popcorn and facepainting, buskers and musicians, and a sausage sizzle by What’s for Dinner? and local Rotarians.

The festival, now in its second year, also includes a free raffle and Christmas school poster competition, with prizes donated by the Highton Village traders, along with visits from Highton Fire Brigade and, of course, Santa.

And the jolly man in red is set for a very busy December in Highton with three fun family-friendly events coming up.

Christmas on the Hill runs from 4pm to 7pm on Saturday, December 6 at South Valley Baptist Church with pony rides, a petting farm, a free BBQ and the church’s choir leading the carols.

Just down the road the very next day, the carols will commence again at Highton’s OneHope Baptist Church.

OneHope Carols – Barrabool Hills is a free outdoor community event with food and coffee vans, kids’ activities, face painting and live music from the OneHope carols band.

This event is part of the Christmas in Geelong program and runs from 5.30pm to 8.30pm on Sunday 7 December.

A couple of weeks later on Sunday, December 21, Carols in the Park returns to Highton Reserve featuring beloved local kids band the Mik Maks, Geelong Youth Choir, soulful singer-songwriter Gabby Steel and St John’s Highton’s Meta4 church band.

It’s good to see this event again become a yearly fixture on Highton’s Christmas calendar after returning last year following a brief hiatus during the covid pandemic.

As your Barrabool Hills Ward Councillor, I’m thrilled to see such an impressive line-up of Christmas events in Highton and I’m proud that Council is supporting all of these.

But the local festivities are just a part of a massive, jam-packed Christmas program this year that will have Geelong ready to jingle all the way!

Celebrations begin with two beloved traditions – Denis Walter’s Carols by the Bay and the lighting of the Floating Christmas Tree at Steampacket Gardens next Saturday, November 22.

The Floating Christmas Tree will continue to light up Corio Bay with a six-minute show every 15 minutes between 8.30pm and midnight until January 7.

New to the program this year is the Christmas Performance Trail, featuring choirs, musicians, dancers and street performers popping up in three locations from November 28 to December 14.

The CBD will also come alive with projections, window displays and family activities throughout the festive period.

And for those who want to join in a Christmas singalong in their own backyard, we have local carols happening all across Geelong too.

So get into the spirit, join in the festivities and discover why Christmas really is the most wonderful time of the year in Geelong.

Plan for the festive season at geelongaustralia.com.au/christmas

Cr Ron Nelson

Barrabool Hills Ward, City of Greater Geelong