Christmas parade with a difference

Christmas parade with a difference

Mount Gambier’s COVID-Safe Christmas celebrations were a hit with the community, after being delayed by a week due to the state’s three-day lockdown.

The roadway through Blue Lake Sports Park was transformed into a twinkling boulevard, as a sea of fairy lights and a host of Christmas floats lined the route.

More than 830 vehicles, most carrying four occupants, spent hours travelling through the event on Friday night.

The event was also scheduled to be held on Saturday night, however the weather lit-erally rained on the parade as it was hastily cancelled and packed away.

Mount Gambier City Council Community Events Team Leader Denise Richardson was in awe of the community response.

“It was sensational, everybody was fantastic and obeyed what they were supposed to be doing and made it a wonderful event,” she said.

“I watched as they came up to Santa and their faces lit up, it was magic.

“The whole thing was magic, it’s something that we have never done before, but it’s not to say it will be the last.”

Mrs Richardson said organisers decided to remain open longer than the 10pm cut-off on Friday evening, given there was still a large line of cars.

“We had 831 cars with mostly four people per car, it was a fantastic effort,” she said.

“We had to make a decision in consultation with police and did go half an hour longer, so our road closures were at 10pm and we let it go to accommodate for those people who were in the line. Then we had to put a stop to it.”

Mrs Richardson praised the volunteers who had spent hundreds of hours pulling the event together. “It was a great effort and the City of Mount Gambier thanks the community, without them it would not have been what it was,” she said.

“I am just in awe of what the volunteers achieved so our hats go off to those who each year help build the floats. “It was a wonderful atmosphere.

“For those who missed out we did a bit of a parade down Jubilee Highway on Saturday afternoon and there were so many excited children with happy little faces, at least they got to see it if they missed it on Friday night.

“I would like to say thank you to everybody who was involved in that team work to make it as special as it was.

“The schools did a fantastic job with decorating their Christmas trees, they all put lights on and decorations and it looked lovely as you entered the boulevard.”

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