Christmas in Perth can be a sweltering ordeal, but us Perthians never fail to put on some kind of show; whether it’s creating a homemade Chrissy tree out of Emu Export tins, or enjoying the makeshift British Christmas within Hay Street’s London Court. Either way, there’s always something going on, and this year Karrinyup Shopping Centre is hosting their Christmas Light Festival and Santa’s Arrival.
Now, we love a good Christmas tree as much as the next person, but Karrinyup’s tree is certifiably the largest in Perth measuring a whopping 17.5 metres in height, and Santa is ready and waiting to make a grand entrance by abseiling the gargantuous alpinery. Old mate will (hopefully) be cracking a mystery secret code in order to flick the switch at sundown and illuminate the structure before parading through the Centre to the Santa Set.
Along with the tree shenanigans, The Christmas Lights Festival will see Karrinyup shine with live music, roaming entertainment, and festive activities and projections throughout the afternoon and evening keeping the spirits high and the Christmas cheer higher.
In preparation for the big day, the big ol’ tree will take a full 24 hours to install and will be adorned with 15,000 lights and 2,500 baubles. While 35 helpers will spend three days putting up more than 35,000 shimmering baubles and 25,000 metres of lighting in every dang corner of Karrinyup Shopping Centre.
General Manager of Karrinyup, Ben Davis says, “We are proud to once again be lighting up Karrinyup, providing another magical Christmas experience for all of our customers to enjoy, which complements our exceptional retail offering.”
Until December 24 you can also get stuck into a range of Karrinyup’s other Christmas activities and offerings including Santa Photos, Santa Pet Photography, Sensory Santa Sessions, AUSLAN Santa, Santa Letters, Gift Wrapping for Good, and the Salvation Army Christmas Appeal.
Christmas Light Festival and Santa’s Arrival will be going down (quite literally) on Thursday 3 November from 4pm until 8pm with the official lighting on the Christmas tree at sunset at The West Deck of the Centre. So make sure you’re there early for the New-Age Santa’s entrance of a lifetime down Perth’s biggest Christmas tree.