Featuring an enchanted forest of 300 trees, Santa’s workshop, carnival rides, falling snow, Rudolf’s Stables and a festive live circus show, Sydney’s Santa Spectacular opens today.
Running from December 12-26 at Blacktown Showgrounds, one of Australia’s biggest Christmas festivals has returned after a five-year break, bringing the magic of the North Pole to Sydney.
Created by Australia’s own Mr and Mrs Claus - Jade and Josh Evans - and their dedicated team of ‘Santa’s Helpers’ including their six children – the 2024 Sydney Santa Spectacular will feature a new range of Christmas-themed food that will be available from specially-themed food trucks.
Taste tested by the Christmas-loving Evan’s family, Fairy Bread Christmas trees, Christmas hat fairy floss, Candy Cane mint gelato and Grinch Mint milkshakes will all be on offer as part of the dazzling Christmas wonderland that is Sydney Santa Spectacular.
This year, the festival returns with brand-new attractions, expanded festivities and an all-new location at Blacktown Showgrounds.
"We’ve handmade thousands of decorations and are offering new Christmas-themed food – as well as bringing a brand-new festive circus show, a 300-tree enchanted forest and so much more! We have kept our prices down despite rising costs so families can attend a one-price inclusive event. I have a big family so I know how hard it can be. We can’t wait for everyone to come and experience the magic,” says Jade Evans, Founder and Director of Sydney Santa Spectacular.
The 2024 Sydney Santa Spectacular promises a jam-packed holiday experience featuring three hours of unlimited rides and activities with every ticket.
Highlights include:
- A whimsical enchanted forest with 300 twinkling Christmas trees that have been personally decorated with 30,000 baubles and 30,000 Santa lights.
- Falling snow every hour for an authentic North Pole experience.
- Australia’s only double-decker carousel, along with a host of other family-friendly carnival rides, as well as Rudolph’s Santa Train, Mrs Claus’s festive bumper cars, toboggan rides and a new Circus Carnival walk through pop-up.
- The all-new Rudolph’s Stables petting zoo, where children can meet and interact with adorable animals.
- An immersive live circus show under the big top, showcasing thrilling acts to wow audiences of all ages.
- Festive meet-and-greets with Santa and his team of elves, with every child receiving free reindeer food at Santa’s workshop.
- Letter writing to Santa.
- A special offering of Christmas-themed food, the family’s renowned Dagwood dogs and more will be served from shiny silver Air-stream custom-built food trucks.
The Sydney Santa Spectacular has always been about more than just Christmas fun – it’s also about giving back to the community. This year, festival-goers are invited to bring a gift to place under the event’s towering Christmas ‘giving tree’, with the presents donated to Blacktown Council to sick and disadvantaged kids. The Sydney Santa Spectacular team has hand-delivered more than 15,000 presents to children in need, as well as welcoming sick children and their families to the event for a special free pre-opening night that brings much-needed Christmas cheer.
"The spirit of giving is at the heart of what we do,” Jade says. "Josh and I have six beautiful children of our own and seeing the smiles on children’s faces when we take Santa and the festive elves and sparkling Christmas fairies to deliver the gifts is incredibly rewarding. We’re so grateful to everyone who helps make it possible to create magical moments that last forever.
"Our eldest child Austin was sick for a long time after a horrific accident and our youngest River has been hospitalised multiple times with lung issues. We understand how hard it is to have kids who are unwell or to be suffering hardship at Christmas time – and this is just a small way we can give back for the help our family received and also bring joy to families who are doing it tough. This year we hope to donate 10,000 gifts from our festival-goers.”
Whether it’s taking a spin on Australia’s only double-decker carousel, visiting Santa’s Village, or singing along with the magical elves, this is one Christmas event that’s not to be missed!
