Newcastle\u2019s Civic precinct is set to sparkle this month as City of Newcastle lights up the season with the return of its much-loved Christmas tree and festive program of free, family-friendly fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wheeler Place will take on a festive feel from this Friday when the installation of the 11-metre tall Christmas tree begins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"An](\"https:\/\/newcastle.nsw.gov.au\/getmedia\/07f21ea5-d4ea-41cb-a582-0c12b66cb1dc\/1_An-example-of-a-festive-%e2%80%98pawtrait%e2%80%99-featuring-three-dogs,-as-part-of-City-of-Newcastle%e2%80%99s-2024-Christmas-program-in-Wheeler-Place-Copy.jpeg\")
An example of a festive \u2018pawtrait\u2019 featuring three dogs, as part of City of Newcastle\u2019s 2024 Christmas program in Wheeler PlaceThe Christmas cheer will kick up a notch from 28 November with the official lighting of the tree and the first of three weekends of live performances, dazzling decorations and plenty of selfie-worthy moments, including twinkling reindeer, oversized bells and Santa\u2019s sleigh, perfect for DIY family and pet \u2018pawtraits\u2019 with Santa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Deputy Lord Mayor Charlotte McCabe said the festive program is a highlight of Newcastle\u2019s events calendar, drawing people into the city centre in the lead-up to Christmas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur Christmas program of activities celebrate the joy and togetherness of the season while shining a light on the amazing local retailers, cafes and restaurants that make our city so special,\u201d Cr McCabe said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re encouraging everyone to come into the city, explore our unique shops, dining spots and free entertainment while supporting local traders and cultural venues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe festivities will officially launch on Friday 28 November and will feature Christmas-themed dancers, live music, a Christmas DJ, Christmas carols and a special visit from Santa Claus as we officially turn on our Christmas tree lights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFamilies can also enjoy a Christmas craft station, where children can write letters to Santa on our decorated cards and create their own silver bell ribbon bracelets to take home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Adding even more festive cheer to the precinct, City of Newcastle\u2019s cultural venues are serving up a merry line-up of performances during November and December. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Locally produced play A Very Newy Chrissy<\/em> offers something for the adults at the Civic Playhouse from 6 to 15 November as part of the Upstage at the Playhouse season, while the Newcastle University Choir will deliver a stirring performance of Handel\u2019s Messiah<\/em> at City Hall on 14 December. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The popular One Song Sing community choir event will be back in Wheeler Place on 22 December while musical Kinky Boots<\/em> will provide an award-winning reason to visit the Civic Theatre from 18 to 21 December.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For more details about the full festive program and other events across Newcastle, visit https:\/\/visitnewcastle.com.au\/whats-on\/christmas2025<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Newcastle\u2019s Civic precinct is set to sparkle this month as City of Newcastle lights up the season with the return of its much-loved Christmas tree and festive program of free, family-friendly fun. Wheeler Place will take on a festive feel from this Friday when the installation of the 11-metre tall Christmas tree begins. An example … Continue reading “Festive fun returns to Newcastle\u2019s Civic precinct”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36002","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-newcastle"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36002","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36002"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36002\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36003,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36002\/revisions\/36003"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36002"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36002"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36002"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}