PLENTY OF CHANCES TO SING AN XMAS TUNE

TRADITION and new beginnings are on offer at a range of Christmas carol events over the festive period.

While Denis Walter’s Eastern Beach event was a high-profile casualty of our fickle summer weather, there are a range of options for others keen to share in the Christmas spirit.

There will be carols-led celebrations in Torquay, Lorne, Highton and Waurn Ponds this weekend, as well as services in inner-city churches.

Torquay Carols by the Sea has been running for more than 15 years, with a bevy of acts lined up for tonight’s event at Elephant Walk on The Esplanade.

These include young musician Tom Meadows, Amy Leposa, Noah Gray, Willow Star and Jessica Sherman, from Sing Act Speak.

Highton Carols in the Park, which first began in 2009, returns tomorrow with entertainment from The Itchyfeet Pep Band, children’s act The Kazoos and Roslyn Primary School.

The Y Service Club of Geelong will be breaking with tradition when it hosts its annual Christmas Eve Carols by Candelight at Kardinia Park Stadium. The Carols committee, led by Noel Hooper, was forced to find an alternative site due to the redevelopment works at Johnstone Park.

Stadium Trust CEO Michael Brown said the venue was pleased to step in to ensure the event, which began in 1965, would continue.