Christmas tree festival will glow on
It's a magical time of year and it's good to give the people of Invercargill the spirit of Christmas." Nigel Skelt
Christmas may be three months away but the ILT Stadium Southland already have their tree up and glowing.
The stadium’s 2016 Christmas Tree Festival will take the theme of ‘‘Light up Christmas’’ and will glow further than ever before.
Waihopai City Lions Light Up Christmas project leader Jacinda McIntosh said they were excited to make the event bigger this year.
They are calling for Southland businesses to put in a bid for a tree before October 21.
Businesses supply a tree, decorate it, and collect donations under the tree for a charity of their choice, McIntosh said.
Last year the festival had 25 trees. This year, they were aiming for 30 trees, she said.
The Christmas trees would be revealed at an evening with Sarah Rae and Christmas choirs on November 21, with the festival open to the public on November 22.
Last year the festival featured a letters to Santa activity for children.
ILT Stadium Southland general manager Nigel Skelt said parents would return without their children, and check the letters, ‘‘to make sure Santa got it right’’.
The Christmas Tree Festival this year would be expanded further throughout the venue, Skelt said.
‘‘It’s a magical time of year and it’s good to give the people of Invercargill the spirit of Christmas,’’ he said.
‘‘If you don’t believe in Santa, you don’t believe at all, that’s our philosophy.’’
There were some plans to make the event even better than previous years, Skelt said.
‘‘We want to take it a step higher than we’ve had before. We may have a live nativity scene with, dare I say it, some of the animals in the original.
‘‘Imagine if we had a donkey and the 12 disciples.’’ The Christmas Tree Festival would shine bright during other Christmas events at the stadium.
The Cabaret Club, Born To Be Wild will be held at the stadium on November 25 and 26.
The ILT Christmas Variety Show will be on December 23.