Christmas Carnival & Santa Parade

Santa Parade:

The second Sunday in December is traditionally reserved for a visit from Santa Claus for the Santa Parade.

Any community organisation, club, school, kindergarten, business or group in the District is welcome to enter a float. It's a great way to promote what you do and there is no entry fee.

There are fantastic prizes up for grabs each year, with the following categories for 2024:

Insurance Brokers Alliance Ltd. Gore Holly Jolly Award (Best Overall Float)

Level Electrical Gore Jingle Bell Award (Best Educational Provider Float)

McDonough Contracting Turtledove Award (Best Community Float)

Amigos Nutcracker Award (Best Business Float)

The Warehouse Bells and Baubles Award (Best Christmas-Themed Float)

All floats, groups, vehicles and participants of the parade are automatically eligible for the award categories.

It is also possible to hire floats from the Southland Santa Parade for a fee.

Registrations are now closed.

Christmas Carnival:

Following the parade, the party continues in the Gore Main Reserve at the Christmas Carnival. From 12:30pm - 4:00pm, the Reserve will be taken over with colour and festivities suitable for all ages.

There will be plenty of food trucks to fill hungry tummies - or you can bring a picnic - serving a variety of hot, cold, sweet and savoury dishes.

Head over to the main stage to see live performances, or go straight to the carnival rides for thrilling fun. If you're lucky, you might even see Santa pop by for a visit.

Entry for both events is free, so don't miss out and mark this epic day in your calendar now!

When: Sunday 8 December 2024, 12 noon - 4:00pm

Contact the Events team at [email protected]