The light’s on Geelong’s famous floating Christmas Tree have been switched on, as the city brings forward its free program of festive events and activities.
Visitors can safely enjoy the sound and light show down at the Waterfront or watch it live from the comfort of their home.
The tree will be powered up from 8:30pm to midnight each evening. The free sound and light show lasts for six minutes and runs every 15 minutes.
There are three different shows to enjoy, with the first running until Tuesday 30 November, the second until Saturday 25 December and the third until Friday 7 January 2022.
For the first time, the tree was put together and tested in Steampacket Quay so visitors could see all the action up close.
Decorating the floating tree is not a simple task, and lighting experts from Geelong company Total Events have spent the past week testing and programming the LED lights.
This year’s lighting program is sequenced with soundtracks featuring a Christmas classic written by Louis Armstrong and a chart-topping disco and funk song.
You can also use an interactive website to change the lights and colours on the tree between each show.
About the tree:
- the 10-tonne steel Christmas tree was constructed by Geelong manufacturer Hanlon Industries in 2014
- the tree is 25 metres tall and made up of 400 LED lights and 11,000 reflective discs
- the star is four-meters wide and gently rotates with the wind direction
- prior to COVID-19, the floating tree attracted 193,000 visitors
- the tree will be in place until Friday 7 January 2022 (to align with Orthodox Christmas).
When sharing photos of the tree please use hashtag #geelongchristmas
Mayor Stephanie Asher:
Everyone looks forward to the return of the tree to Geelong and we’re thrilled to help families enjoy free entertainment at this special time of year.
After a tough year, it’s wonderful for our community to be coming out of lockdown and to see the tree illuminate the sky at our beautiful waterfront.
For the last eight years the floating tree and light show has brought more visitors to the Waterfront and Central Geelong, and added excitement and variety to the City’s Christmas program.
