We would like to extend our gratitude to the over 300 community members and stakeholders who provided input and feedback to develop the new Christmas in the City Action Plan 2025-2028. The Plan was approved by Council on 13 May 2025.

This Plan builds year on year from Christmas 2025 up to and including Christmas 2028. The Plan has a bold ambition to ensure that the City of Adelaide feels truly magical at Christmas time.

Christmas in the City 2025 officially kicks off on 1 November with the beginning of the installation of the decoration suite. Key events for 2025 will include the National Pharmacies Christmas Pageant, the annual Tree Lighting Community Event in Victoria Square/Tarntanyangga, the Adelady Christmas Village and Carols by Candlelight. Rundle Mall will be bustling with decorations, activities and markets and the Adelaide Central Market will again be open with extended trading hours for all your delicious Christmas favourites.

The Christmas season in the City starts with Pageant and ends on Christmas Day. It is a time of joy and delight with family and loved ones, in which the City comes to life with activity, colour and sparkle. In September 2024 we received feedback from 282 respondents, who generously shared their priorities for a new Christmas Action Plan.

We drafted a new Plan and asked our community if we got it right. We asked for feedback to ensure that Council’s investment in Christmas in the City supports community expectations, prior to final Council endorsement of the Plan.

A copy of the draft Christmas in the City Action Plan can be found here.

An annual budget is set by Council for city-wide Christmas experiences, in partnership with the community and businesses, which pays for decorations, events and activities such as the live music week of Countdown to Christmas at the Tree and public performances. In addition, Council’s subsidiaries Adelaide Economic Development Agency (AEDA) and the Adelaide Central Market Authority (ACMA) support traders with activations, decorations and advertising to attract visitors throughout November and December.

Council invests in a suite of new decorations each year such as the Giant Santa Trail. Council also funds events and markets such as the annual Christmas Tree Lighting Event in Victoria Square/Tarntanyangga and Adelady Christmas Village; and AEDA has sponsored both the National Pharmacies Christmas Pageant and Carols by Candlelight events.