Sydney’s favourite free Christmas event will shine a light on HOPE at the end of this year, celebrating the season of Peace, Joy and Love with a spectacular nightly display.
Lights of Christmas will officially start at St Mary’s Cathedral on Thursday, 10 December 2020 and the event will run nightly up to and including Christmas night.
Anthony Bastic, AGB Events’ CEO and the creator of Lights of Christmas, now in its 11th year, is thrilled the event will go ahead in light of the devastation and difficulties the community faced in 2020. “I’m so pleased Sydney will get to enjoy the Lights of Christmas, this community event has become an annual tradition for so many and this year, more than ever, we need something to look forward to.
“Our plans this year for Lights of Christmas will provide an opportunity to come together safely as a community and celebrate the season of Peace, Joy and Love. As we farewell this difficult year, we live in hope for a bright future ahead,” Bastic said.
Lights of Christmas presented by Paynter Dixon and created and produced by AGB Events, will return to St Mary’s Cathedral from 10 – 25 December, each night from 8.30pm for the 15 minute display on rotation until 11pm. Electronic registration is required upon arrival.
To mark 2020, AGB’s talented design team has created a story in light of HOPE. HOPE utilises symbols to inspire optimism for the future.
Bastic explains: “Light plays a vital role in our lives and is fundamental to our existence. Light can change our mood, increase our energy levels and enable us to see things we never imagined. Light brings us hope!” he said.
Most Reverend Anthony Fisher OP, Archbishop of Sydney welcomed the return of the event to be shared by all of Sydney at St Mary’s Cathedral.
“I am pleased that the Lights of Christmas are continuing this year, and grateful for the encouragement we have received from those looking forward to it. After the year that we have all had, it will be very consoling for the people of Sydney, and especially young families to be able to celebrate Christmas in this way,” he said.
Supporting sponsors to deliver the show this year include Technology Partner TDC, Education Partner Notre Dame University, and Primary Partners Payce, Catholic Cemeteries and Crematoria Australia and Catholic Superannuation Retirement Fund.
Show Synopsis
This year’s Lights of Christmas begins with the flickering of a candle, a symbolic reminder of the difficult year we have experienced and a solemn gesture to those in our community who we lost to the pandemic and the natural disasters of 2020.
The flickering light of the candle reminds us of life.
With the dawning of a new day, light breathes life into the natural world, bringing with it a new sense of hope. With Christmas celebrated in summer in Sydney, the light and warmth of the sun is the ever-evident giver of life, providing the essential ingredient for nature to bloom and flourish.
As the sun rises, it covers the entire façade of the Cathedral. As it slowly rotates, the sun bathes us in light, a positive sign for the future. With this renewed positivity we experience Joy.
Following the difficulties of 2020, the show will honour those who have served our Sydney community, the men and women who have worked tirelessly throughout natural disasters and the pandemic to provide our community with essential services to keep us safe.
Appropriately, Lights of Christmas will again partner with the St Vincent’s Curran Foundation as the event charity recipient, providing a platform for the public to demonstrate generosity during the Christmas season.
Event Details:
Event run: Thursday 10 – Wednesday 25 December 2020
Times: Daily, every 15 minutes, from 8.30pm – 11pm
Staying COVID-safe:
AGB Events has worked closely with the NSW Department of Health in implementing Covid safety guidelines for the Lights of Christmas. As such, there will be a maintained capacity limit of 500 at the venue. Upon entry, visitors will be required to register electronically via a QR system. Please note there will be no pre-registration for the event. I
The main event entry is through a designated entry gate via the William Street end of the square. In order to maintain a single direction of flow there is a separate exit gate that comes out onto the College Street footpath.
Accessible entry and exit is via the ramp at Cathedral Square on the Cook and Phillip side of the square.
Full details for attendance and trip planning can be found on the event website www.lightsofchristmas.com.au