Christmas Fest 2023: A Jolly Recap
Christmas Fest 2023: A Jolly Recap
On 2 and 9 December 2023 from 3 pm to 6 pm, Hands of Hope kicked off the Christmas cheer to our community at St Lucia and Willawong through our annual Christmas Fest (previously known as Christmas 4 Kids) tradition – an annual flagship community event that involves a whole lot of singing, dancing, and yummy food and drinks!
Despite rainy forecasts and unassuming weather the past couple days before both events, The weather held up beautifully on both event days, with sunshine and clear skies as the guests arrived at the venues. This year, we reached 1,054 residents – 296 adults and 225 children at our St Lucia event and 253 adults and 260 children at Willawong!
St Lucia
The first day of Christmas Fest was held at Guyatt Park in St Lucia amongst the grassy fields and a glimpse of the famous Brisbane river. And for the first time in our Christmas Fest tradition, we were fortunate to have held this event outdoors! Well the weather was a true representation of Brisbane’s summer heat, the outdoor location worked well as it provided a welcoming and seamless inviting environment for families and neighbours that walked by and/or were hanging out at the park. It was truly such a beautiful time of connecting – and the kids sure loved this time of outdoor activities!
Willawong
The second day of Christmas Fest was held at our O.G. location for the past decade – Unidus Community Center in Willawong. This year, we were so blessed to have witnessed 533 registrations! We had some of our “old favorites” such as the petting zoo, tug-of-war, and face painting, as well as new activities such as inflatable axe throw and soccer darts. Everyone was treated with yummy free-flow butter popcorn, huge mouth-watering muffins and croissants, and much more! Furthermore, each child that visited that day went home with a Christmas gift. Needless to say, all the children (and even adults) loved their time here.
Some Highlights and Top Moments.. St Lucia
Some Highlights and Top Moments.. Willawong
We had the privilege to host Cr Angela Owen, Hon Leeanne Enoch MP, and Hon Milton Dick MP as our guests of honor. Their hearts for the community was also reflected through their generous donation of toys for the children attending the events. Above all, Hands of Hope extend our gratitude to our volunteers who earnestly helped in the events both prior to and on the day of the events. The time that you invested into making this event possible was not unseen!
Christmas Fest has been running for the past 25 years. While there were changes in the events throughout these years, our purpose for this event remained the same – to bring the Christmas cheer and generously bless the residents, families, and children in the southwestern suburbs of Brisbane.
As we approach the end of 2023, may our heart for others shown through these events remain steadfast for the upcoming year. Hands of Hope looks forward to seeing you in 2024!
LOVE. GIVE. SERVE.
Looking for ways to give back to the community? You can do that through our LOVE. GIVE. SERVE. (LGS) campaign, to make a lasting impact to the lives of people.
Want to find out more about LGS campaign? Click the button below!
Interested in Volunteering for Christmas Fest?
Christmas Fest cannot happen without our amazing volunteers who each play an important role in executing this event to its fullest potential. The most important thing though, is their willing hearts to serve the community.
You can also be one of the many volunteers to bring the joy of Christmas to the lives of people!
There are many ways you can play a part at the event. Join us to make a difference in the local communities by volunteering at the Christmas Fest 2024, an initiative by Hands of Hope’s “Love. Give. Serve.” Campaign.
Find out more about us (Hands of Hope) and our many volunteering opportunities below:
