The Christmas Eve Carnival is as Bangalow as the Billycarts. But did you know it’s been going for more than twice as long? No wonder we’re feeling a little sad that our beloved community event has undergone some big changes, writes Georgia Fox.
Stretching back to at least 1957, the Christmas Eve Carnival has provided a wonderful opportunity for our region to come together for as long as most can remember. Friends and relatives back in town… neighbourly catchups… rural families getting off the farm… it’s one of the many things that has always made Bangalow such a special community to be part of.
In the early days, the celebrations were centred around the northern end of Station Street, with events like wheelbarrow and three-legged races being run, and flying swings and a merry-go-round set up between the RSL Hall and the Uniting Church. A miniature train ride took kids on a loop around the vacant block where the burger shop now stands.
The Pacific Highway barrelling through town didn’t stop the festivities from spilling onto the main street. Stalls with chocolate wheels and stuffed animals for sale were set up on footpaths, raising money for local causes like maintaining the old weir pool. Shops stayed open late, and for many families, the evening would end with Midnight Mass at St Kevin’s.
The main event was the arrival of Santa Claus in ‘Genevieve’, the old fire engine, throwing handfuls of lollies and giving out ice cream cups to the kids. “It was the best night of the year,” says Maralyn Hanigan, who began attending the Carnival in 1959.
Fast-forward to 1980 when fundraising efforts for the sports fields were in full swing, (and without a professional team of traffic controllers in sight) the town diverted half the highway for Santa to make a particularly grand entrance down Byron Street on a camel. Former policeman, Brian Shultz, remembers the late Brian Richards at one end of town and one of the Snow boys at the other, directing northbound trucks and cars up Deacon Street and southbound down the southern side of Byron Street, the men accompanied by kids shaking donation buckets at drivers for their inconvenience.
Following the 1994 bypass, the Chamber of Commerce took the reins and grew it into the town-stopping event we enjoyed for nearly 30 years. Bangalow Lights Up saw retailers vying for Best Decorated Shopfront amidst a sea of colourful festoon lights strung from building to building. An ever-increasing array of street performers, food stalls, and amusement rides in the school grounds delighted visitors each year. The RSL Hall came to life as Santa’s Grotto, with Col Draper doing the honours.
No one could have anticipated the 2019 Carnival would be the last as we knew it. Not only did 2020 see large gatherings suspended due to the pandemic, but somewhere in all this, our Chamber of Commerce disbanded, leaving the event without funding or insurance.
Come 2021, off the back of a couple of tough years but with restrictions lifted, the threat of another Christmas without a celebration loomed. The Bangalow Lions stepped up at short notice and put on a community get-together in the Showgrounds in early December. Unfortunately, it had to be called off halfway through as severe weather approached.
In 2022, with the very real prospect of the town losing this long-held Christmas Eve tradition, the Bangalow Lions took on the huge responsibility of the Carnival. They decided to make the Showgrounds its new home for several reasons – the convenience of the Lions Bar (the takings of which allow them to raise the necessary funds), adequate toilets and parking, the suitability for Santa’s lap of honour on a fire engine, and lots of space in the beautiful green heart of our village for people to spread out on rugs, catch up, and let the kids do their thing.
But the main reason for the change of venue, Lions President Greg Nash explains, is that shutting Byron Street in the modern risk-management world in which Bangalow now exists is an Everest-like expedition involving months of preparations with multiple agencies, mountains of paperwork, and exorbitant costs. It is one the Lions already undertake once a year on our behalf, putting on the Billycarts. At Christmas, the added demands of working late into the night packing up on Christmas Eve and returning early Christmas morning to clean the street are too much to ask of the small team of volunteers during important family time. No question, it was a tall order for the Chamber of Commerce as well. But for the Lions, it is in addition to the Herculean effort that is the Billycarts and fresh off the back of their large role in the Show, a mere five weeks beforehand – all on just 25 members.
Following their first foray into organising and hosting the ‘new’ Christmas Eve Carnival in 2022, the town’s Facebook page lit up with people lamenting why things had to change and sharing their feelings on the situation.
Taking feedback on board, the Lions pressed ahead with planning the 2023 Carnival, only to have to pull the pin at the last minute due to a giant summer deluge. The weather passed, and it ended up being quite a lovely afternoon, which again lit the Facebook page up with disappointment and frustration.
To say these first few years of the Christmas Eve Carnival in the Showgrounds have had a rough start is putting it mildly, and understandably adds to the longing and nostalgia the community feels for the way it used to be.
But luckily for us, the Lions are persevering, and weather permitting, the Carnival will kick off at 4pm with children’s entertainment, street performers and food trucks. Santa is scheduled to arrive at 5pm with free ice blocks and lollipops, and fireworks are set to start at 8pm.
Gold coin donation on entry, or $5 parking via Market Street.
The council’s new single-use plastic rules will be in effect, so remember to bring your water bottle. There will be refilling stations but no water for sale. And don’t forget your rug!
Dogs on leads are welcome, keeping in mind the 8pm fireworks. Also a reminder to get those four-legged friends back at home sorted beforehand if they’re not a fan.
If we embrace the new Carnival and help it find its feet – whether by getting involved or simply attending – our iconic and historic Christmas gathering has every chance of thriving into the future, continuing to reflect the vibrancy and warmth of our incredible community.
You don’t need to be a member of the Lions to help out – just get in contact with Nashy on 0418 440 545.
*With thanks to Trisha Bleakley, Greg Nash, Brian and Jan Shultz, Hamilton and Rebecca Du Lieu, Maralyn Hanigan, Lynn Smith, Denise and Reg Miller, Alli Page, and Pippa Vickery.