The entire Uralla Shire community is brimming with excitement and anticipation for their inaugural Uralla Christmas Street Fair, to be held on Friday 22nd November. This is an entirely free event created by the people of Uralla, with every reach of the area being involved in a showcase of local artists, artisans and community spirit.
This event has been a massive collaborative effort between Uralla Shire Council, sponsors, community groups, local Schools, Churches, businesses, artists, producers and everyone in-between.
“The Uralla Christmas Street Fair will be a unique, large-scale event made possible by the people of Uralla, with over 50 local program partners working together to bring the event to life,” said Mayor of the Uralla Shire, Robert Bell.
“Due to the rural nature of Uralla Shire, many of us live and work in small townships and remote properties. We hope this event will provide an opportunity for us all to come together and kick off the festive season!”
Several major activation areas will stretch throughout Uralla’s main street precinct, starting with a ‘live’ nativity performed by the Anglican Church youth group. This presentation will feature live animals gracing a real, rustic barn setting. There will be two performances of this play, the first at 5.00pm and an encore at 5.30pm.
To keep the youngest members of the family in the festive spirit, Santa’s Toy Workshop and the North Pole Post Office will provide mementos of their evening, as will catching a glimpse of the big man himself in Santa’s Grotto where they can decorate (and eat!) gingerbread biscuits.
In the spirit of community, Seasons of New England will have a Wishing Tree in their new Stables Store, next to McCrossin’s Mill Museum, where gifts can be left to be distributed by the Uralla Neighbourhood Centre to those more in need in the Uralla Shire.
Throughout the evening, the open-air Salisbury St Markets will provide unique gift opportunities, with shops also extending their trading hours for the night. Hospitality venues will activate their footpaths with alfresco dining, with smaller trade stalls and community group tables lining the street promoting their wares.
Hillview Christmas Trees are also working with local charitable group ‘Friends of McMaugh Gardens’ at this event to take orders for live Christmas trees, with proceeds going to support the McMaugh Gardens Aged Care facility.
“The event has captured the imagination of our main street precinct and, because the Street Fair is focused around the highly visible town centre, has huge potential to support our visitor economy with increased consumer traffic and trade leading up to Christmas,” said President of Uralla Shire Business Chamber, Colin Hull.
“The Uralla Shire Business Chamber is proud to be working with sponsors ACEN, Uralla Bowlo and Seasons of New England, and with our local businesses and community groups to help Uralla Shire Council create this opportunity for our community to come together and collaborate on this festive event.”
Music will be a feature of the night, with live buskers, the Armidale Pipe Band, DJ Drummer Guy, Sing-Along Carols in the Park, and many venues also providing live music in their premises.
There will be plenty of opportunities to capture a moment in time, whether it be a traditional family portrait in the 1890’s Joint Stock Bank, where a nostalgic drawing room with a massive 14-foot Christmas tree is decorated with all the trimmings, or at the floral masterpiece created by the Eve Flowers team. But don’t forget your furry friends, who can also have their treasured memories captured at the pop-up photo booth at Melrose, Uralla.
As night falls, a procession of lights will illuminate the main street, led by the Uralla Arts Christmas lanterns, drawing the community to the centrepiece of the Uralla Christmas Street Fair. A nine-metre-tall spiral Christmas Tree which has been specially selected to compliment the Fibonacci theme of Pioneer Park will be lit in front of the community for the first time, and in spectacular style!
“We are grateful to the NSW Government for supporting our vision. Their one-off grant enables us to bring our community together around our town’s first-ever Christmas tree – a giant 9-metre-high spiral design inspired by our Fibonacci postcode, topped by a gold star representing our Constellations of the South sculptures,” said Mayor Bell.
The Uralla Christmas Street Fair will take place on Friday 22 November, from 5 – 9pm, proudly funded by The NSW Government’s Open Streets Program and Uralla Shire Council, and supported by ACEN Australia, the Uralla Bowling Club, Uralla Shire Business Chamber and Seasons of New England.
Top image: Santa’s desk inside the North Pole Post Office Activation (Beth Platford)
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