Ararat has seen a highly successful start to its Christmas season with the Carols by Candlelight in Alexandra Gardens on Saturday night.
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Carols by Candlelight co-ordinator Joe Perry said the crowds were a little slow to build up but the event ended up with a good number of attendees.
“I was a little bit disappointed to start with at the size of the crowd that attended, but it was very well spread out,” he said.
“We estimated there were 1000 people there, so it was a very successful night with participation from the people of Ararat.
“The night went off very well. We had no problems whatsoever.”
Mr Perry said the Ararat City Band and the Sing Australia Choir’s entertainment on the night was absolutely fantastic.
“We had a very good group of local entertainers, ranging from primary school kids, dance groups and other individual entertainers from around the town,” he said.
“It was very very enjoyable night.”
Mr Perry said the the fireworks, as expected, were one of the highlights.
“We had a beautiful fireworks display,” he said.
“Our face painter worked tirelessly. I have never seen so many kids going around with Christmas decorations on their face,
“I even ran into one little girl who at an event the following day and she still had her Christmas face on.”
Free fairy floss and Santa bearing gifts were also popular with younger attendees.
“I have never seen so many kids come along to say hello to Santa,” Mr Perry said.
“It was fantastic to see so many young ones and young families there to enjoy the night.
“A few people entertaining on the night said it was an excellently run event and it was a very entertaining night.”
Mr Perry said it was not an issue for attendees that the Carols organisers were asking for a gold coin donation to help cover a shortfall in funding for the fireworks.
“People were aksed to, if they wished to, to give us a gold coin donations.
“Nobody was forced to. It helped us cover the cost of running the night. We didn’t have anybody complain about that.”
Mr Perry said the Ararat's Y's Men and Y's Menettes has always tried to run the Carols as as a low-cost event for families.
Mr Perry thanked the group for their tireless work and Ararat Rural City for the immaculate gardens.