Geelong’s famous floating Christmas tree is back in place at the waterfront, as that time of year rolls around again.
The 25m, $330,000 structure was towed into place on Friday morning, set for the official lighting ceremony on Saturday, November 11.
Crews working alongside GeelongPort helped place the tree in its traditional position adjacent to Cunningham Pier, ready for its roughly 300,000 visitors to come enjoy the festive spectacle.
“The Christmas tree really is the centrepiece of our Christmas in Geelong festival,” Geelong Mayor Trent Sullivan said.
“It’s incredibly important for our sense of community spirit, it’s a time of year where we all get together and we all get to be grateful for the people we have around us.
“It’s also incredibly beneficial to us economically as well.
“Each year the tree brings roughly 300,000 visitors to our region and that brings out an economic benefit of over $15-million per year.
“So, not only is it a case of family and friends coming down to visit it, but it’s actually really important as an economic boost for our region.”
Following opening night next month, the six-minute Floating Christmas Tree Sound and Light Show will be staged each night from 8.30pm until midnight, running every 15 minutes.
The light show on the tree will be changed three times, running from November 11 to December 1, December 2 to Christmas Day and Boxing Day to January 7.
The tree will be in operation until the January 7 and will also feature in the spectacular New Year’s Eve fireworks display.
Geelong Council says it has acknowledged the importance of November 11 being Remembrance Day, with the City saying it has consulted with local RSL’s to ensure there’s no impact on their activities.
