Visitors to the waterfront over the past week will have noticed the famous floating Christmas tree is now in position for the festive season.
The tree arrived in Corio Bay late last week to kick-off the City of Greater Geelong’s program of Christmas activities and entertainment.
The 10-tonne tree was brought to Geelong Waterfront via a tugboat with assistance from GeelongPort.
It stands 25 metres tall and is made up of 400 LED lights and 11,000 reflective discs.
The tree will be powered up from 8.30pm to midnight each night, with a six minute lights and sound show running every 15 minutes.
It will be in place until January 7.
Mayor Stephanie Asher said it was pleasing to see Geelong get behind the Christmas celebrations.
“We love Christmas in Geelong so there’s nothing better than seeing the floating tree make its way to waterfront.
Christmas in Geelong is a multicultural celebration and such a source of pride and joy for our community.
“Our Christmas program creates jobs for tradies, lighting experts, and children’s entertainers as well as generating income for hard working small business owners.
“It’s no surprise that a recent survey found that 94 per cent of participants believe our Christmas program is important for Geelong.
“The Greater Geelong community has done an amazing effort in getting vaccinated, and we’re hopeful that this year the community can safely celebrate Christmas and the traditions we know and love.”
More than 261,000 people attended last year’s Christmas program, which generated more than $20 million in economic output for the region.
Other highlights of the Christmas program include the projections on City Hall, festive street entertainment, School Christmas Tree program and the Giant Selfie Trail across 22 locations.