The annual Christmas in Ipswich city-wide program of events will be held from mid-November to New Year’s Eve.
Christmas Wonderland at Nerima Gardens, now in its third year, will once again be the centrepiece of the council-coordinated celebrations.
Christmas Wonderland will be held nightly from 11 to 22 December and has been adapted this year to be presented in a COVID Safe event format.
This will include low cost ticketing to manage attendance numbers and facilitate contact tracing.
Council is seeking a charity or charities to partner with for Christmas Wonderland.
The partners will share in the ticketing income from the event (after deduction of ticketing fees and charges) in exchange for the supply of volunteers to assist with the COVID Safe delivery of the event each night.
Final ticketing numbers and types will determine the donation to be made to the selected charities, however it is estimated up to a total of $40,000 could be raised for local charities.
This amount would then be distributed across selected local charities, commensurate with the level of volunteer support provided.
Mayor Teresa Harding encouraged local charities interested to take up the opportunity.
“It has been a challenging year for charities across our city with many having their fundraising events disrupted because of COVID-19,” Mayor Harding said.
“Ticket sales from Christmas Wonderland will not only deliver a COVID Safe event but also presents an opportunity for council to further support the community.”
To be eligible to submit an Expression of Interest to be a Christmas Wonderland charity partner, charities must be legally registered, hold relevant insurances and be able to deliver a volunteer workforce between 10 and 22 December inclusive.
Volunteers will be required to complete a five-hour shift and must be comfortable standing for the entire shift while interacting with the public to help deliver key principles of the COVID Safe event plan.
To submit your Expression of Interest, complete the form here.
Expressions of Interest must be lodged by Monday 19 October.
Ipswich Little Theatre would be very willing to assist with this project. We have actors/costumes and the premises adjacent to the park.