THE Whittlesea Christmas Tree extravaganza and Christmas market is not going ahead this year, with co-organisers New Horizons Church and the Whittlesea Agricultural Society saying there were multiple factors involved.
A post on the Whittlesea Agricultural Society’s Facebook page on August 25 said while there was much regret, stall holders were encouraged to apply at the town’s Monday Market.
“It is with much regret that we inform you that we will not be running the Christmas Tree Extravaganza or Christmas market this year. We encourage stall holders to apply to Whittlesea Monday Market in the lead up to the show as they have a great number of people attend each week,” they wrote.
“There were multiple factors involved and we thank our volunteers who manned it over the past years. Our social committee will be running lots of events next year so stay tuned for what they have in store.”
Rohan Buijs, writing on behalf of New Horizons Church on social media, said funding was a key issue, but added there was hope of relaunching the festival for 2027.
“On behalf of New Horizons Church who were co-organisers of the Christmas Festival, we would like to thank the Whittlesea Ag Society for their tireless work, support and assistance. It was a pleasure working with such an amazing group of people who truly have a heart for our community,” he wrote.
“Thank you to our amazing community who exceeded our expectations in supporting this event these past years.
“Most people would have no idea how much it costs financially (over $26,000 last year just for the stage and kids activities funded by a Whittlesea council grant) not to mention the volunteer hours required to run such an activity. As a church for various reasons, we too had to pull out of running our part due to a lack of resources.
“That said we have had conversations with Council who have been extremely supportive of this event over the years with the hope of relaunching the festival again next year.
“Already we have lots of great ideas to involve more community members, but this time we will be looking for greater involvement and support from community groups. We will also be exploring ways to reduce costs and increase volunteer participation in order to bring back the festival in 2027 bigger and better.
“Until then, there is the Whittlesea Show – another fantastic community event, and the Whittlesea Community Christmas Carols to be held on the evening of Sunday, December 20 (more details to come).”
Whittlesea Agricultural Society president Celina Mott confirmed that funding wasn’t able to be confirmed when a decision had to be made about the festival.
“The timing of the City of Whittlesea funding opened in August, it’s not funding we’re trying to get, it’s for the church,” she said.
“The church said if they put in for the funding, and they don’t get it, they were up for the $23 or $25,000 that it costs. They don’t have that much spare money, so they didn’t put in for the funding, as there’s no guarantee on the time of when Council comes back to say they get the grant.
“Last year, the funding from the City of Whittlesea was short, and the church came to us and ask us to pitch in and pay for the shortfall.
“At that point, we had already agreed to have the market and trees going ahead.
“On the night of the Christmas carols, you’d have about 1000 people come through the trees, which gave extra money and justified having the trees set up for the two weeks.
“We also sold raffle tickets to raise money for the food share between the churches, donating $1100 from that. It’s a shame – it is a big commitment from the City of Whittlesea.
“When you look at how much funding is required for these shows, it’s the stage costs, the lighting, the sound system – it’s not cheap to put all that together for a one-off.”
Ms Mott said while permanent facilities were considered, it was not wanted, while also saying Whittlesea people were still keen on an event of this stature.
“We don’t have anything built permanently, we talked about whether we could apply for a grant to get that happening, but as a Show society, we decided we didn’t want that, but it impacts on the overall cost of putting something together as you have to get that stuff in,” she said.
“The people that live out in Whittlesea want something that has that Christmas theme, it has carols, we all love them and grew up with them, whether it’s a church hymn, or a more modern version.”
