The Adelaide Christmas Pageant is as good as a green light for celebrating all things festive here in Adelaide. Whether you’re joining us at Adelaide Oval or joining in to watch from home, here’s the inside scoop on what you need to know! Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas!
The 89th National Pharmacies Christmas Pageant is all set to hit Adelaide Oval with all the fun of a Christmas cracker. It’s no surprise a little planning and preparation can lean to a more enjoyable experience so get set for our top tips for a brilliant pageant!
For those attending at Adelaide Oval
35,000 South Australians will be filling the Adelaide Oval on Saturday evening to watch the National Pharmacies Christmas Pageant and if you’re one of those lucky ducks, we want you to make the most of your experience!
The Adelaide Oval is well appointed for all families to come to watch the pageant, complete with special allowances and facilities for those with special needs.
GETTING THERE: Adelaide Metro will be providing extra bus, train and tram services to get you to and from this year’s National Pharmacies Christmas Pageant on Saturday 13th of November. You can check all the details and map your route here and find out about how to access their free public transport to help you get there!
WHEN TO GET THERE: The pageant officially starts at 7 PM, but it’s advised to aim to arrive at the Adelaide Oval between 5pm and 6pm to give you enough time to find your seats and get settled in for a night of fun (and also set up kids with a toilet visit, food and drink etc).
COVID SAFETY MEASURES: Please note, COVID safety measures still apply. You have allocated seats and you WILL need to be wearing a mask upon arrival, departure and throughout the evening while at the Adelaide Oval.
FACILITIES FOR VULNERABLE PEOPLE AND THOSE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS: Thanks to pageant partners SA Water, there is a Quiet Room available for people that may have sensitivities and need a quieter space away from a crowd. Also, it’s strongly encouraged that parents take a photo on their phone of their child or other vulnerable family members just in case they get lost. There are also safety and assistance wristbands available at the oval entrances, so bring a marker!
OTHER INFORMATION: You can buy food and drinks at the Adelaide Oval, but payment is by card only – so make sure you’re prepared. You can also bring supplies from home – just not glass bottles, cans or eskies.
Watching the National Pharmacies Christmas Pageant at Home
Staying in to watch the live broadcast of the Christmas Pageant on Channel 9? There’s no better way to spend a Saturday night – especially if you’re also taking the opportunity to put your Christmas tree up, it’s a pageant day tradition after all!
This year the Christmas pageant elves are encouraging everyone who is watching the #PageantAtHome to put up their Christmas tree on Saturday 13 November before watching the very special 89th year of the National Pharmacies Christmas Pageant. There’s a sleigh full of fun ideas below to make the day special:
PUT UP YOUR TREE AND WIN! Upload a picture of your decorated Christmas Tree on Facebook or Instagram on Saturday 13 November 2021 for your chance to WIN a special National Pharmacies Merchandise pack valued at $104.11. Make sure you tag #PageantAtHome and #NpPageant and follow @christmaspageant and @nationalpharmacies to win.
CHRISTMAS BAKING: South Aussie icon, Robern Menz has curated a special recipe roundup of super delicious Christmas recipes to bake in the morning, ready for the pageant that night. YUM!
GET YOUR FREE CHALK! National Pharmacies are holding FREE giveaways with chalk, pencils and colouring-in books at their stores in South Australia. Make sure you head into a National Pharmacies store to collect your pack so you can continue this much-loved Pageant Day tradition.
CHRISTMAS PAGEANT MERCH AVAILABLE: There’s newly released National Pharmacies Christmas Pageant Christmas Tree Decorations, including Bruto, Stardust Castle and Toby Toy Truck, Christmas Pageant t-shirts, temporary tattoo packs and Bruto pyjama sets will be
Download the Float List!
Wanting to know when you’ll see Nipper and Nimble, Billy Bulldozer or the big Christmas Stocking? Find all the floats you want to see (and in what order) with the FREE DOWNLOAD Float List, so you don’t miss your favourite float, character or the big man in red, Santa!
Download Your Carols Book and Sing-Along at Home!
You can follow along with all of the beautiful carols at home with the FREE DOWNLOAD of the National Pharmacies Christmas Pageant ‘A World Full of Wonder’ Carols Song Book, presented by Beaumont Tiles.
Carols and Entertainment
There’s LOADS of entertainment with a star-studded crew headlining the National Pharmacies Christmas Pageant Carols, including Ellie Lovegrove, G-Nat!on, and Nava Revalk. Brilliant!
You don’t want to miss COVID-19 Aboriginal Vaccine Ambassador and talented X-Factor finalist, Ellie Lovegrove, SA Music Hall of Fame inductee Dave Gleeson and Australian composer and singer Fione Watkins, joining 2011 Young Australian of the Year, Jack Buckskin, to open the show with a soulful rendition of I Am Australian accompanied by a 250-person Mass Pageant Band.
Australian pop group and The Voice 2021 Grand Finalists, G-Nat!on will take the stage after to perform the Australian National Anthem to the music of the Mass Bands.
In addition to all of the above, Independent Theatre actors David Roach and Julie Quick together with young actors Benji Marks and Gracie Cheung from the Australian youth Ballet Company will also star in the telling of the story, Twas the Night Before Christmas with ballet and digital dream sequences, presented by Beaumont Tiles.
Santa, Carols and Fireworks, Oh My!
Prepare for a bang, there are fireworks too! Topping off the celebrations will be a colourful firework display presented by SA Power Networks to mark the conclusion of the event, around 9PM. The National Pharmacies Christmas Pageant Carols is a show worth staying up for, that’s for sure!
We hope you have a wonderful National Pharmacies Christmas Pageant day this Saturday, be it live from Adelaide Oval or at home. Be sure to tune into our Mum Central Facebook page – we’ll be at Adelaide Oval to share some exclusive behind the scenes action with lots of festive excitement and plenty of Christmas spirit!
1 Comment
The Christmas Pageant was originally called John Martins Pageant and the first one was pre WW11. and was started by the now late Sir Edward Heywood It stopped during WW11. Until his health deteriorated too much he always blew his specal whistle so start the pageant. Ir started at the same time every year. Two famous exhibits he imported was 2 two storey London Buses. One of them the roof was removed and was labelled the Carnival Bus. There was also an old style red go-kart which was later painted blue which a lot of current and ex-employees + spectators were not impressed about. Employees has to be “short” enough to fit in it to drive it, including the mechanics who serviced it and test drove at John Martins Bulk Store and Service Department at Lockleys. Most of the vehicles are very old and it is hard to get tyres for them. A crew used to check the roads to ensure there was no broken glass that could damage the tyres or people be injured. TA TV crew filmed a mechanic sweeping off the road and cleaning up broken glass before the floats and tow motors as they were known arrived in the city, sometimes before daylight. Nellie the Elephant disappeared for a few years due to mechanical problems. There is always one spare float towing vehicle at the rear in case the motor towing Santa on his float breaks down. Santa has to arrive at his destination no matter what happens. The Pageant has had many sponsors over the years. This year the main sponsor was National Pharmacies. It used to travel along a lot of main streets in Adelaide CBD. Due to Covid restrictions it has been at night on the Adelaide Oval.