At 9.30am on Saturday 14 November, the whistle will blow to signal the beginning of the 2015 Credit Union Christmas Pageant!
And we’re just a little bit excited about it!
Thousands of well organised, die-hard fans will set up camp from as early as 1am to make sure they get the best seats in the house once the action starts. People of all ages will gather along Adelaide’s streets to welcome over 172 bright and colourful sets, including floats, bands, dancers and clowns all preceding the arrival in Adelaide of Father Christmas himself.
In 2015 the Credit Union Christmas Pageant will celebrate 83 years of the Pageant and the theme is ‘Everybody’s a Star!’ Communities and families work together by relying on each other. Communities recognise the fact that everybody, no matter who they are or what they do is a star and has something to offer.
Best of all, we had so much fun last year that we will be bringing you all the fun, colour and action LIVE from behind the scenes AGAIN thanks to our friends at People’s Choice Credit Union.
For South Australians it’s the traditional start of the festive season, with more than 330,000 happy faces lining the 3.3 kilometre route to welcome The Big Man in Red. Children across South Australia look forward to the Pageant, and the magical parade brings the spirit and joy of Christmas to Adelaide’s city streets. And with this year’s ‘Everybody’s a Star’ theme, we’ll be on the hunt to share pics of some of our favourite superstar fans from the crowd. You could be one of them!
[mc_block_title custom_title=”LIVE STREAMING”]
But what if you can’t make it in to the city or live in another state altogether? Don’t despair… We have some awesome news for you! For the first time EVER, viewers from all over Australia can TUNE IN to Channel 9 GEM as they stream the entire pageant LIVE. Now families right around the country can enjoy the splendour and magic that has become one of the most iconic pageants in the world!
[mc_block_title custom_title=”CELEBRATING 83 YEARS”]
The Credit Union Christmas Pageant began in 1933 and is regarded as one of the world’s greatest parades. It’s a South Australian institution and an important part of the state’s event history.
The entire South Australian community is invited to bring their biggest smiles and waves as they prepare to welcome Father Christmas – and a myriad of floats, walking sets, bands, dancing groups and clowns – when this spectacular procession arrives in Adelaide on Saturday 14 November at 9.30am.
[mc_block_title custom_title=”THE PAGEANT ROUTE”]
Download the Route Map here
[mc_block_title custom_title=”FLOAT LISTING (click to enlarge)”]
[mc_block_title custom_title=”AMAZING PAGEANT FACTS & FIGURES”]
- There are more than 250 clowns in the Pageant.
- The route is 3.3 kilometres long. When Father Christmas enters King William Street from South Terrace, the first set is well past the Magic Cave at David Jones on North Terrace.
- In 2015, there will be four brand new floats. Keep your eye out for them!
- More than 120 talented makeup artists are set to apply make-up to more than 1000 characters between 6.30am and 9am on Pageant day.
- Allianz Insurance will provide over 1800 breakfasts to Pageant characters and volunteers on Pageant day.
- It takes 15 trucks to transport costumes, shapes, heads, bikes and props to Pulteney Grammar School, the starting point, the day before the Pageant.
- It takes more than 240 boxes of tissues and 70 jars of make-up remover to remove characters’ make-up each year.
- The first Pageant in 1933 had eight floats and four bands. The 2015 Credit Union Christmas Pageant will have 88 moving sets including 264 clowns, 62 floats, 15 dance groups, three choirs and one DJ.
- 1200 litres of petrol is used on Pageant day and 165 batteries are loaned from Exide Batteries to operate the mechanical features and sounds of floats.
- From the week after the Pageant until Christmas Eve, well over 3000 costume pieces are washed, ironed and placed in storage ready for the next year.
- More than 50 litres of washing liquid, 18 cans of starch, six bottles of bleach and 400 litres of distilled water are used to clean the costumes each year.
- Costume fittings are held over an eight-week period. Costumes are transported to credit union offices during this period. On fitting days, wardrobe staff fit one costume every five minutes.
- Rehearsals for all the characters in the Pageant are held every day over four weeks in the lead-up to the big day.
- In 2010, the Credit Union Christmas Pageant broke the Guinness World Record for the largest group of carol singers & 2011 for the largest gathering of people wearing red noses.
- In 2014 more than 4000 people worked on the Pageant. This included thousands of volunteers who worked hard to ensure that everyone had a fun and happy day.
Grab the kids and get your entries in for some money-can’t-buy experiences thanks to Credit Union Christmas Pageant.
Grab the colouring in pencils and colour 1 of 4 gorgeous Pageant designs and drop for your chance to win 4 VIP Tickets to the Exclusive Stand on Pageant Day at Victoria Square. ENTER HERE
Win 1 of 50 Seats on the old London Bus as you cruise the Route like a VIP on Pageant Day! ENTER HERE
2 Comments
It is my understanding that the pageant was stopped during WW11, partly because of fuel and other rationing requirements. You also had to have coupons to buy fabric for costumes.
Somebody may be able to verify this.
In the days when it was done by John martins the passengers were usually John Martins staff and children/relatives.