Carols in the Domain
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Carols in the Domain is an annual
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
n
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...
concert event held in the Domain Gardens in Sydney. It began in 1983, and features many national and international performers and guest appearances. It a free event, broadcast around Australia on the
Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...
, and simulcast on Smooth FM. The event was held on the last Saturday before Christmas Eve until 2015; and has been held on the last Sunday before Christmas Eve since 2016. Carols in the Domain has become one of Australia's largest free Christmas events.


History

Carols in the Domain was started in 1983 by former
Qantas Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founded ...
employee Robyn Anne Hobbs, who observed Christmas carol events in Australia and wanted to develop one for Sydney. In an article in ''
The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...
'', she said "I suppose I started Carols in the Domain from a purely selfish point of view because I'm an only child and Christmas and birthdays were always wonderful occasions to celebrate and yet Sydney didn't really have a major Christmas celebration." She chose
The Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestant church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. The organisation reports a worldwide membership of over 1.7million, comprising soldiers, officers and adherents col ...
as the corresponding charity. The first Carols event in 1983 was attended by 15,000 people. Hosts of the event have included presenters of morning program ''
Sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon and its accompanying atmospheric effects. Terminology Al ...
'' particularly
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and
Natalie Barr Natalie Anne Barr (born 19 March 1968) is an Australian journalist, news presenter and television presenter. Barr is currently co-host of the Seven Network's breakfast television program ''Sunrise'' alongside David Koch. She was previously new ...
who have co-presented on several occasions, previous presenters have also included
Andrew Daddo Andrew Dugald Daddo (born 18 February 1967) is an Australian actor, author and television and radio personality. Early life Daddo was born in Melbourne on 18 February 1967. He began his education at Mt Eliza Primary School and in year seven mo ...
(on seven occasions),
Grant Denyer Grant Craig Denyer (born 12 September 1977) is an Australian television and radio presenter and motor racing driver, who has worked for several television networks, including Seven Network and Network 10, mostly serving as a presenter. In 201 ...
, (5 occasions),
Kate Ritchie Katherine Leigh Ritchie is an Australian actress, radio presenter and children's author, she remains best known for her long-running role as original character Sally Fletcher on the television soap opera '' Home and Away'', for which she won tw ...
, (3 occasions) and
Barry Crocker Barry Hugh Crocker (born 4 November 1935
Official Barry Crocker website
) is an Australian character actor, televisio ...
, on (3 occasions). Hobbs was awarded an
Order of Australia Medal The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...
(OAM – General Division) in 2009 for services to the community in founding Carols in the Domain and her fundraising efforts for the Salvation Army The main sponsor is designated with naming rights. In 1989, the main sponsor was Esso. In 1996, the main sponsor was Pacific Power, however, because the government had split up the company, they could not fund the sponsorship, but the state government stepped in to sponsor the event, pledging over AUS$300,000. The event was televised for the first time to New Zealand on TVNZ and Southeast Asia on Australia Television.
The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...
also became a sponsor for the event. In 1997, the naming rights sponsor was RAMS Home Loans. In 2004, the event was called "The Good Guys Good Kid Carols in the Domain". In 2005, the naming rights were assumed to be The Good Guys again, but Woolworths acquired the naming rights and renamed the event to "Woolworths Carols in the Domain", and has retained the name since. As a mark of respect, organisers of the 2014 Carols in the Domain considered cancelling the event because of the Martin Place siege which took place in Sydney earlier that week, but instead decided to hold it, on Saturday 20 December.Television news, reviews and gossip with Holly Byrne
Daily Telegraph 30 November 2014
The 2014 Carols attracted approximately 80,000 people, and also included a tribute to those killed during the siege.
Mark Vincent Mark Vincent (born 4 September 1993) is an Australian tenor. Vincent won the third season of ''Australia's Got Talent'' in 2009 and signed with Sony Music Australia immediately after. As of 2018, Vincent has released seven studio albums and one ...
opened the evening by singing
You Raise Me Up "You Raise Me Up" is a song originally composed by the Norwegian-Irish duo Secret Garden. The music was written by Secret Garden's Rolf Løvland, and the lyrics by Brendan Graham. After the song was performed early in 2002 by the Secret Garden a ...
in honour of the victims, and a minute silence was held. In December 2020 it was announced that the 2020 event would be held inside, at the Aware Theatre without any audience as a response to the
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pandemic, and then televised on Wednesday 23 December on Channel 7.


Charity

Carols in the Domain supports both The Salvation Army and The Salvation Army OASIS Youth Support Network through the sale of candle bags during the performance. Oasis seeks to assist homeless youths aged between 16–24 in the inner city of Sydney with emergency housing, case management and training.


List of past events

All events have included a visit by
Santa Claus Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a Legend, legendary figure originating in Western Christianity, Western Christian culture who is said to Christmas gift-bringer, bring ...
, and music from local orchestras and choirs.


See also

* Carols by Candlelight, a similar event in
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
. *
Christian music in Australia Christian Music in Australia has been played since the first European settlers arrived in the late 18th century, and forms part of the cultural life of religion in Australia and worldwide Christian Music. Australians have contributed to a variety o ...


References


External links

*
The Salvation Army OASIS Youth Support Network
{{Christmas Festivals in Sydney Christmas festivals Seven Network specials