The Adelaide Christmas Pageant is a

parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually some variety ...

held annually in the

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

n capital of

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

. Established in 1933, the event is staged annually on the second Saturday of November, typically from 9.30am except 2020 and 2021 where it was broadcast at 7:00pm. It comprises a

procession A procession is an organized body of people walking in a formal or ceremonial manner. History Processions have in all peoples and at all times been a natural form of public celebration, as forming an orderly and impressive ceremony. Religious ...

of 85 sets and 1,700 volunteers, including some 63 floats, 15 bands, 164 clowns, dancing groups, and walking performers, all culminating in the arrival of Father Christmas. The pageant is recognised as a heritage icon by the

National Trust of Australia The National Trust of Australia, officially the Australian Council of National Trusts (ACNT), is the Australian national peak body for community-based, non-government non-profit organisations committed to promoting and conserving Australia's Ind ...

. The pageant has been organised by the

Government of South Australia The Government of South Australia, also referred to as the South Australian Government or the SA Government, is the executive branch of the state government, state of South Australia. It is modelled on the Westminster system, meaning that the h ...

since 1996. National Pharmacies has been the

naming rights Naming rights are a financial transaction and form of advertising or memorialization where a corporation, person, or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, object, location, program, or event (most often sports venues), typical ...

sponsor since 2019. The pageant route commenced on King William Street at South Terrace and ran through the city to terminate at Adelaide Town Hall. Before 2019, the pageant traditionally ended on North Terrace outside the John Martin's (later David Jones building) where from Father Christmas would proceed inside to the Magic Cave. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, the pageant was instead held at

Adelaide Oval The Adelaide Oval is a stadium in Adelaide in the state of South Australia. It is located in the Adelaide Parklands, parklands. The venue is predominantly used for cricket and Australian rules football, but has also played host to rugby league, ...

to a limited audience on a ballot system.

History

Adelaide's Christmas Pageant was founded by Edward Hayward, owner of the Adelaide department store John Martin's, who was inspired by the

Toronto Santa Claus Parade The Toronto Santa Claus Parade, also branded as ''The Original Santa Claus Parade'', is a Santa Claus parade held annually in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. First held in 1905, it is one of the largest parade productions in North America, the oldest ...

and

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual parade in New York City presented by the American-based department store chain Macy's. The Parade first took place in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States ...

. He organised the first 'Children's Christmas Parade' on 18 November 1933 at the height of the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

. It was a success; running for around 40 minutes with eight floats and three bands, it attracted 200,000 spectators and from then the tradition of the John Martin's Christmas Pageant or as it was affectionately known the 'Johnnie's Christmas Pageant' was born. Father Christmas was introduced in 1934 and tradition of the pageant finishing at the Magic Cave (itself created in 1905) was established. Due to

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the pageant was in abeyance between 1941 and 1944. It was restored in 1945. By 1969, the event had grown significantly, with attendances reaching 500,000 and television broadcasting commencing. In 1979, the largest induction of new floats took place, with 16 joining the pageant. In 1985, John Martin's was acquired by David Jones, who continued the pageant under the John Martin's name. However, with the collapse of the

Adelaide Steamship Company The Adelaide Steamship Company was an Australian shipping company, later a diversified industrial and logistics conglomerate. It was formed by a group of South Australian businessmen in 1875. Their aim was to control the transport of goods be ...

, and the public float of the David Jones retailing arm, in the mid-1990s the

took over the organisation of the event, which it continues to manage through Events South Australia, a division of the South Australian Tourism Commission. It sought sponsorship from the South Australian business community, and in 1996 sold the

to the six South Australian Credit Unions: Australian Central, Savings & Loans, Community CPS, PowerState, Satisfac and the Police Credit Union, which, as a result of mergers, had by 2018 become People's Choice Credit Union,

Beyond Bank Australia Beyond Bank is an Australian customer-owned bank operating in South Australia, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory, Western Australia and New South Wales. It provides financial services to its members, including savings and business ac ...

, Credit Union SA and Police Credit Union. One Johnnie's tradition that the credit unions have been continued is that of the Pageant Queen. In 2009 a Pageant King and Princes were introduced to the Pageant and with the Pageant Queen and Princesses make up the Pageant Royal Family. The Royal Family tour the state visiting schools, libraries and children's groups as well as the Women's & Children's Hospital on Pageant Day to share the Pageant magic. Adelaide Christmas Pageant 2004 Snow White Float

Adelaide Christmas Pageant 2004 Snow White Float

In 2008 there was a

Guinness world record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...

attempt for the longest and largest

Mexican wave The wave (also Mexican wave outside North America) is a type of metachronal rhythm achieved in a packed stadium or other large seated venue, when successive groups of spectators briefly stand and raise their arms. Immediately upon stretching to ...

, but it failed. In 2010 the spectators broke the record for the largest group of carol singers singing Christmas carols at the same time. They set a record of over 9,100 carol singers, breaking the previous record of 7,541 set in the USA. In 2019, National Pharmacies bevame the naming rights sponsor. The pageant was additionally rerouted; no longer terminating at its traditional ending at the David Jones building on North Terrace, it instead follows an adjusted route that finishes at Adelaide Town Hall. Due to the

, the 2020 pageant was altered drastically for the very first time. Instead of the traditional street parade it was more likened to an arena spectacular. The pageant was held at

to a permitted audience of 25,000. The event was shifted from its traditional morning timeslot to a twilight performance starting at 7pm. Tickets were drawn from a ballot. The 2021 event was again held at Adelaide Oval because of continuing restrictions and the Delta variant, again with the ballot system in place. However, the permitted audience was increased to 35,000 and masks were mandatory. The 2022 pageant returned to the street parade format using the 2019 route towards Adelaide Town Hall, with approximately 100,000 people in attendance due to continuing COVID restrictions and a thunderstorm. The 2023 pageant continued the 2019 format with 300,000 people in attendance; it had been moved up to 4 November to avoid clashing with

Remembrance Day Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces me ...

. The 2024 Pageant concluded at the corner of Rundle Mall and King William Street.

Broadcast

The Pageant is currently broadcast officially by

NWS-9 NWS is an Australian Australian television broadcasting, television station based in Adelaide, Australia. It is owned-and-operated station, owned-and-operated by the Nine Network. The station callsign, ''NWS'', is an initialism of The NeWs South ...

, the local affiliate of the

Nine Network Nine Network (stylised 9Network, and commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of the five main free-to-air television ...

. For many years the broadcast was carried by SAS-7, ABS-2 and

ADS-10 ADS is an Australian television station based in Adelaide, South Australia. It is owned and operated by Paramount Networks UK & Australia through their Australian holdings Network 10. History ADS-10 began as ''ADS-7'' on 24 October 1959, orig ...

. Previous commentators have included; Jane Reilly, Ron Sullivan, Patsy Biscoe, Anne Haddy (guest), Brenton Whittle, Robin Roendfeldt, Joanna Moore, Kevin Crease, Lynn Weston, Franci Chammings, Cheryl Mills, Sue Baron, Lionel Williams. Alec Macaskil, Ric Marshall, Pam Tamblyn,

John Bannon John Charles Bannon (7 May 1943 – 13 December 2015) was an Australian politician and academic. He was the 39th Premier of South Australia, leading the Australian Labor Party (South Australian Branch), South Australian Branch of the Australia ...

(guest), Grant Piro, Benita Collins, Tania Nugent,

Simon Burke Simon Gareth Burke (born 8 October 1961) is an Australian actor, active in films, television and theatre. Biography Simon Burke began his career at the age of 12, starring in Michael Cove's ''Kookaburra'' (1974); a painful look at a dysfuncti ...

, Jane Doyle, Pete Michell, Dale Sinclair, Elizabeth Doyle, Tony Brooks, Malcolm Harslett, Sandy Roberts, Judith Barr, Julie Anthony (guest), John Bok and Richard Coombe. Commentators and Presenters in recent years have included: *2004:

Rob Kelvin Rob Kelvin (born 20 September 1944) is an Australian former television news presenter. He was a presenter of the weeknight edition of '' Nine News Adelaide'' produced by NWS-9. Kelvin presented the bulletin with Kevin Crease until February 2007 ...

and Georgina McGuinness, with Mark Bickley and Lisa McAskill. *2005:

and Georgina McGuinness, with Mark Bickley and Lisa McAskill. *2006:

and Georgina McGuinness, with Mark Bickley and Lisa McAskill. *2007: Georgina McGuinness and Kym Dillon, with Mark Bickley and Lisa McAskill. *2008:

Kelly Nestor Kelly Nestor (born 22 August 1968) is an Australian television and radio presenter and is working for ABC Radio Adelaide. Biography Nestor was born and raised in Broken Hill, New South Wales, but made her name as a news presenter in Adelaide. ...

and Brenton Ragless, with Georgina McGuinness, Mark Bickley and Kate Collins. *2009: Brenton Ragless and Kate Collins, with

and Jason 'Snowy' Carter. *2015: Brenton Ragless and Kate Collins with Virginia Langeberg (Virginia's last time). This was the first time the pageant was broadcast interstate to

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

and

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

9Gem 9Gem is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, launched by the Nine Network in September 2010. The channel provides general entertainment and movie programming, from which the original name "GEM" is derived. History The la ...

References

External links

* {{Adelaide Festivals Christmas and holiday season parades Festivals established in 1933 Christmas Pageant Parades in Australia 1933 establishments in Australia