People were lining the streets when the gates of City Park were reopened for Carols by Candlelight on Sunday evening.
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Armed with picnic blankets and candles in hands, people gathered together under the trees to share the festive spirit with carols and cheer.
Coordinator Danny Gibson said the community-event started the countdown to Christmas for many people in the area.
He expected more than 5000 people attended the carols this year.
The mix of traditional and contemporary songs made the carols an accessible event for all, Mr Gibson said.
Spending time with family, friends and the community and singing carols together helped create “the true spirit of Christmas”, Mr Gibson said.
In the past five years, the Rotary Club of Tamar Sunrise-run event has raised about $50,000 for charity.
Not only have the carols brought the community together to sing, but all funds raised went towards The Examiner’s Empty Stocking Appeal, he said.
“The donation makes it more special … people want to make Christmas brighter for others.”
The transformation of City Park for the event also showed how special their outdoor venue was, he said. “It’s a testament to the council and the huge amount of volunteers.”
While most of those volunteers were flat out all evening, they were happy to help the excited crowd and keep the event running smoothly, he said.
He anticipated they would know the amount donated to the appeal by mid-week.
Tess Brunton
I recently returned from across the ditch where I worked at New Zealand Fairfax paper The Timaru Herald and developed a love of mountains. Originally I'm a mainlander from an area known for cheese, the Bega Valley, who also dabbled in radio at ABC RCAFF before finding a place in newspapers. I can often be found hiking, caving or climbing when I'm not cursing at my work computer or technology in general.
I recently returned from across the ditch where I worked at New Zealand Fairfax paper The Timaru Herald and developed a love of mountains. Originally I'm a mainlander from an area known for cheese, the Bega Valley, who also dabbled in radio at ABC RCAFF before finding a place in newspapers. I can often be found hiking, caving or climbing when I'm not cursing at my work computer or technology in general.
