The 11 SA Christmas lights displays you must not miss in 2021
Want to check out SA’s most dazzling Christmas lights but don’t have time to waste finding the best of the best? Check out these must-not-miss locations and vote for your favourite.
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Lots of people go to the trouble of putting up Christmas lights each year but let’s face it, not all displays are created equal.
If you think a string of fairy lights and a couple of candy canes is going to cut it in the ever-competitive world of Christmas lights, think again, buddy.
There are some seriously impressive displays out there!
And because 2021 has been tough enough already, we’re not going to make you do all the legwork to find the very best displays in South Australia.
We’ve done the hard yards already with our wrap of a dozen dazzling displays we reckon are well worth checking out.
The displays we’ve selected are on this list because they stand out from the crowd, because they’re a little different from your average display or because they are one of a number of displays in a town or street that make a visit there well worth your while.
We’ve also relied on the terrific photos sent in by readers to our Christmas Lights page to help us compile this list of the best locations.
So in no particular order, our top picks for 2021 are...
RIC’S CHRISTMAS LIGHTS EVANSTON PARK
46 Palamountain Drive, Evanston Park
Lights on 8.30pm-11pm
There’s a lot to like about this display by Ric Hoffman of Evanston Park. Clean and orderly, Ric’s display is framed by coloured lights along the front of the property and set against a backdrop of pretty blue and white lights across the roof. But the stars of this show are the giant inflatable Santa and Frosty the Snowman at either end of the front yard and elegantly decorated tree right in the middle, topped by a brightly shining star. Classy work, Ric!
ENCOUNTER BAY CHRISTMAS WONDERLAND
42 Prime Blvd, Encounter Bay
Lights on 7.30pm – midnight.
I’ve got one word for you. Inflatables! This display in beautiful Encounter Bay is a celebration of all things inflatable with a huge selection of characters in all shapes and sizes, including a 7m-tall Santa, snowmen, animals, teddy bears and gingerbread people. Owner Jodie Bleeze says her display is only in its second year. “I decided after the year we had in 2020 I would like to bring some Christmas cheer to the children and families on the Fleurieu Peninsula. So much scary stuff going on, families separated – if I could bring joy this was my way to do that. I decided I loved the inflatables after I only started with a few. And when parents brought their children over to see them they would scream out of excitement and hug the inflatables. It’s exactly the reaction I wanted. There is nothing better than hearing the excitement from children and adults.” Onya Jodie!
OUR DISPLAY
45 Days Road Croydon Park
Lights on 7.30pm-10.30pm
If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s how to get crafty and make our own fun at home. Carolyn Bartholomew and her family have been doing exactly that with their display at 45 Days Road Croydon, which features several lovely homemade pieces, making it worthy of inclusion in our roundup. “We started our first year with two inflatables and two sets of fairy lights,” Carolyn said. “We then wanted to become more unique and started making our own pieces. We started making a nativity scene out of recycled pallets, followed by the wooden Christmas tree and our six white boomers pulling a truck. This year we repurposed our son’s Ikea loft bed and made a gingerbread house. Our favourite pieces are what we have made ourselves. We have had many comments - all positive. But I would have to say my favourite comment was ‘This different to others, not sure what it is, but it is different’”.
WHICH DISPLAY IS YOUR FAVOURITE? VOTE BELOW!
OLINDA LIGHTS
12 Olinda Street Craigmore
Lights on 8pm-10pm
Oh, you’ve got a few hundred lights in your Christmas display. That’s cute. This display has OVER EIGHT THOUSAND. And wait for it. THEY’RE SYNCHRONISED TO MUSIC. Pretty cool, huh? Romeo Cassiani says the centrepiece of The Cassiani Family display is a “MegaTree”, which has grown each year and now boasts an incredible 2000 lights and a singing coloured bulb. And then there’s the music. “We love hearing the excitement of children as they watch and also the adults who like to sing along to the Christmas soundtrack, “Mr Cassiani says. He says visitors are treated to a two-hour show every night with a soundtrack featuring tracks by Snoop Dogg, Ariana Grande and Gwen Stefani, as well as a selection of Christmas parodies. He says locals love what he’s got going on because “it’s very different to other displays in the area”.
D&V’s AUSTRALIANA DISPLAY
2 Lipsett Tce, Brooklyn Park
Lights on 8pm – 10.30pm
“It’s an Aussie Christmas display”, said Dale when he submitted the details of his Brooklyn Park spectacular. Dale nailed it. It is, ineeded, an Aussie Christmas display, featuring a menagerie of native Australian animals crafted out of bright, colourful rope lights draped over frames to make their shapes. The display includes a snake, several kangaroos and koalas, emus, pelicans, a possum, birds and much more. A clean, simple, beautiful display that gives a nod to traditional Christmas icons while unashamedly celebrating our beaut country. It’s bloody bonza, Dale.
PASPALIARIS & RODAS FAMILY CHRISTMAS
5 Rosedale Ave, Wattle Park
Lights on: 7.30pm-midnight
I haven’t seen his bank statements recently, but I think it’s safe to assume Santa must be doing pretty nicely these days. What makes me think so? His extensive property holdings! Apart from his primary residence up on the North Pole, it looks like Santa might have a second pad, at the Paspaliaris & Rodas Family Christmas Lights display at 5 Rosedale Ave, Wattle Park. There’s his sleigh, tethered to three proud golden reindeer, parked outside on the lawn and there’s his big red chair under the veranda. And to help trick Santa into thinking he’s somewhere cold, like the North Pole, and, you know, not in Australia in the middle of summer, there’s a family of happy snowmen. This is another classy display that makes good use of the whole front yard – there’s lots of stuff to look at without it feeling messy or filled with unnecessary clutter. And if you look closely enough, you may find a few more surprises in the front window of the house.
CHARACTER HOUSE
Address: 108 Bolivar Rd, Salisbury North
Lights on: 7.30pm-11pm
For many of us, Christmas, like a good TV show or movie, is a delicious bit of escapism from our every day lives. Peter Creek combines both these ideas beautifully in his sprawling and immersive display at 108 Bolivar Road, Salisbury North. Now in its eighth year, Peter’s “Character Display”, features about 160 different life-size TV and movie characters you can walk around, touch and pose for photos with. And Peter made them all himself! How clever.
The collection includes 20 super heroes, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Peppa Pig, Toy Story, Paw Patrol, Harry Potter, Shrek, Trolls and Labyrinth, with Flintsones, Moana and Bluey new to the party this year. There’s also an art train showcasing the work of local children and Peter is handing out small wooden trees for kids to paint at home then return them to be part of next year’s display. Peter says his greatest reward is seeing the excitement on the children’s faces when they get to pose with their favourite characters. “People seem to love it, even the teenagers.” Last year, Peter estimates over 5000 people visited his display.
“We have people who have come every year comment on how its grown and changes – for some families it’s part of their Christmas tradition.”
DISNEY WISHES ON CHELMSFORD
55 Chelmsford St, Craigmore
Lights on: 7.30pm-11pm
This display made it to our roundup in 2020 and it’s back again for good reason. This display is next-level, featuring, as the name suggests, a heavy emphasis on Disney characters, special guests and themed events raising funds for Make-A-Wish Australia. So why Disney? “We are a huge Disney family, it has always been apart of our lives and we like to share our interests as most people do,” organiser Melanie Salotti says. There are no more events planned for this year but this display, which features about 100,000 fairy lights, will keep twinkling right up to Christmas with lights on every night from 7.30pm-11pm.
BECK’S CHRISTMAS LIGHTS
Address: 17 Betty Rd, Lewiston
Lights on: 8.30pm
Naturally, many of SA’s best Christmas displays are in the city. But there are plenty of great displays to see on the fringes of Adelaide that make a nice leisurely drive well worth your time. Beck’s Christmas Lights at Lewiston – a mere 45 minute drive from the city centre – is one such display. Beck’s display is now in its fifth year and she tells us her offering keeps getting bigger and better every year. Nicely decked out across a big front yard, Beck’s display features a big inflatable waving Santa, a lovely green and blue Christmas tree, pretty coloured lights on all the trees and bushes and two golden orbs of light hanging from a tree branch that, from the photos at least, look like a couple of Ferrero Rochers on fire. And who doesn’t want to see that?
CHRISTMAS AT THE PARK
27 Hoylake Crescent Fairview Park
Lights on: 7.30pm-11pm
Remember that classic scene from Spinal Tap when Marti DiBergi asks lead guitarist Nigel Tufnel why he couldn’t just make the maximum volume setting on his amplifier louder if he wanted to go that little bit extra? “These go to 11”, Tufnel replies. And how can you argue with that? Stephen Cieslak’s display at 17 Hoylake Crescent, Fairview Park is the Nigel Tufnel guitar amp of the Adelaide Christmas lights scene. This display goes to 11.
Fairy lights? They’ve got ‘em. Like, five inflatable Santas? They’ve got ‘em. Giant blow up reindeer? Is that even a serious question? Of course they’ve got one. Strings of fairy lights falling like raindrops across the yard? Check. A funny little Santa/elf cut out for you to pop your face through for photos? Affirmative. There’s just so. much. stuff and that’s why we love it.
CHRISTMAS LIGHTS GOLDING ST
69 Golding St, Beverley
Lights on: 8pm-10:30pm Sun-Thur, 7:30-11pm Fri-Sat
With Covid pretty much ruining all our hopes and dreams these last two years, what better metaphor to sum up our current predicament than How the Grinch Stole Christmas. That’s the theme of this brilliant display by Naomi and Paul Clarke at 69 Golding St, Beverley. Mrs Clarke said she and Paul usually opted for a different theme for their display each year. “It’s what motivates us in how we plan the configuration of our lights,” she said. “This year we have a 2m Grinch on top of the roof, along with Cindy Lou and Max down below, but we still have our traditional snowman family like we do every year.”
Mrs Clarke, who is a quadriplegic, refers to her wheelchair at this time of year as “Santa’s Sleigh”, and makes it her mission to create the most colourful environment for all.
“It’s just a bit of fun. We grew up with family traditions and it’s nice to remember but also create new memories,” Mrs Clarke said. “For the people who come and enjoy the display, maybe they too will create their own memories and traditions. Doing something you are passionate about is a great motivator in your happiness and wellness.”
A life lesson that mean old Mr Grinch could do with learning.
– with Emily Jarvis.
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