Adelaide Christmas Pageant 2019: Everything you need to know to make your day great

Adelaide’s beloved Christmas Pageant has been around since 1933, but this is a year of firsts — this is everything you need to know to make your day great.

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Adelaide’s beloved Christmas Pageant has been around since 1933, but this year is one of firsts.

The time-honoured tradition of Father Christmas arriving at the Magic Cave will end, with the jolly man in red riding his sleigh to Adelaide Town Hall on King William St instead.

While the first parade 86 years ago featured just a few floats, there will be 65 this year, including four new additions – Cinderella, Mermaid Christmas, Shaping Our Wonderful World and the first float, which announces new naming-rights sponsor National Pharmacies.

Here’s everything you need to know to make your Pageant Day great:

PAGEANT START TIME: 9.30AM

The Pageant will start at the corner of King William St and South Tce and make its way through the city to finish at Franklin St.

Father Christmas will then greet onlookers from the Adelaide Town Hall balcony.

GETTING THERE

• Adelaide Metro will run extra bus, train and tram services, normal fares apply (top tip: on weekends, two children under 15 years of age travel free when accompanied by an adult using a daytrip ticket; children under five travel free at all times).

• Due to road closures along the route, tram services will be altered:

• Tram services from the Entertainment Centre and Royal Adelaide Hospital will terminate at the Adelaide Railway Station from first service until about 1.20pm.

• Tram services from Glenelg will terminate at the South Tce stop from first service until about 1pm.

• Tram services will not run between the Adelaide Railway Station and Botanic Garden (with the Botanic Garden, University and Art Gallery tram stops closed) from first service until about 1.20pm.

• The Festival Plaza tram stop will be closed from first service until about 1pm.

• Normal weekend timetables will operate from about 2pm.

• To view the extra tram, train and bus services, visit adelaidemetro.com.au

CAR PARKING

Don’t want to catch public transport? Drive in on the day for $8 parking at the following locations:

• UPark Grote, next to Adelaide Bus Station; open from 5am.

• UPark Pirie Flinders, enter via Sudholz Place off Flinders St; open from 6am.

• UPark Topham Mall, enter from Waymouth St; open from 6am.

• UPark Light, on the northeast corner of Light Square; open 24 hours.

Note: Due to road closures, UPark Wyatt will be closed until 12.30pm and UPark Gawler until 1pm. For more information, visit upark.com.au

ROAD CLOSURES

BEFORE THE PAGEANT

• Reconciliation Plaza (Victoria Square/Tarntanyangga) between Grote St and Wakefield St, already closed until Monday 9pm

• South Tce lane closure between Symonds Place and Downer Place, from 3pm-6pm Friday

• Wakefield St lane closure between Victoria Square and Gawler Place, from 4pm Friday

PAGEANT DAY

• Angas St between Victoria Square (eastern carriageway) and King William St, from 5am-1pm

• Apollo Place off King William St, from 6am-1pm

• Austin St between North Tce and Pulteney St, from 6am-1pm

• Bentham St partial closure, from 6am-1pm

• Bowen St between Grote St and Franklin St, from 6am-1pm

• Carrington St between Kent St and King William St, from 5am-1pm

• Charles St between Rundle Mall and North Tce, from 6am-1pm

• Chesser St between Pirie St and Grenfell St, from 6am-1pm

• Clarence Place off King William St, from 6am-1pm

• Coromandel Place between Pirie St and Grenfell St, from 6am-1pm

• Currie St between Leigh St and King William St, from 6am-1pm

• Divett Place between Wakefield St and Flinders St, from 6am-1pm

• Eliza St partial closure, from 6am-1pm

• Exchange Place off Pirie St, from 6am-1pm

• Flinders St between Victoria Square and Pulteney St, from 6am-1pm

• Franklin St between Morphett St and Gray St, from 10am-2pm

• Franklin St between Victoria Square and Morphett St, from 6am-1pm

• French St between Chesser St and Coromandel Place, from 6am-1pm

• Gawler Place between Wakefield St and North Tce, from 6am-1pm

• Gilbert St between Tapley St and King William St, from 5am-1pm

• Gilles St between Symonds Place and King William St, from 5am-1pm

• Grenfell St between Frome St and King William St, from 6am-1pm

• Grote St between Pitt St and Victoria Square, from 5am-1pm

• Gouger St between Victoria Square (western carriageway) and King William St, from 5am-1pm

• Halifax St between Symonds Place and King William St, from 5am-1pm

• Hindley St between Gresham St and King William St, from 6am-1pm

• Hindmarsh Square (eastern carriageway) between Grenfell St and Pirie St, until 1pm

• Hyde St between Pirie St and Grenfell St, from 6am-1pm

• King William Rd between War Memorial Dr and North Tce, from 6am-1pm

• King William St between Pirie St and North Tce, from 6am-1pm

• King William St between South Tce and Pirie St, from 5am-1pm

• Kintore Ave between Morgan Thomas Lane and North Tce, from 6am-1pm

• McHenry St between Gawler Place and Exchange Place, from 6am-1pm

• Morialta St between Grote St and Franklin St, from 5am-1pm

• North Tce between Victoria St and Frome St, from 6am-1pm

• Peacock Rd between Greenhill Rd and South Tce, from 5am-1pm

• Pirie St between Hindmarsh Square (eastern carriageway) and King William St, from 6am-1pm

• Pulteney St between Angas St and North Tce, from 6am-1pm

• Roper St between Wakefield St and Flinders St, from 6am-1pm

• Rundle St between Bent St and Pulteney St, from 6am-1pm

• South Tce between Pulteney St and O’Halloran St, from 5am-1pm

• Stephens Place between Rundle Mall and North Tce, from 6am-1pm

• Sturt St between John St and King William St, from 5am-1pm

• Victoria Square between King William St and King William St, from 5am-1pm

• Wakefield St between Victoria Square and Cypress St, from 5am-1pm

• Waymouth St between Waymouth Place and King William St, from 6am-1pm

• Wright St between John St and King William St, from 5am-1pm

• Wyatt St between Flinders St and Grenfell St, from 6am-1pm

• York St between Pulteney St and Bent St, from 6am-1pm

• Young St partial closure, from 6am-1pm

TOP TIPS

Want to make the most of your Pageant day? Here are some tips to help families have fun and stay safe:

DO

• Bring a waterproof jacket or poncho if it is raining – not umbrellas

• Be sun smart

• Bring blankets, rugs, low folding chairs and cushions to sit on

• Bring chalk to decorate the route while you wait for the Pageant to begin

• Use public transport

• Let children sit at the front behind the Blue Honour Line

• Stay behind the Blue Honour Line

• Write your mobile number on your child’s wrist in case they become lost and introduce them to the nearest police officer so they know who to go to if they get lost

• Report any suspicious items or behaviour to officials or the police

DON’T

• Use an umbrella while the Pageant is passing

• Leave bags and personal items unattended

• Set your blankets up at intersections or on roads until the roads are closed (see full list of road closures above)

• Bring ladders, scaffolding or pop-up shelters to put up along the route

• Bring your barbecue

WATCH IT AT HOME

Can’t make it tomorrow? Here’s when you can catch all the colour and excitement on television:

SATURDAY

10.30am – Channel 9

7.30pm – 9Gem

CHRISTMAS DAY

7.30am – Channel 9

CATCH UP ON 9NOW

Watch the Pageant for 28 days from the broadcast

For more details, visit christmaspageant.com.au