Thousands turn out for COVID safe Carols by Candlelight
THE wet season storm clouds hanging over Darwin didn’t deter the thousands of people who turned out for a sing-along at the Carols by Candlelight celebration last night
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THE wet season storm clouds hanging over Darwin didn’t deter the thousands of people who turned out for a sing-along at the Carols by Candlelight celebration last night.
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The 45th annual carols event looked a bit different to previous years, with COVID-19 regulations meaning the capacity at the Darwin Botanical garden Amphitheatre was capped at 3500.
This is half of its usual capacity of 7000, with all tickets to the highly-anticipated event being snapped up several days before.
Those carollers who were lucky enough to get a ticket were thrilled to be able to take part in the annual after a year that has been anything but normal.
Alison Wilson was thrilled to have her mum Ann up in Darwin from Victoria for Christmas, who headed north to escape the major lockdowns.
“I’m happy to be up here. I’m going to take advantage of it now and go back home after Christmas,” Ann said.
“This will be my first Christmas spent up here.”
Sue Britton and her daughter Melissa have been coming to Carols by Candlelight for years, and we’re happy to be able to keep up their tradition after a tough year.
“You’ve got to have carols at Christmas time,” Sue said.
“With COVID it was difficult for my daughter not being able to go down south to see the test of her family.
“It’s been really tough.”
Celene Strachan has been in the Territory on an “extended holiday” since escaping the COVID lockdown in Brisbane in July.
She and her aunty, Tanya Howkins, said Christmas is their favourite time of year.
“I love Christmas, we are the ones in the family who love Christmas,” Celene said.
“We have some other friends coming but we would have come by ourselves anyway,” said Tanya.
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Performers at the event included the Christmas Candlelight Choir, local musician and producer Rick Knight and the First Brigade Australian Army Band.
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