Loxton Lights Up!
Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of Christ, for families to come together and for Loxton to enter party mode for four or so weeks! So each year, in the lead-up to Christmas, Loxton holds a multi-week Christmas festival called Loxton Lights Festival (or, as I always hear it called, simply Loxton Lights Up or even just Loxton Lights).
True story, for many years, our youngest thought the town’s name was actually ‘Loxton Lights’ (poor kid)!
It starts with a fireworks display down the end of the main street (East Terrace) in the final week of November. If you have a young family or even if you don’t, the event offers a safe and family-friendly atmosphere. The fireworks display is fantastic, and the light displays around town cap off the evening beautifully.
History of Loxton Lights Festival
Looking back at the event’s history, it began in two separate areas of Loxton.
Santa’s walk
Santa’s walk is the name given to the collation of house displays set up around Loxton during the festival. The walk began in Hilbig Street with the Falland family decorating their front yard each Christmas with lights and decorations. It became so popular that the neighbours in the street also put up lots of decorations and Christmas lights. It then soon spread throughout the whole town. It’s not unusual to see busloads of tourists come up to drive around and look at the lights. Many of you may be familiar with the Lobethal lights in the Adelaide hills. Well, Loxton is another town that does something similar.
Loxton Christmas Wonderland
The Christmas Wonderland is a massive display started by Peter Mangelsdorf on his property’s fence line in Loxton north. It is something to be seen to be believed that one person has done so much work for that display. Each year, for a good 30+ years, he has set up the display diligently and attracts thousands upon thousands of tourists. However, 2022 is the first year the display has been moved to a new venue. It will be exciting to see how it goes as it begins a new era.
Over time these two events grew in popularity and spread through the township into what we now call the Loxton Lights Festival, and each year kicks off with a massive fireworks display.
Fireworks display: Lights Up Day.
The fireworks display is a big part of the Loxton Lights Festival. It usually kicks off in the final week of November leading up to Christmas. It’s a generous display and attracts up to 10,000 people (so I have heard) in the main street to watch the spectacle. Then, straight after the fireworks display, people head out to look at all the Christmas lights displayed in the front yards of Loxton with what is known as Santa’s walk (although you’ll find that many people simply drive slowly around and look at the lights). The whole event is a great family outing and one to add to your calendar.
Visit Santa’s cave
It wouldn’t be a good Christmas festival without your opportunity for kids to line up and see Santa. This is no different in Loxton. Santa has managed to set up a cave here in Loxton, which he regularly attends for kids to go and visit.
Pro tip: if you can manage to hold off your children, wait a week after the initial kick-off, and you won’t have to wait in a big line to see Santa.
Sunday Trading
As part of the whole festival, Loxton opens trading on a Sunday (many shops are usually closed) to allow for Christmas shopping. So it is an excellent opportunity for people to shop on a Sunday afternoon when they wouldn’t normally have that chance.
Other events
Other events have been tied into the Loxton lights festival, including the Loxton Christmas carols and Christmas tree festival that’s been going on for a good 25 years. Another event we’ve tried with our kids is the ‘Bike the Night’, where everyone puts lots of glow sticks all over their bike, and we ride around the lights. There’s also a magnificent display in the Loxton newsagency each year, which is worth checking out, although if you take your young family, you may need to prep them not to touch anything.
What are you waiting for? Join Loxton for its annual fireworks display!
Suppose you read this article and didn’t just scroll to the end (like I always do :)). You will know that the Loxton Christmas Fireworks display is held to kick off the town’s Christmas festival. This festival is a multi-week event known as the Loxton Lights Festival. So if you are looking for something exciting to take your family to, you should consider coming along this year.
To find out details on this year’s Loxton Lights Festival you can head to the official website here.
