BELOVED COMMUNITY EVENT SANTA FEST RETURNS TO WOLLONGONG ON DECEMBER 14 FEATURING KLP, LENNY PEARCE AND MORE

After a short one year hiatus, Santa Fest is back in 2024, with hundreds of Santas set to descend on the main watering holes of Wollongong for the mother of all pub crawls that will hit 11 local venues and feature 30 live music acts, bringing back this beloved community event in support of local charities Sahssi and Disabled Surfers Association.  

Hailed as ‘Wollongong’s Christmas party’, the Santa-laden crawl will kick off at North Gong Hotel on Saturday December 14, before merrily ambling to The Illawarra Hotel, Towradgi Beach Hotel, Humber The Prince, La La La’s, and more, with tickets on sale now from Oztix.

After spreading Christmas cheer for thirty years and contributing over $2.5million towards charitable causes, Santafest had to sit last year out due to challenging conditions, but the spirit of the event has been revived as key figures in Wollongong’s hospitality scene step forward to ensure the tradition continues, albeit with a sustainable new approach, and with a full line up of live music at the forefront, featuring 30 acts across the participating venues, including sets from KLP, Lenny Pearce, Furnace and The Fundamentals, Fleetmac Wood and more. 

With the blessing of the event’s creator (Neil Webster), Adam Murphy (Humber/Heyday/Halfway), Josh Hill (North Wollongong Hotel), and Ryan Aitchison (The Illawarra Hotel) have come together to save and rejuvenate this iconic event. Working collaboratively, they are poised to bring Christmas joy and charity back to Wollongong for another 30 years. 

“Santa Fest’s humble beginnings started in 1993 with a group of mates coming together to celebrate the festive season and donating presents to the less fortunate. North Wollongong Hotel proudly became the spiritual home of Santa Fest, nurturing the event from one hotel to multiple venues, from a group of mates to 12,000 people coming from all over the world to participate at its peak,” explains North Wollongong Hotel venue manager, Josh Hill.

“This event is culturally important to Wollongong, I came from a Sydney venue, and every local I’ve spoken to has shared a story or two of their fond memories attending this event. The team at North Wollongong Hotel are proud and excited to continue the legacy that Neil started in 1993, continue to support local charities and continue to provide an event that creates fond memories for everyone who attends.”

To make the event future-focused, we know we need to make changes. What was once perceived as a day of intense drinking is now evolving into a Festival of Place. Our goal is to celebrate Wollongong—its people, its live music, its hospitality, its unique character and most importantly, its charities—by inviting people from near and far to Wollongong’s Annual Christmas Party,” says The Illawarra Hotel Publican, Ryan Aitchison. 

Tickets to Santa Fest are available now from Oztix.