Rally is researching the season
Christmas with kids in Wagga Wagga
Wagga Wagga's Carols by Candlelight came back in 2024 after six quiet years. In 2025 a four-metre gingerbread house went up at Wollundry Lagoon.
Christmas events for 2026 are coming in late November
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The story of Christmas in Wagga Wagga
Carols that went quiet for six years, then came back
Wagga's Carols by Candlelight returned in December 2024 after a six-year break, at the Music Bowl in the Botanic Gardens. A not-for-profit foundation runs it and Council sponsors it. Storms in the forecast made organisers bring the two nights forward by a day, to Thursday 5 and Friday 6 December, and the Wagga Rockettes were among the performers.
The other night families look for is Christmas with the Con, a free evening of live music by Riverina Conservatorium of Music players at Riverside, next to Wagga Beach.
A four-metre gingerbread house on Wollundry Lagoon
From 1 December 2025 to 5 January 2026, Baylis and Fitzmaurice Streets carried 80 Christmas pole decorations, and a traditional nativity stood at the Civic Centre. New at Wollundry Lagoon were nine lit pieces, including a four-metre gingerbread house, a Wagga-themed Santa sleigh and a neon archway. Carols by Candlelight ran on Saturday 6 December 2025. Christmas with the Con followed on Saturday 13 December, from 7 to 9pm, free, with more than 200 musicians including the Riverina Conservatorium Orchestra and the Simmons Street Big Band.
A digital advent calendar and a Cypress Pine in lights
A Very Wagga Wagga Giftmas ran in 2023, 2024 and 2025. It is a digital advent calendar on the Visit Wagga Wagga website with a local prize revealed each day in early December, and the 2024 prizes were worth over $4,000. Victory Memorial Gardens has an illuminated Cypress Pine. The Twinkle Town walk added a golden Christmas tree and bow and a naughty and nice list activity. In 2024 the library ran Christmas Storytime at the Botanic Gardens on 4 and 6 December.
Traditions today
- Carols by Candlelight: A carols night in the Botanic Gardens that returned in 2024 after a six-year break, run by a not-for-profit foundation.
- Christmas with the Con: A free evening of live music from the Riverina Conservatorium of Music at Riverside, with more than 200 musicians in 2025.
- Twinkle Town: A walk-through of Christmas lights at Wollundry Lagoon, with a gingerbread house, a Santa sleigh and a golden tree.
- CBD decorations and nativity: Pole decorations along Baylis and Fitzmaurice Streets and a traditional nativity at the Civic Centre.
- A Very Wagga Wagga Giftmas: A digital advent calendar with daily prizes from local businesses, run each year since 2023.
- Christmas Storytime: Wagga Wagga City Library storytelling sessions in the Botanic Gardens in early December.
A fact for kids
Wagga Wagga's gingerbread house at Wollundry Lagoon is four metres tall, more than twice the height of most grown-ups.
Questions about Christmas in Wagga Wagga
When is Carols by Candlelight in Wagga Wagga in 2026?
No 2026 date for Wagga's Carols by Candlelight was confirmed when this page was written. In 2025 it ran on Saturday 6 December. Rally Takes the Train's Wagga Wagga Christmas events guide will add the carols and other events once Council or the organisers publish dates.
Where was Wagga's carols night held in 2024?
In 2024 Carols by Candlelight was held at the Music Bowl in the Botanic Gardens. It returned after a six-year break. Showers and possible storms led organisers to move the two nights from Friday 6 and Saturday 7 December to Thursday 5 and Friday 6 December.
Why did Wagga's carols stop for six years?
The sources do not say why the carols paused. They report that the event returned in December 2024 after a six-year hiatus, run by a not-for-profit foundation with Council sponsorship, and that the Botanic Gardens Music Bowl hosted the comeback with performers such as the Wagga Rockettes.
Who runs Carols by Candlelight in Wagga Wagga?
A not-for-profit medical foundation runs Wagga's Carols by Candlelight, and Wagga Wagga City Council sponsors it. Proceeds from entry went to the foundation in 2024. The 2025 night was held on Saturday 6 December, listed on Council's Wagga Christmas page.
What is Christmas with the Con?
Christmas with the Con is a free evening of live music by musicians from the Riverina Conservatorium of Music. In 2025 it ran on Saturday 13 December, from 7 to 9pm at Riverside, with more than 200 musicians. They included the Riverina Conservatorium Orchestra and the Simmons Street Big Band.
Where is Christmas with the Con held?
It is held at the Riverside Precinct stage in Wagga Wagga, next to Wagga Beach. The 2025 night was on Saturday 13 December from 7 to 9pm and was free. Bring a rug, because it is an outdoor concert. Check for 2026 dates before you plan the evening.
What is Twinkle Town in Wagga Wagga?
Twinkle Town is a walk-through Christmas display at Wollundry Lagoon by the Civic Centre. The 2025 version had nine festive light displays, a gingerbread house, a Santa sleigh, a golden Christmas tree and bow, and a naughty and nice list activity. It ran over the 2025 Christmas season.
Where can kids see a giant gingerbread house in Wagga Wagga?
In 2025 a four-metre gingerbread house stood at Wollundry Lagoon, part of nine illuminated pieces that also included a Wagga-themed Santa sleigh, a neon archway, a wreath and a Christmas tree. Rally Takes the Train's Wagga Wagga Christmas events guide will list the 2026 displays once Council confirms them.
Which streets are decorated for Christmas in Wagga Wagga?
Baylis and Fitzmaurice Streets in the CBD are decorated each year. In 2025 they carried 80 Christmas pole decorations, Wagga-branded tree guards, bin covers, flags and parklets, from 1 December to 5 January. Three large stars also shone in the Civic Centre forecourt in 2024.
Is there a Christmas nativity in Wagga Wagga?
Yes. In 2025 a traditional nativity was set up at the Civic Centre as part of Council's Christmas decorations, alongside the lights at the Civic Centre forecourt and the new display at Wollundry Lagoon. The decorations ran from Monday 1 December 2025 to Monday 5 January 2026.
What is A Very Wagga Wagga Giftmas?
It is a digital advent calendar on the Visit Wagga Wagga website. A new prize from local businesses is revealed each day in early December, and entries are online. It ran in 2023, 2024 and 2025. In 2024 the prizes were worth more than $4,000 and ran from 1 to 12 December.
Does the Wagga Wagga library run Christmas events for kids?
In 2024 Wagga Wagga City Library presented Christmas Storytime at the Botanic Gardens on Wednesday 4 and Friday 6 December. Council's Wagga Christmas page listed storytimes on 3 and 5 December in 2025. Dates for 2026 were not confirmed when this page was written.
Does the Wagga Wagga Civic Theatre have Christmas shows?
In 2025 the Civic Theatre hosted the Jade Hurley Christmas Special on Sunday 14 December at 2pm, with Christmas songs to sing along to. Check with the theatre about age suitability before booking with kids. Dates for 2026 were not confirmed when this page was written.
Which Wagga Wagga Christmas events were free in 2025?
Christmas with the Con was free in 2025, from 7 to 9pm on Saturday 13 December at Riverside next to Wagga Beach. Check whether it returns in 2026, as no 2026 date was confirmed when this page was written.
Was Wagga's 2025 Christmas carols night rained out or moved?
The sources show the 2025 carols on Saturday 6 December with no change. The 2024 nights, though, were brought forward by a day after storm warnings. Organiser Angela Boulton said the move avoided the risk of a complete washout, and organisers watched the forecast for the second night.
What is on in Wagga Wagga in late December besides Christmas Day?
In 2025 Twinkle Town and Council's Christmas lighting ran until 5 January 2026, so families could visit in the days around Christmas. No 2026 dates were confirmed when this page was written.
Where did the Christmas lights go in Victory Memorial Gardens?
Victory Memorial Gardens has an illuminated Cypress Pine that is lit as part of Council's Christmas lighting. It joins fairy lights at the Baylis Street pedestrian crossings, lighting along Fitzmaurice Street and lighting at the Civic Centre forecourt. Together they make an easy walk for families after dinner.
How do we find out about Christmas events in Wagga Wagga in 2026?
Council posts its Wagga Christmas program on its website each year, and the Visit Wagga Wagga site runs the Giftmas calendar at visitwagga.com/christmas. No 2026 Christmas events were confirmed when this page was written. Rally Takes the Train's Wagga Wagga Christmas events guide will add them once dates appear.
Where can kids see Christmas lights in Wagga Wagga?
The best-known displays are at Wollundry Lagoon and the Civic Centre, where Council has put nine illuminated pieces, plus lights on Baylis and Fitzmaurice Streets. In 2025 they ran from 1 December to 5 January. Rally Takes the Train's Wagga Wagga Christmas events guide will add 2026 displays when confirmed.
Besides the carols, what can kids do at Christmas in Wagga Wagga?
Kids can see the Twinkle Town lights at Wollundry Lagoon, hear the Riverina Conservatorium's big bands at Christmas with the Con, join a library Christmas Storytime in the Botanic Gardens and enter the Giftmas advent calendar. All of those ran in 2024 or 2025.
Sources
- Wagga Christmas, Wagga Wagga City Council
- Wagga Wagga prepares to shine in celebration of the 2025 Christmas season, National Tribune
- Christmas fun for everyone, Wagga Wagga City Council
- Wagga's Carols by Candlelight rescheduled due to weather threat, The Daily Advertiser
- Christmas with the Con, Cootamundra Herald
- Twinkle Town, Visit NSW
- Council sponsorship to help grow three Wagga Wagga events, Wagga Wagga City Council
- Christmas with the Con, Riverina Regional Development Australia
- Jade Hurley Christmas Special, Wagga Wagga Civic Theatre
- 2026 Major Events Calendar, Wagga Wagga City Council