The Festive Season Program includes a broad range of activities including events, pole and tree decorations, and banners, which are all supported by Council. The Festive Season covers Christmas, New Years Eve and Australia Day celebrations across the Sunshine Coast.

The Festive and Commemorative Events Grant Program funds community-led festive events. This has been key to the success of long-standing events and also gives new communities the opportunity to celebrate.

Council currently provides funding support under the Festive and Commemorative Events Grant Program to over 30 community organisations to deliver their own festive activities. We deliver a New Years Eve event at Mooloolaba and also install festive decorations across the region.

To test the effectiveness of these activities and to inform Council’s future direction and planning, we have conducted several broad and targeted surveys in the last six years:

• 2023- sought feedback on Council support for festive season celebrations
• 2023- sought feedback on Council's Festive and Commemorative Grants Program
• 2020- sought feedback on Council support for festive season celebrations
• 2018- sought feedback on the New Years Eve event in Mooloolaba

To ensure we have a future delivery model that meets community needs and expectations, a councillor festive workshop was conducted in August 2024. A key outcome of this workshop was the identification of several planning and delivery elements for the Festive Season program and funding. These elements included:

• the timing of the fireworks event
• festive events funding through council grants
• the effectiveness of council’s marketing of the program.

We aim to validate and test these planning and delivery elements through the community surveys.

Thank you to everyone who shared their feedback during the engagement period.

The results have been reviewed and analysed. Please click on the 'community engagement' tab for a summary of the community engagement key findings.

The feedback and information gathered through this process will be used to inform future programming and delivery.

Later this year budget workshops and discussions will be conducted with Councillors to help determine the future of Council festive programming.

Local community members were invited to complete a festive season survey to determine attitudes and aspirations regarding the format and priorities for Councils’ delivery and support for the festive season decorations and events.

The survey was open between 4 November and 20 December 2024.

Questions covered:

• Festive Events - including Christmas, Australia Day and New Years Eve
• Fireworks at New Years Eve

Feedback will help us to understand:

• marketing and awareness of Council events
• awareness of community funded events
• demographic and location patterns
• broad festive attendance pattens and motivations.

444 survey responses were received from 68 localities across the region.

Thank you to everyone for your valuable contributions.

Decorations

• 92% of the community are aware that council decorates trees every festive season.
• Support for the program of installing banners and decorating trees is confirmed, with 89% of the respondents supporting the installation of decorated trees, banners and decorations. 53% of respondents made suggestions to improve them, indicating they generally care about decorations and feel some connection.

Christmas events

• 90% of respondents attend a Christmas event, with community-based events being the most popular.
• 48% of respondents attend as a family group followed by 41% attending with friends, 34% attended with other relatives and only 10% attended alone.
• The most key factors when deciding to attend a Christmas Event are; event safety, adequate parking, family friendly entertainment and costs to attend.

New Years Eve Events

• 83% of respondents attend a New Years Eve event, with the council produced Mooloolaba New Years Eve being the most popular. (50% of all responses)
• 75% of respondents have attended the Mooloolaba New Years Eve event at some time in the past.
• Of those attendees to Mooloolaba New Years Eve, 51% of respondents attend as a family group followed by 47% attending with friends, 28% attended with other relatives. Only 4% attended alone.
• The most key factors when deciding to attend a New Years Eve event are; event safety, the entertainment being offered, adequate parking, and the presentation of fireworks at 9.30 pm and/or midnight.

Australia Day Events

• 66% of respondents attend an Australia Day event, with community events being the most popular. (44% of all responses)
• 33% of all people who did not attend Australia Day Events cited personal beliefs, these were mainly related to First Nations concerns and issues.
• Of those attendees to Australia Day events, 51% of respondents attend as a family group followed by 44% attending with friends, 31% attended with other relatives. Only 8% attended alone.
• The most key factors when deciding to attend an Australia Day event are; event safety, adequate parking, family friendly entertainment being offered and the cost of attendance.
• 43% of respondents support having Australia Day events on 26 January, 29% support having a national celebration but not on 26 January and 19% do not support any form of national celebration.

Thank you to everyone who shared their feedback during the engagement period.

The feedback and information gathered through this process will be used to inform future programming and delivery.

Later this year budget workshops and discussions will be conducted with Councillors to help determine the future of Council festive programming.