By Tania Phillips
It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas at Killarney with the town busily preparing for a brand new Christmas event.
Christmas in Killarney will be held at Canning Park from 3 pm-9.30 pm on Saturday 11 December and is the brainchild of the new board of the Killarney Area Promotions Association (KAPA).
Group Vice President Tony Pearson said the whole town had gotten behind the event which promised to have something for everyone from locals to visitors.
“We had our AGM about two and a half months ago and the whole team went in, the President felt that we needed to create a whole new event for the end of the year,” he said.
“There was a slot in our area where there wasn’t much going on at that time so we came up with Christmas in Killarney.
“It’s a pretty big event with a good band, The Great Creedence Revival Show and we’ve got numerous groups involved as well.”
The local Lions Club are on board to cook up a barbecue, the Killarney Red Cross will be doing deserts while the Killarney Bowls Club will provide a wet bar.
“It’s not just a kids event, it’s for adults as well,” Tony explained.
“We have about half a dozen stalls for a special market day starting at 3 pm. Those stalls have been handpicked, they are stallholders that do all new articles – stuff that you would buy for Christmas presents.”
He said the event had been set up so that when the markets were finished, they can move out and it does interrupt the rest of the venue.
“All the food vans will all be parked in a separate section of the park,” Tony said.
“We’ve hired a stage so the band will be all set up in the back corner of the park. There will be some seating available but I’ve suggested in my Facebook posts that people bring a rug or a camp chair themselves.
“There will be a dance floor, jumping castle and there is already the council playground there for the kids.”
The day has been well supported by businesses around the area with the group also receiving State and Federal Government for the event while some of the local accommodation providers have jumped on board to provide deals for people wanting to stay in the area for the event.
“This event is not just for Killarney we are encouraging visitors to come in from outside and experience Killarney at its best,” he said.
“We are tucked away and a little bit forgotten, that’s why we are promoting Killarney and its area to boost tourism.”
