Liggiefees brings festive cheer to Newcastle
Grace Park will host the festival from December 16-24.
The joy of Christmas is just around the corner, and Grace Park is getting ready to make this festive season one for the books.
Hosted together with multiple charity organisations, businesses, and members of the community, Frans van Rensburg says residents are in for nine days and nights of pure Christmas joy, filled with love, camaraderie, cheer and an all-round joyous occasion.
The Newcastle Liggiefees will take place from December 16-24, with a line-up of activities providing non-stop fun and entertainment.
The festival kicks off with a Christmas parade from Trim Park, up Victoria Road, down Impala Road and then along Memel Road before coming to an end at Grace Park.
All non-profit organisations, businesses and residents are invited to participate, either by building a float or simply marching along in the parade to help spread the festive spirit ahead of Christmas.
Contact Frans for more information about how you can get involved.
The first market day will then be hosted at Grace Park after the parade.
The market will focus strictly on local non-profit organisations and entrepreneurs selling their handmade and homemade goods.
Grace Park prepares to sparkle
The ‘switching on lights ceremony’ will take place at 19:00, when Grace Park will light up with thousands of Christmas lights. Another attraction will be the six-metre-tall Christmas tree, which will also be decorated with lights galore.
Thereafter, the lights will be switched on every night between 19:00 and 22:00. Aside from the evening lights, guests can also enjoy live music performances by local Newcastle bands and artists.
There will also be a Santa Claus for the children, along with letters to Santa, face painting and colouring-in competitions.
There will also be a competition for the best-dressed Santa and Grinch, so get working on those costumes and beards.
The community can also look forward to various other activities such as the Mr and Miss Liggiefees pageant and paper plate decorating. The decorated plates will be hung on the Christmas tree as ornaments.
Entrance will once again be by donation.
There will be food and drink stalls every night from 17:00 to 22:00.
- December 19: Market Day
Community members can look forward to another market day between 10:00 and 22:00, once again showcasing the talents of local stallholders.
- December 20: Carols by Candlelight
The community can enjoy and participate in Carols by Candlelight, which will be hosted by the Newcastle Ministers Fraternal.
Entrance is once again by donation.
Festival brings Christmas spirit to the community
Van Rensburg explained that the concept of the Liggiefees was to bring the Christmas spirit back to his hometown.
“We have seemingly lost that festive feeling over the past few years and we want to bring it back. We want to use this as an opportunity to give back to our community and to truly make a difference,” he said.
The organisers will also make sure that non-profit organisations (including Nil Desperandum, St Martins Children’s Village, Home Meah) and elderly residents living in retirement villages get to participate in and enjoy the festival.
The plan is to have sponsored buses, drivers and ‘champions’ to assist with fetching and dropping off people, while also assisting those who use wheelchairs.
“We’ll also be assisting the children who are part of school feeding schemes, to make sure that they too get to experience this festival,” said Van Rensburg.
There is still a lot of planning needed before the festival kicks off, and Van Rensburg says there are still plenty of ways the community can get involved and help make this the biggest and best Christmas festival Newcastle has seen.
So if you want to get involved, make a difference and ensure this Christmas is a huge success, get in contact with Frans van Rensburg on 082 499 2756.
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