Gisborne’s Central Business District (CBD) will be feeling a whole lot more festive from this week (starting 2 December).

A brand new 7m Christmas tree will go up on the corner of Peel Street and Gladstone Road, while 60 wooden trees decorated by school students will stand proud outside shops for the 11th year.

Council has contracted Ken Huberts to bring some Christmas sparkle to Gisborne city and lift the spirits of shoppers.

“We hope the new addition will bring some wow factor – at 7m tall, with shiny new baubles, a big star on top and some nice, soft lights,” said Mr Huberts.

“All going well the new tree will be in by Wednesday, it’s substantially bigger than the old one, which stood at 5m and served us well for 25-years. We’ve tried to keep it going as long as possible but it’s really past its use by date now.

“As usual, the children’s trees will be placed along Gladstone Road to draw people in and give the whole CBD a festive feeling.”

The large tree will be assembled at Property Brokers car park over the next couple of days and transported with help from Fulton Hogan, who have supported the traffic management plan.

“There are so many people who work hard behind the scenes to make this a reality – I’d like to take a moment to thank them all, it’s wonderful to see how everyone comes together to make this a special time of year.”

A Kiwiana Christmas at HB Williams Memorial Library will provide a festive hub for everyone in town, with activities running every day from 4 to 20 December. Santa visits and free present wrapping will be available from 11 - 13 December and the 18 - 20 December.

Council’s festive event, ‘It’s a Gizzy Christmas’ will bring a fun, free, family vibe to Marina Park from 5pm - 10pm on Sunday 8 December.

Organised by Tash Olsen, the focus this year is on creating a positive, whanau atmosphere.

“This is an event for families to come out, forget the stresses of life, enjoy some Christmas music and get into the joyful spirit,” she said.

“I also wanted to bring back ‘Carols by Candlelight’ once the sun starts to go down – something I know a lot of people remember and love!

“You can bring a picnic, there’ll be food trucks, live entertainment and activities including face-painting, photo booths, bouncy castles and of course a visit from Santa Claus.”

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