Wollongong's renowned Santa Claus Pub Crawl started 26 years ago, when Neil Webster was looking to get some friends together for Christmas.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The organiser said it was now time for this "iconic", internationally recognised event to "grow up".
"This event has been running for over 25 years now, and it kind of grew up with its demographic," he said.
"I've been running it for 25 years and I've got kids now, and a lot of the people who come along are in the same situation.
"It's not appropriate for them to come along and bring their kids on the pub crawl, but they still want to be involved.
"So the idea was to create some more family-friendly events that could also give back to the community at Christmas time."
Therefore, the annual event has now expanded, and in 2019 will take place under the new banner of 'SantaFest Wollongong'.
This will be a weekend incorporating the Pub Crawl, SantaFest Carols and SantaFest Cinema.
The Santa Claus Pub Crawl is on Saturday, December 14.
December 14 will also feature a new family-friendly event being added to the celebration, SantaFest Cinema.
This free community event for families will feature an outdoor screening of Arthur Christmas on a large screen in Lang Park.
Bring your own blankets, chairs and pillows and enjoy food trucks and popcorn.
Then, Australian singing stars Mark Vincent and Amber Lawrence will headline this year's SantaFest Christmas Carols.
The carols will be held on Sunday, December 15 at Lang Park.
The carols drew an estimated crowd of 4000 people last year.
Now in its third year, organisers are aiming for 6000 people to attend the 2019 event.
Mr Webster said organisers wanted the event to become "Wollongong's answer to Carols in the Domain".
All events aim to raise funds to be distributed amongst local charities - including the First Floor Program (managed by The Salvation Army) and The Disability Trust.
Mr Webster said he hoped to add further events to 'SantaFest' in future years.
'SantaFest' was launched at Wollongong's The Daring Squire on Thursday evening.
Mark Sleigh, general manager of Destination Wollongong said the addition of the all ages events would make it a "real family weekend" that would showcase the various things to do in Wollongong.
For more details on the SantaFest Wollongong events, visit the www.santafest.com.au website.
The Pub Crawl has raised more than $2.3 million for local charities.
Brendan Crabb
I'm a member of ACM's national property team, covering the Illawarra and South Coast. Based in Albion Park, NSW, I write about exciting, interesting or just downright quirky properties that have been listed for sale, major sales, market trends, auctions and more. One of my favourite aspects of being a journalist is I believe everyone has a story to tell. What's yours?
I'm a member of ACM's national property team, covering the Illawarra and South Coast. Based in Albion Park, NSW, I write about exciting, interesting or just downright quirky properties that have been listed for sale, major sales, market trends, auctions and more. One of my favourite aspects of being a journalist is I believe everyone has a story to tell. What's yours?
