Brush off your Bublé, the Christmas season is almost here with Light Up the Night returning on Saturday 29 November.

Mayor Liz McMillan said the event drew a huge crowd last year and she’s excited to celebrate with the community once again in Baring Square East.

“It’s always fantastic to see so many happy faces, enjoying the entertainment and staying for the countdown to the lighting of the tree.”

While Santa is always a hit, the real star of the show is the town’s six-metre Christmas tree, glittering with around 1,200 gold and silver baubles. Assembling the tree is a big job for the EA Networks elves, requiring a full day on the cherry picker.

“This tree has served us well for many years now, and it’ll be looking better than ever this Christmas,” says Mayor Liz. “We’ve refreshed some of the older baubles and branches, so it will really shine.”

This year’s Light Up the Night promises to be fun for the whole family. Santa and his elves will be mingling with the crowd for photos, and there’ll be free face-painting for the kids. Visitors are encouraged to dress festively and capture the magic with free snaps at the iHeart Radio photo booth.

Onstage, a lineup of local talent will offer an evening full of music, dance and laughs. There will be plenty of tasty food on offer as well, with a food court and Café 199 in the library staying open late.

Mayor Liz says that the evening will culminate with the lighting of the tree at around 9.15pm.

“Hokonui will once again be running a competition to find someone to join me on stage to push the button which will light up the tree.

“This is a wonderful chance to celebrate Christmas as a community, so bring your picnic blanket and make an evening of it.”

The event is proudly supported by the Ashburton Courier and Hokonui. Find out more at lightupthenight.co.nz