Bring on the festive season! Christmas celebrations with Lendlease

Lendlease Retail are bringing the festive season to life, with each of our Shopping Centres offering unique and engaging activities to delight visitors. From Santa’s parades and themed workshops to charity events and festive decorations, these activations are designed to create memorable experiences for our local communities.  

Here’s what each of our centres has in store:

Sunshine Plaza, QLD

Sunshine Plaza’s Christmas season began on 7th November with Santa’s Arrival and Christmas Disco, setting the tone for a season filled with community spirit. Santa arrived in style by speed boat to huge crowds who were delighted to welcome the man in red.

A new addition to Santa Photos, this year the centre is hosting an Auslan Santa session allowing children who use sign-language as their primary form of communication to share their Christmas wish list with an Auslan-fluent Santa. Families can also enjoy Pet friendly and Sensitive Santa photo sessions.

The pinnacle of the festive season will be a magical Christmas lights installation along the Riverwalk, which will be supported by a schedule of entertainment bringing people together to celebrate.

Sunshine Plaza will also run several charity initiatives, including gift wrapping and a toy drive for Sunshine Coast Hospital charity Wishlist.

Discover Christmas at Sunshine Plaza

Erina Fair, NSW

The holiday spirit kicked off at Erina Fair with Santa's Arrival Parade on 9th November and there is an exciting lineup of events to follow throughout November and December. Highlights include the Christmas Skate Disco at the Erina Ice Arena, The Christmas Letter Project (a community letter-writing initiative for local Retirement Living Villages), and the Merry Market and Fair in The Hive that will host local performers of all kinds and provide free family friendly entertainment.

From late November, 15 local Central Coast Schools will decorate Christmas Trees in the mall, and visitors can enjoy magical Christmas performances from local school choirs and community bands. In the spirit of giving back, the centre will provide Charity Gift Wrapping services with all proceeds benefiting local causes, and host The Charity Chest, a gift drop off zone for families in need on the Coast.

Expect to see cheerful roaming Christmas characters, including the Grinch and Elf on the Shelf, as well as a very special Christmas Dinner with The Clauses’ event, bringing joy and entertainment to families throughout the festive season.  

Discover Christmas at Erina Fair

Macarthur Square, NSW

The festive season at Macarthur Square began with Santa’s Arrival Parade on 9th November, and will continue with a host of Christmas activities and entertainment taking place throughout November & December. 

Families can enjoy classic, pet and sensitive Santa photography sessions and special character meet-and-greets will delight the little ones, including Paw Patrol's Chase and Marshall, and The Grinch.

The Christmas feel will come alive with decorations throughout the centre and external lighting. Children can send their letters to Santa and enjoy the performances of community bands and school choirs. Shoppers can also enjoy charity gift wrapping with proceeds going to the Kids of Macarthur Health Foundation.

Discover Christmas at Macarthur Square

Tweed City, NSW

Santa’s much-anticipated arrival parade will take place on 23rd November, with a meet-and-greet for families to enjoy.

The centre is bringing the festive spirit with Christmas decorations throughout the centre and Santa photography to create special memories. These sessions include special activities such as decorating postcards for Santa and colouring reindeer backpacks, adding an extra magical touch to the experience.

Throughout December The Christmas Zone will come alive at Tweed City festive workshops & activities for kids & families to enjoy every day of the week.

• Mondays: Music & Sensory Play classes that are Christmas-jingle themed.
• Tuesdays: Weekly children’s arts and crafts activities such as drip paint reindeers and snow globe making.
• Wednesdays: Kids in the Kitchen
• Thursdays: Food decorating workshops, with retailers Muffin Break & Happy Dough,  where families can make reindeer donuts & elf cupcakes.
• Fridays: Creative Kids workshops with an assortment of Christmas crafts.
• Saturdays: Paint & Sip workshops, where children can paint festive characters.
• Sundays: Christmas-themed brunches will be hosted at select retailers including Jamaica Blue, The Coffee Club and Grill’d.

Charity gift wrapping services will be offered from 7^th December, will proceeds going to the Red Cross.

Discover Christmas at Tweed City

Plumpton Marketplace, NSW

At Plumpton Marketplace, Christmas festivities start with Santa’s Arrival Parade on 24th November, coinciding with the launch of Santa photography sessions. Families can look forward to Breakfast with Santa on 1st December, complete with entertainment and free face painting. 

During December the Grinch will make a special appearance for a meet-and-greet session, while the Christmas Angels will spread festive cheer through live carol performances in December. Gift wrapping services will also be available throughout the month, with donations going to the Blacktown Area Community Centres.

Discover Christmas at Plumpton Marketplace

Celebrate the season with Lendlease

Getting involved in Shopping Centre Christmas celebrations is a fantastic opportunity for retailers to boost their marketing efforts and connect with customers in a festive and memorable way. The holiday season can bring an increase in foot traffic, with shoppers eager to find the perfect gifts and enjoy the festive atmosphere.

Here are our top tips for retailers to elevate their brand this Christmas:

• Visual Merchandising- create Christmas themed window displays, interactive set-ups and showcase sought-after products and promotions.
• Collaborate and Cross Promote– keep an eye out for ways to get involved in Centre celebrations such as festive workshops, giveaways and competitions. 
• Spread the Word– take advantage of free marketing opportunities being offered by Centre marketing teams.
• Pop Up, Brand and Media– to make an extra impact this Christmas, explore paid opportunities to be featured on high-impact digital screens and signage throughout the Centre, or explore a Pop-Up store location to capture traffic from a different part of the Centre.