Christmas markets, carols & other festivities in the City of Stirling
Christmas markets and festive events in Mount Lawley, Scarborough and beyond
Updated: 26 Nov 2020
Charli Peasley
The City of Stirling has launched Home for Christmas, a month-long season of free activities across Mount Lawley, Inglewood, Scarborough, Osborne Park, Doubleview and Mirrabooka. Kicking off Tuesday, December 1st with Christmas decorations going up in the area for the first time as well as artworks telling Christmas stories filling the windows of over a dozen shops, you can expect Christmas projections on high street and beachside walls, a walking silent disco, free pet portraits and street performances featuring ukuleles and accordions. Below are our top picks, or see the full calendar of Home for Christmas events here.
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A Magical AR Christmas Adventure
The most unique event of the season has to be the Augmented Reality trail set up by the city. Essentially, the trail is a scavenger hunt to find virtual elves, reindeers, and even Santa Claus, and your mission is to find all six Christmas characters using the Eyejack AR app, similar to the functionality of Pokemon Go. Find and follow the QR codes stickers in the allocated areas across Perth, and then search around with the app to see if you can spot them. See a full list of the participating areas here.
Christmas Markets
In true Christmas fashion, the City's hotspots will be abound with Christmas markets throughout December, starting with the Inglewood Christmas Upmarket on Dec 5. Full of pre-loved clothing, crafts, homewares and accessories, Upmarkets are a great way to shop for eco-friendly Christmas gifts. Following on is the Christmas editions of the Scarborough Sunset Markets on Dec 10, 17 and 24 (for those last minute buys), Inglewood Monday Night Markets on Dec 21, the beachside Summer x Salt Markets on Dec 19 and the Mirrabooka Twilight Markets on Dec 17 which champions international foods, arts, crafts, and this special edition will feature angels and stilt walkers for entertainment.
Carols under the Gumtrees
A quintessential Christmas event, this free Carols is a family-friendly event showcasing local community choirs backed up by the Salvation Army Band. Kicking off at 3.30pm on Sunday Dec 6, Aintree-Eglinton Reserve in Hamersley will be taken over by carnival rides, a giant water slide, bouncy castle, rope bridge and of course, a classic Aussie sausage sizzle. Snuggle into your picnic blanket and sing along to your favourites as the sun goes down. See the full details here.
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St Patricks Mt Lawley Christmas Festival
Back again on Sunday, Nov 29 is the Christmas Festival held by the iconic St Patricks Church on Beaufort Street. Best known for their decorated Christmas tree out front that could very well take the title of Perth's tallest, St Patricks also hosts a market each year with performances from WAAPA and local folk group The Little Lord Street Band. Plus, you can expect artisan stalls filled with unique Christmas gifts, food vans, a pop-up wine bar (at Church, I know) and a roving pageant, with carols by candlelight wrapping up the day before the Mount Lawley Christmas Tree lights gets turned on! Head down at any point from 12-8pm for a fun and free and out. More information here.
Christmas Pet Paw-traits
One for the dog, cat and rabbit-lovers, GP on Beaufort’s heritage veranda will be the perfect backdrop for a free pet photoshoot. All you have to do is book your spot, bring your little friend down (as long as they're sociable), and pose for the pup-arazzi. This is available on the weekend of Dec 5 & 6 as well as Sunday Dec 17 in a range of locations in Mt Lawley and Inglewood and we're sure it'll be hugely popular, so make sure to book in early here.
