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© Bill Chartres 1988-2008

Visit Lobethal for the largest Christmas Lights Festival in the Southern Hemisphere.

The Lobethal Christmas Lights Festival runs from the second Sunday in December (Dec. 13th 2009) until New Years Eve.

Bill & Peg


Christmas is the Time of Year When Heaven Touches Earth (Anon.)

• We live in   Lobethal    South Australia,  a small village in the picturesque Adelaide Hills, about 40k South East of Adelaide AUSTRALIA, and presented our Christmas Lights Display from 1983 until 2008.
  

    
  

• The tradition of Lobethal's Christmas Lights began over 60 years ago when a few business men hand painted globes to decorate their Main Street shops for the Christmas season.  This tradition spread and today about 80% of all homes and business in the village "light up" for Christmas with a variety of spectacular displays.
  
  • The Lobethal Christmas Lights Festival has become the largest Christmas Light display in South Australia, and Possibly the largest community Christmas event in Australia.   The Festival runs from the second Sunday of December until New Years Eve each year (although our display runs from early  December into the New Year).
  • During The Festival there are a variety of stalls, events and live entertainment to add to the spirit of the Festival.
  • When we moved to Lobethal in December 1983 we followed the towns tradition of having a few lights for Christmas.  Each year we made the comment that we really should do a bit more, but it was not until 1986 that we finally made the effort, and each year until 2008 we added to our display until it covered about 1¹/₂ acres.
    

      
    

• For Christmas 1998 we added a new feature, a Christmas Room, which contained "all things Christmas", including Christmas Collectables, decorated Christmas Trees and other Christmas decorations. The Christmas Room was left up throughout the year, and we often enjoyed a special quiet meal in it during the year.
  Although not open to the public, The Christmas Room could be viewed through large windows.
  

    
  

• In Christmas 2003 we added more Window Displays, and in 2005 we also had a Childs Bedroom Christmas Display for viewing.
  
    
  

• As lights became more readily available the towns display grew and it was estimated that up to 250,000 people visit Lobethal each year, and we estimated that about 100,000 actually entered our property for close up view of our display.
  

  • Each year we were asked the question ...
    "How many lights are there?"
    We believe that in 2007 we achieved our aim of reaching 100,000 lights.
    
    For more questions visit our FAQ  Page.
     
    

• During the display we had visitors books for our guests to sign, and would usually get between 3,000 and 4,500 entries and visitors have come from as many as 35 different countries (in a single year), as well as all Australian States and Territories.
  

© Bill Chartres 1988 - 2009