The Lobethal Christmas Parade will return on Tuesday the 23rd of December 2025, with organisers promising another spectacular show after last year’s huge comeback.
A new committee, 23 December Lobethal Pageant Inc., took the reins in 2024 after the previous organising group stepped away. Against the odds, they pulled off what many called the “best pageant ever”, drawing an estimated 9,000 to 12,000 people into the Adelaide Hills town.
Committee member Niell Schubert said the team is determined to build on that momentum.
“Certain people just didn’t want to run a pageant anymore so we did something about it, because how can we lose the history? So we want to keep it going – it’s a community event. People come from interstate, people come from overseas and it’s so well known. It is the second largest pageant outside of Adelaide,” Niell Schubert told ARN’s Jennie Lenman.
This year’s parade is again expected to draw big crowds, with entertainers, floats, food vendors and live music already lining up to be part of the show. The Adelaide Hills Council is backing the event, but organisers say community support is vital to cover the costs of insurance, first aid, facilities and other essentials. Sponsorship details will be released in the coming weeks.
Organisers say the combination of history, tradition and community spirit is what makes Lobethal’s pageant unique. Last year’s crowd lined the main street eight to ten people deep, cheering on bands, dancers, clowns, ponies, schools, emergency services and, of course, Santa.
At last year’s event, local icon Des Stanbury was inducted as the first member of the Pageant Hall of Fame.
“He was our first ever Santa Claus 60 years ago, sitting in a kitchen chair on the back of a carryall on a tractor coming up the main street, that’s where it all started,” Pageant Chair Leanne Haywood told ARN’s Adam and Jennie last December.
Hall of Fame Celebration this September
This month the committee is launching a permanent Hall of Fame rock monument in Lobethal, in partnership with the Onkaparinga Rotary Club. A community celebration is planned for Saturday the 13th of September, with Mr Stanbury officially named as the first inductee.
For updates, follow the Lobethal Christmas Pageant 23rd December Facebook page or visit www.lobethalpageant.com.au.
Hear more from committee member Niell Schubert speaking to ARN’s Jennie Lenman via ‘Adam and Jennie’ on SoundCloud.
