{"id":429294,"date":"2025-12-06T17:59:45","date_gmt":"2025-12-06T17:59:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/429294\/"},"modified":"2025-12-06T17:59:45","modified_gmt":"2025-12-06T17:59:45","slug":"christmas-pageant-2025-perth-lights-up-with-dazzling-floats-and-2500-performers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/429294\/","title":{"rendered":"Christmas Pageant 2025: Perth lights up with dazzling floats and 2500 performers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Perth turned on the magic on Saturday night, as St Georges Terrace transformed into a glittering ribbon of colour, music and Christmas spirit for the 2025 Christmas Pageant.<\/p>\n

Everything sparkled, from the floats to the eyes of the thousands packed along the kerb.<\/p>\n

The city came alive with 2500 performers and 21 dazzling floats, cementing the pageant as one of Perth\u2019s most beloved and unifying traditions.<\/p>\n

From toddlers on shoulders to grandparents with camp chairs, the crowd stretched as far as the eye could see \u2014 a sea of Santa hats, glow wands and beaming smiles.<\/p>\n

The show kicked off with a burst of star power as the Channel 7 float rolled in carrying Perth icons Rick Ardon and Susannah Carr, who set the tone for what would become a night of pure festive delight.<\/p>\n

\"Camera Icon Perth icons Rick Ardon and Susannah Carr on the Channel 7 float. Credit: Gary Ramage\/The West Australian<\/p>\n

Sharing the float were Channel 7\u2019s Ryan Daniels and Samantha Jolly \u2014 with Daniels accompanied by his seven-year-old son William, perched proudly among glittering gifts.<\/p>\n

His daughter Avery, 9, would later melt hearts when she appeared as part of the snowman float.<\/p>\n

A burst of movement followed as dancers in red and green swept down the street in a whirl of spins, skips and shimmies \u2014 their energy setting the pace for the moment the one and only Fat Cat rolled in with his big red car, sending the children\u2019s excitement into overdrive.<\/p>\n

\"Camera Icon The one and only Fat Cat rolled in with his big red car. Credit: Gary Ramage\/The West Australian\"TheCamera IconThe little Telethon stars followed to a roar of applause. Credit: Gary Ramage\/The West Australian<\/p>\n

The little Telethon stars followed to a roar of applause, many recognised instantly by the crowd who treated them like the heroes they are.<\/p>\n

The West Australian float kept the energy high, with Newsworthy podcast and movie writer Ben O\u2019Shea transformed into the Nutcracker, while Santa\u2019s elves in striped stockings busily mailed letters to the North Pole alongside them.<\/p>\n

\"CaitlinCamera IconCaitlin Vinci as a fairy and Ben O\u2019Shea as The Nutcracker on The West Australian float. Credit: Gary Ramage\/The West Australian<\/p>\n

Home and Away favourites Ada Nicodemou, James Stewart and his daughter Scout, Kyle Shilling and Tristan Gorey were met with huge cheers as their float rolled by \u2014 their appearance an unmistakable crowd-pleaser.<\/p>\n

Stewart said the Perth Christmas Pageant was the first event on the calendar that really made him feel like it was Christmas.<\/p>\n

\u201cWA has this real community vibe,\u201d he said. \u201cIn Sydney, it would be pretty hard to do this, where you can pull up the streets and have kids, mums, dads, cousins and everyone coming. That\u2019s probably the best part about it.<\/p>\n

\"HomeCamera IconHome and Away favourites Ada Nicodemou, James Stewart and his daughter Scout, Kyle Shilling and Tristan Gorey were met with huge cheers. Credit: Gary Ramage\/The West Australian\"StewartCamera IconStewart said attending events like the pageant was rewarding because the cast of the much-loved show often didn\u2019t get to see their audience regularly. Credit: Gary Ramage\/The West Australian<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s kind of why I brought (daughter) Scout, so she can get in on it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stewart said attending events like the pageant was rewarding because the cast of the much-loved show often didn\u2019t get to see their audience regularly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t actually get to see our audience that often, (and) there\u2019s some diehard feelings, and that really takes you back and really goes it makes you really want to work harder, want to do it better, because, they love it.<\/p>\n

\u201c(This) really feels like a pat on the back; feels like you\u2019re doing your job OK if they like what you do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"PerformersCamera IconPerformers were dressed in a dazzling array of outfits. Credit: Gary Ramage\/The West Australian<\/p>\n

Not to be outdone, Channel 7 newsreaders Amelia Broun and Charlotte Goodlet brought festive joy to the nativity float, waving to the kids who waved back twice as hard.<\/p>\n

Then, from a distance, an unmistakable flash of orange sent a wave of excitement rippling down the terrace. Emma Memma arrived atop the candy house float in her iconic bright ensemble, greeted by a cheer almost as loud as Fat Cat\u2019s.<\/p>\n

On the snowman float, Channel 7\u2019s Rachel Tassicker stunned in an elegant snow queen gown, flanked by Avery and other young princesses in shimmering white tulle.<\/p>\n

The Alice in Wonderland float charmed the crowd thanks to the regal Queen and King of Hearts \u2014 Channel 7\u2019s Tina Altieri and Nick Overall \u2014 but it was Cassidy Mosconi as Alice who drew gasps with her whimsical costume and beaming smile.<\/p>\n

Princess Jasmine and Aladdin \u2014 Channel 7\u2019s Rebeka Petroska and James Carmody \u2014 brought a burst of purple and gold with a towering genie and giant magic lamp, while the Pirate Ship float had children pointing wildly as Captain Hook (Ben Cousins), Peter Pan (Sam Haberland), Tinkerbell (Lucy Murray) and a glittering crew of mermaids sailed past.<\/p>\n

\"SantaCamera IconSanta Claus arrived at last on his big red sleigh, accompanied by Channel 7\u2019s Jerrie Demasi. Credit: Gary Ramage\/The West Australian<\/p>\n

And of course, no Christmas parade is complete without its most important VIP. Santa Claus arrived at last on his big red sleigh, accompanied by Channel 7\u2019s Jerrie Demasi, as the crowd erupted in one final cheer.<\/p>\n

There was even a moment of comic chaos when the Grinch was \u201carrested\u201d after cheekily trying to pinch a police officer\u2019s hat \u2014 much to the audience\u2019s amusement.<\/p>\n

\"ThereCamera IconThere was even a moment of comic chaos when the Grinch was \u201carrested\u201d after cheekily trying to pinch a police officer\u2019s hat. Credit: Gary Ramage\/The West Australian<\/p>\n

In the crowd, families were rapt to be part of the spectacle.<\/p>\n

Landsdale\u2019s Ryan Bruce, who attended with his five-year-old daughter Layla, attended for the first time after watching it on TV for years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m most excited to just see my daughter happy and smiling,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Siblings Bryan and Leslie Smith also watched with delight from St Georges Terrace. Bryan was a producer at Channel Seven and was heavily involved in the first pageant in 1972.<\/p>\n

Leslie took her grandchildren for the first time last night.<\/p>\n

\"PeopleCamera IconPeople gathered early to get a prime spot along St Georges Terrace, to watch this years Christmas pageant. Credit: Gary Ramage\/The West Australian\"TheCamera IconThe city came alive with 2500 performers and 21 dazzling floats. Credit: Gary Ramage\/The West Australian<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a tradition, it\u2019s been going for so many years,\u201d she said. \u201cEach one of these children here today will bring back their grandchildren, so it\u2019s great to be part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond the celebrity sparkle, this year\u2019s pageant shone a light on Perth\u2019s multicultural talent, community groups, school performers and marching bands \u2014 a tapestry of West Aussie pride stitched together in tinsel and teamwork.<\/p>\n

For Daniels, the event marks the true beginning of the season.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the Christmas pageant, to me, has always signalled the start of the festive period\u2026 everybody\u2019s smiling\u2026 it really does feel like the start of the best time of the year,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Sharing the moment with his children has become a treasured tradition.<\/p>\n

\"TheCamera IconThe 2025 pageant featured 2500 participants and dazzling floats. Credit: Gary Ramage\/The West Australian<\/p>\n

\u201cThey won\u2019t be this little forever\u2026 to share it with them is a beautiful, rare thing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe pageant is a real community event, the whole of Perth is involved in some way or another. It brings everyone together. It\u2019s one of those rare things that everybody agrees on.\u201d<\/p>\n

No one embodied that joy more than young Avery, a seasoned pageant princess whose enthusiasm lit up the terrace as she waved from high atop her float.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love being in the pageant because I get to spread joy everywhere,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like going up high on the float, and I like waving at all the people.\u201d<\/p>\n

This year was her third appearance \u2014 and her favourite yet, thanks to a princess dress she declared \u201cthe best.\u201d<\/p>\n

For those who missed the magic in person, the entire pageant will air on Seven and 7plus on Thursday from 7pm, with a special Christmas morning replay to bring the festive spirit home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Perth turned on the magic on Saturday night, as St Georges Terrace transformed into a glittering ribbon of…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":429295,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[4740,50,14737,8632],"class_list":{"0":"post-429294","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"tag-australia","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-perth","11":"tag-wa-news"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115673930130422200","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/429294","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=429294"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/429294\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/429295"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=429294"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=429294"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=429294"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}