Perth's Christmas Eve, From the Lights to the Last Late-Night Trade
At dusk on 24 December, the heat finally lets go of the pavements and the city fills up with people who have finished work and have nowhere else to be. The Forrest Place Christmas tree stands lit above a crowd of families, last-minute shoppers and teenagers in Santa hats; a few blocks away, the windows of the Hay Street and Murray Street malls glow with nativity scenes and moving reindeer, and the smell of hot chips, cinnamon doughnuts and roasting nuts drifts out of the food courts and arcades. Christmas Eve in Perth is not a single event so much as a city-wide, warm-evening ritual — and the trick is to pick two or three things and let the rest of the night happen around you.
See the City Lights on Foot: Forrest Place to the Malls
The centrepiece of the season is the Forrest Place Christmas tree, in the plaza between Wellington Street and Murray Street, and it is the one spot almost every Perth family passes through at some point in December. Build an evening walk around it and the surrounding retail heart:
- Start at Forrest Place and its Christmas tree, then walk the Hay Street and Murray Street malls, where the shopfronts carry the city's traditional Christmas decorations and window displays.
- Continue to the Hay Street Mall and Murray Street Mall intersection area, where street performers and buskers work the late-night crowds.
- Cross to the Northbridge end of the city via the Yagan Square area and William Street, where the bars and restaurants stay busy well into the evening.
- If you have children, time your walk for the early evening while the light is still in the sky — the malls are at their most manageable before the post-dinner rush.
Christmas Eve Shopping and Late-Night Trading
Perth treats 24 December as the last great trading day of the year, and the city and its suburban centres run extended hours for it. This is the night for the things you cannot buy earlier: fresh seafood, a final present, the ingredients for the next day.
- The Hay Street and Murray Street malls in the CBD, and the major suburban shopping centres, are where most of the city does its final sweep.
- For the Christmas table, the fishmongers and seafood retailers at the Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour and the surrounding Fremantle markets precinct do a heavy trade in the days leading up to Christmas — prawns, oysters and whole fish are the local standard.
- Subiaco, Mount Lawley and Leederville are the neighbourhood strips to browse if you want smaller shops, cafés and a slower pace than the CBD.
Carols, Concerts and Community Christmas Eve Services
Perth's Christmas Eve is as much about singing as shopping. Churches across the metropolitan area hold late-evening services and carols, and the city's public carols tradition runs through December rather than on one fixed night.
- St George's Cathedral on St George's Terrace in the CBD holds Christmas services in the Anglican tradition, and its centrality makes it an easy part of a city walk.
- St Mary's Cathedral on Victoria Square is the city's Catholic cathedral and likewise holds Christmas Eve and Christmas services.
- Suburban churches throughout the metropolitan area — from Fremantle to Joondalup and the hills — run their own carols and midnight services; check what is nearest to where you are staying.
- For a bigger, outdoor carols atmosphere, the weeks before Christmas bring community carols events to parks and foreshores around the metropolitan area; these fall earlier in December rather than on the 24th.
Where to Eat on Christmas Eve
Perth eats late and outdoors on 24 December. The city's restaurant strips fill with people marking the start of the holiday, and the seafood-and-salad Christmas table is the local convention.
- Northbridge, immediately north of the CBD across the railway, is the densest concentration of restaurants and bars, and it stays lively through the evening.
- Fremantle, at the mouth of the Swan River, is the other great eating and drinking quarter — the cappuccino strip along South Terrace and the Fishing Boat Harbour both work for a Christmas Eve meal.
- Elizabeth Quay, on the Swan River edge of the CBD, and the nearby Barrack Street jetty area give you river views with your dinner.
- For the classic Perth Christmas spread, look for prawns, oysters and fresh seafood — the Fremantle harbour precinct is the place to buy them in the days beforehand.
Fireworks, the River and a Day Trip Before the 24th
Perth's big public fireworks display belongs to Australia Day on 26 January, not to Christmas Eve, so do not plan the night around a sky show. What the city does reliably offer on and around 24 December is the river itself — and the run-up to Christmas is the moment to use it.
- Kings Park, on the escarpment above the CBD, gives you the classic view over the Swan River and the city skyline; go at sunset on Christmas Eve for the lights coming on below.
- The Swan River foreshore at South Perth, reached by ferry from the Barrack Street jetty, is the counterpart view back to the city.
- Cottesloe and the other metropolitan beaches along the coast are where Perth spends its hot December evenings — a swim before dinner is a genuine local Christmas Eve habit.
- Rottnest Island, reached by ferry from Fremantle and from the Barrack Street jetty in the city, is the day trip to take in the days before Christmas if you want the holiday to start early.
Perth's Christmas Eve rewards a loose plan: an early walk through the malls and Forrest Place while the light holds, seafood and a long dinner in Northbridge or Fremantle, and a late stop at Kings Park or the river to watch the city settle. Book your table and your ferry now, check the trading hours and service times closer to the date, and let the warm evening carry the rest.