Santa, Vikings and Elvis to descend for Dannevirke Christmas cheer

Santa will be busy this Saturday making appearances at the Christmas Parade and Christmas in the Park in Dannevirke.

Santa Claus isn’t the only festive celebrity heading for Tararua.

The big man in red will join Elvis and a horde of Viking singers at Christmas events in Dannevirke this weekend.

The festivities start with the Christmas Parade from 12-1pm on Saturday.

As usual, the parade will travel down High St, starting at the BP service station and ending at the Caltex service station.

Dannevirke Chamber of Commerce runs the parade. One of the organisers, Chamber member Buffy Mabey, said there were 31 floats that had entered to make the parade special.

She said she wanted to bring joy to young children and the elderly at the annual event.

“I just think for a lot of families this is a no-cost [event], they just stand on the road, and the joy the kids show, and the elderly show is just amazing ... If we can bring them joy for one day, yay.”

She said the fun would not be over at the end of the parade, suggesting those who were in town to continue the celebrations at Christmas in the Park.

“Once you have finished watching the parade, head down to the A&P Showgrounds and support Christmas in the Park.”

Robyn Hargreaves, one of the organisers of Christmas in the Park, said this year’s theme was “family, fun and festivity”.

She said from 2pm there would be plenty of entertainment and an appearance from Elvis, known usually as Barney Mabey, and a performance from the Viking Choir with many more set to take to the stage.

Hargreaves said Santa was due to stop by 5.30pm for a lolly scramble, arriving not by sleigh but by helicopter to pick up letters written by children.

Also on offer would be children’s games including egg and spoon, and wheelbarrow races, along with ‘It’s in the Boot’, a Dannevirke take on It’s in the Bag, as well as a chance to win $1000 in a game of ‘Name that Tune’, and stalls.

“It’s all about the community coming together.”

Hargreaves said there would be a fee to get in, but all activities inside were free. The evening would finish with Christmas carols at 8.30pm.

In-store this month is the chance to visit the Dannevirke Fantasy Cave pop-up from December 13-24 at 2 Ward St from 10am-4pm.

Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings newsroom. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and loves sharing stories about farming and rural communities.