The evening featured a number of events, including free Santa photos with the team from the Cowra Information and Neighbourhood Centre, more than 100 different stalls, live entertainment and the Cowra Guardian Christmas Cracker. 

Cowra Tourism Manager, Belinda Virgo said the success of the evening came down to the teamwork and collaboration between the event’s partners. 

“Cowra Tourism are overwhelmed with the success of this year,” she said. 

“The success is due to the strong collaboration of the partners – Cowra Shire Council, Cowra Tourism, Cowra Business Chamber and the Cowra Information and Neighbourhood Centre (CINC).”

Ms Virgo said they were “blessed” with the cooler weather on the night and thousands of locals and visitors alike joined in the festivities. 

“It was great to see the community come together enjoying all that was on offer and it was great to see people from across the region enjoying Cowra,” she said. 

“The crowd exceeded our expectations, CINC alone took 2,500 Santa photos!” 

The three lucky winners in the Cowra Guardian Christmas Cracker were Cindy Fulbohm, Christine Norton and Tammy Chapman. 

Cowra Business Chamber President Jordan Core said more than 10,000 tickets were in the draw for the Cracker and thanked local businesses who participated in the Cracker and on the night with extended trading hours. 

“This would be impossible without the tremendous support from local businesses in giving the tickets to local shoppers, and contributing to the prize pool,” he said. 

“...We had almost every single shop in the main street open and over 100 different stalls.

“We also would like to thank the volunteers, these come from a range of different businesses and groups and assisted in setting up marquees, hay bales, signage, and also assisted in the big job of packing up and cleanup.”