Thousands of residents and visitors alike descended on Kendal Street on Friday night for the annual Cowra Christmas Street Festival.
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While there was plenty to see, eat and buy for young and the young at heart, Christmas came early for the three lucky winners of the Cowra Christmas Cracker.
Susan Langfield, Vicki Banks and Rosa Riggio-Napoli all managed to get to the stage in time and walk away with plenty of prizes.
The event also attracted a number of high-profile names, including MCs Anthony Maroon and Wendall Sailor, as well as Deputy Prime Minister, Member for Riverina Michael McCormack.
Mr McCormack said the change of layout for this year's event and the weather contributed to a great night.
"I think having the stage and everything here in Macquarie Street has really added to it because it allows the whole main street to be free," he said.
"There's a really good atmosphere, a good vibe in the crowd and the weather's certainly helped, it's quite mild considering it is summer and considering we are in the midst of a drought."
He said events like the Cowra Christmas Street Festival bring communities together and help local businesses.
"A lot of families have come out, people from all ages, it's so great to see the number of stalls too, businesses do well out of this," Mr McCormack said.
"You get some larger cities and they don't seem to have the capacity to draw so many people."
READ MORE: Cowra Japanese Garden to host annual carols
He also noted events such as the Festival provide a distraction from the drought.
"It has been a pretty tough year, it has been a demanding year... I think we've got to put our troubles behind us sometimes and just celebrate what needs to be celebrated and that is community, that is the generous spirit of these sort of communities," Mr McCormack said.
