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Festive Flinders: Bringing Christmas Back to the Heart of Uptown
For a few weeks in December, the Uptown precinct felt a little different.
Shopfronts lit up with decorations, music filled the street and people found new reasons to spend time in the city. That was the spirit behind Festive Flinders, an Uptown Townsville activation designed to bring the community back into the heart of the CBD during the festive season.
Local businesses across the precinct joined in by decorating their storefronts, helping create a shared festive atmosphere along Flinders Street and the surrounding Uptown area. As people wandered through the city, they could see creative Christmas displays, lights and decorations appearing in shop windows and doorways.
To encourage people to explore and support local businesses, Uptown also ran a Spend & Win campaign. Shoppers who supported Uptown traders had the chance to go into the draw to win prizes, creating an extra incentive to shop local and rediscover the CBD.
Alongside this, a Share & Win social media campaign invited visitors to capture their Uptown experiences and share them online, helping spread the festive energy beyond the streets and showcase the businesses that make the city special.
One of the highlights of the activation was the Festive Flinders street event, which transformed part of the CBD into a lively community space. The evening featured live music, street games and a relaxed festive atmosphere that encouraged people to stay and enjoy the city after work.
Families were a big part of the celebration. Santa’s elves roamed the street handing out lollies to children, adding a little Christmas magic to the evening. Kids could also get their faces painted and join in the fun.
Uptown also ran a children’s colouring competition, where young artists could enter for the chance to win two popular Labubu dolls. Many children entered their artwork during the event and Santa’s elves were there to help collect the entries while sharing plenty of festive cheer.
A mini Christmas craft market added another layer of creativity to the evening, giving local makers the opportunity to showcase handmade gifts and festive creations.
The activation was delivered in collaboration with The Pedler Project, helping bring together businesses, community groups and partners to create a vibrant and welcoming experience in the Uptown precinct.
Festive Flinders was about more than just decorations or a single event. It was about creating moments. Moments where families wandered the streets together, where friends met for a drink after work and where people rediscovered what makes the heart of Townsville special.
For a few festive weeks, the CBD felt vibrant, welcoming and full of life.
And that is exactly what Uptown Townsville is working to create more of.
https://www.instagram.com/reels/DQvoqucgZoR/
And that is exactly what Uptown is all about.
