Community
1 December, 2025
Honouring our local angels this weekend
The Southern Highlands will pay tribute to its local ‘angels’ this Saturday evening from 5:30pm in Bowral.
The Southern Highlands will pay tribute to its local ‘angels’ this Saturday evening from 5:30pm in Bowral.
The third annual Angels in Our Town street parade and family concert will start with a Smoking Ceremony by local Aboriginal elders at 5:40pm, and then a street parade up Bong Bong St from 6pm, with the ‘true angels’- local first responders including police, RFS, SES, Fire and Rescue, paramedics as well as volunteers and service organisations – taking part in the parade.
“We’ve got between 35-40 groups participating once they hit the road on the main street of Bowral,” Angels in Our Town founder Antoinette Sampson told The Southern Wire.
“We have also received support from Wingecarribee Shire Council this year, so it is a wonderful opportunity to share resources with them, too.
"There is just a real altruism that our local first responders have – this is why I do this initiative every year – to pay tribute to our unseen ‘angels.’
"We are also hoping for a clear, beautiful night weather wise!”
Locals are also being encouraged to line Bong Bong St and cheer on the parade participants.
A piper will also lead the parade, and it will finish in Corbett Plaza at approximately 6:15pm, where the plaza's Christmas tree will be officially lit up.
“Mayor Jesse Fitzpatrick will officially be switching on the lights with local kids, as well as performances by the Pub Choir, and Santa heading down to Corbett Gardens to meet with everybody,” Mrs. Sampson added.
“Then from approximately 7pm, the spectacular lighting installations in Corbett Gardens will illuminate, marking the beginning of the 2025 Festival of Lights and a free family concert held in the Corbett Gardens Rotunda.”
Mrs. Sampson indicated that performers for this year’s concert will include the Southern Highlands Concert Band, the Wingecarribee Vocal Muster led by Richard Lane, Serendipity the Choir, drag queen Kara Zmatiq, and special guest Skylar Carmichael singing the official 'Angels In Our Town' song, as well as leading the crowd in traditional Christmas carols.
“We’ve even got Councillor Nicole Smith officially opening the concert and welcoming everybody, and then I will compere the rest of the proceedings,” Mrs. Sampson said.
The Festival of Lights for 2025 will then run every night from 6pm in Corbett Gardens through until Boxing Day, Friday 26 December.
Angels in Our Town was started by Antoinette Sampson in 2022 in response to what she says was ‘the isolation and introspection of Covid lockdowns and the huge challenges of floods and fires that the whole of the community experienced in the Southern Highlands in recent years.’
“The Angels in Our Town Parade and Family Concert is a way to reinforce community connection and resilience,” she said.
“And also to fill the hearts of volunteers, service organisations and front-line workers with our deepest gratitude and let them know that we all stand with them and support them in their efforts to protect and care for us – they look after us, and we look after them.”
The Festival of Lights was founded in 2021 and also grew out of the need to unite the community during the festive season following the Covid lockdowns.
“The Festival of Lights is now more than a seasonal celebration – it has been a beacon of community spirit, tourism, and economic vitality,” Mrs. Sampson added.
“Held during the summer month of December, the festival transforms Corbett Gardens into a glowing wonderland, drawing thousands of visitors and invigorating local businesses.”
If you cannot get to the parade or festival, there is an opportunity to donate to the cause through the Angels In Our Town website by clicking on the ‘Donate Here’ tab at https://www.angelsinourtown.org.au/.
Read More: Bowral, Southern Highlands