Exhibitions

Dates: 4 November 2023 to 17 January 2024

The Big Day is a celebration of the joy and fanfare of Adelaide’s iconic Christmas Pageant.

The Christmas Pageant marks the start of the festive season in Adelaide and holds a special place in the heart of our community. The Pageant began in 1933, growing each year and in 2023 it will celebrate its 91st anniversary. The Pageant continues to be one of the largest parades in the Southern Hemisphere that stops the city.

The Big Day features a selection of historical images of bygone Christmas pageants from the City of Adelaide Civic Collection. These reproductions are enlargement of smaller images capturing the charm and imperfections of traditional photographic techniques.

The Adelaide Town Hall features images that span from the John Martin’s Christmas Pageant from the 1950’s through to the 1970’s. The selection forms part of a collection of photographs, slides and illustrations of the Pageant from its earlier decades through to the present.

These images capture all the spectacle of the big day ranging from captivated crowds of children and adults, extravagant costumes, imaginative floats, roaring marching band and of course, the much-anticipated arrival of Father Christmas to our City.

Be sure to look for the little stories and details in the images and to think about your own special Christmas Pageant experience.

Images featured in The Big Day

• John Martin s Christmas Pageant [spectators on King William Street between North Terrace and Rundle Street]
  1967, Vinyl Print reproduction, CC003316, Civic Collection, City of Adelaide Archives
• John Martin s Christmas Pageant [spectators line the route]
  1967, Vinyl Print reproduction, CC003316, Civic Collection, City of Adelaide Archives
• John Martin s Christmas Pageant [crowd lines King William Street at Adelaide Town Hall]
  1967, Vinyl Print, CC003316, Civic Collection, City of Adelaide Archives
• John Martin’s Christmas Pageant [crowd line the street]
  1967, Vinyl Print Reproduction ,CC003316, Civic Collection, City of Adelaide Archives
• John Martin’s Christmas Pageant - Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs [float drawn by shire horses - crowds]
  1953, Vinyl Print reproduction,CC003316, Civic Collection, City of Adelaide Archives
• John Martin’s Christmas Pageant - Hey-Diddle-Diddle [floats drawn by shire horses - crowds]
  1953, Vinyl Print reproduction, CC003316, Civic Collection, City of Adelaide Archives
• John Martin’s Christmas Pageant [catty cuties and bunnies in King William Street
  1967, Vinyl Print Reproduction, CC003316, Civic Collection, City of Adelaide Archives
• John Martin’s Christmas Pageant [Clown riding a penny farthing bicycle in King William Street]
  1965, Vinyl Print Reproduction, CC003316, Civic Collection, City of Adelaide Archives
• John Martin’s Christmas Pageant [crowd line the street]
  1967, Vinyl Print Reproduction, CC003316, Civic Collection, City of Adelaide Archives
• John Martin’s Christmas Pageant [crowd lines King William Street - Adelaide Town Hall and GPO in background]]
  1967, Vinyl Print reproduction, CC003316, Civic Collection, City of Adelaide Archives
• John Martins Christmas Pageant [crowd lines King William Street at Adelaide Town Hall]
  1967, Vinyl Print reproduction, CC003316, Civic Collection, City of Adelaide Archives
• John Martin’s Christmas Pageant [Father Christmas float on North Terrace travelling past the National War Memorial]
  1970, Vinyl Print reproduction, CC003316, Civic Collection, City of Adelaide Archives
• John Martin’s Christmas Pageant [marching band at King William Street Rundle Street and Hindle Street intersection]
  1967, Vinyl Print reproduction , CC003316, Civic Collection, City of Adelaide Archives
• John Martin’s Christmas Pageant [Pageant Queen float]
  1970, Vinyl Print reproduction, CC003316, Civic Collection, City of Adelaide Archives
• John Martin’s Christmas Pageant [Scottish marching band at King William Street Rundle Street and Hindle Street intersection]
  1967, Vinyl Print reproduction, CC003316, Civic Collection, City of Adelaide Archives
• John Martin’s Christmas Pageant [spectators line the route]
  1969, Vinyl Print reproduction, CC003316, Civic Collection, City of Adelaide Archives