Adelaide Festival Centre Presents CREATING CHRISTMAS PAGEANT MAGIC: 80 YEARS ON Exhibit, Now thru Jan 27

Adelaide Festival Centre's Visual Arts and Performing Arts Collection exhibit a collection of Pageant treasures: Creating Christmas Pageant Magic: 80 Years On, in both the Artspace Gallery and Festival Theatre Foyer from today, 8 December 2012 – 27 January 2013.

Children and 'children at heart' can relive the magic behind Adelaide's internationally renowned Credit Union Christmas Pageant through a collection of magical items sourced from Adelaide Festival Centre's Performing Arts Collection and the Pageant workshop, giving people the opportunity to see the characters up close and the details not always obvious in the passing parade.

Artspace Gallery will be exhibiting a collection of old and new Pageant materials, including props, models, costumes, clown bikes and 'bobups', float characters and pieces including penguins, the Christmas pudding man, Cleopatra and other items. The Festival Theatre Foyer showcases will contain a Pandora's box of special pageant artefacts, including candy canes, masks, fairytale books, and letters to Santa, along with historical photographs and some of the original pageant float designs by Judith Dodd, the first female artist to work on the Pageant floats in 1950.

To celebrate the opening of the exhibition, there will be a special family fun event on the Artspace Plaza on 8 December from 2 – 5pm, featuring a special appearance from members of the Credit Union Christmas Pageant Royal Family, balloon workshops, face painting, a bouncy castle, and other activities, plus refreshments for all ages. Children are encouraged to dress in their best Christmas outfits as there will be a prize for Best-Dressed on the day, and bring their letters for Father Christmas along, so they can be posted in the Christmas letterbox.

The Adelaide Christmas Pageant was established in 1933 by Sir Edward Hayward as a way to lift the spirits of the people of South Australia after the Great Depression. Celebrating the 80th year of the Pageant in 2012, the Pageant continues to be a celebration of joy, community spirit, and Christmas magic!

Admission to the Artspace Gallery and Festival Theatre Foyer, Adelaide Festival Centre, is free. The space is open Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun 12 – 4pm, Thurs 12 – 8pm. (Please contact Artspace Gallery 8216 8850 for Christmas closure dates). Access via Festival Drive or Dunstan Playhouse Foyer. Festival Theatre Foyer open 9am – 6pm Mon – Fri and performance times.

The Family Fun Opening Event will take place today, 8 December, 2pm – 5pm at Artspace Plaza, access via Festival Drive or Artspace Gallery. It's free!

For further information visit www.adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au.