The rain held off on Friday night the 24th of November, the crowds came out, and Gaskill Street came alive with 52 stall holders lining the awnings and the main street for the first annual Christmas Market Night, proudly hosted by the Canowindra Progress Association, with special thanks to the Palms Market, and brought to Canowindra with the support of Cabonne Council and NSW Government Reconnecting Regional NSW funding.
The market and shop owners welcomed visitors from across the Central West with people attending from Orange, Forbes, Parkes, Young and of course Canowindra. There was a treasure trove of delights from handcrafted goods, to artisan produce and the food trucks of the Crazy Pizza, Angry Rooster, Cheesecake Co, The Good Folk Food, Mumma Bears Coffee among others had the crowds kept well fed.
The Age Of Fishes welcomed hundreds of visitors through their doors with their free roadside BBQ, free entry to the museum and 50% off giftware, souvenirs and local products.
Live performances from Kent Eastwood, Sik As, Nerida Cuddy and Alan Woods, set the mood for the night and kept the crowds entertained whether they were dancing in the street or relaxing at the tables and chairs that were set up outside of Finns Store and Billy Paul’s Carpet Store.
For the first time, the five metre Christmas tree, that was put up by Tom Beath along with Kevin and Cooper from Central West Building, took centre stage as night fell and the lights of the tree captivated the young families.
A treat for the kids was the superb face painting, the jumping castle and the mechanical bull that provided hours of entertainment.
Beyond the material treasures, the Canowindra Christmas Market embodied the essence of Christmas —bringing people together and fostering a sense of community.