SUNRAYSIA residents welcomed the start of the festive season in the Langtree Mall on Saturday morning.
The Mildura City Heart Christmas launch kicked off with activities for children and adults.
City Heart manager Danielle Hobbs said the launch attracted a big crowd, made up of both young families and Christmas shoppers.
“It was really busy, it helped that even though it was cool it was a really nice day,” she said.
“We had a jumping castle, face painting and the wonderful Bill Sauer come in to do some readings of Aussie classic Christmas stories.
“Then Santa came and visited in his board shorts straight from Apex Park up to the mall.”
Children were lucky enough to talk with Santa during his visit and get a family photo in his workshop.
More festive events will take place throughout this month, with two additional night-time events and daily visits from Santa up until Christmas.
“We have our twilight market on the 13th and we also have the family day which is on the 20th where we have lots of entertainment and a barbecue,” Ms Hobbs said.
