Kids and Christmas spirit take over City of Stirling’s new-look forecourt

Giant festive decorations, a red and white walk-through Christmas tree, interactive photo cutouts and hundreds of lights have been installed throughout the Cedric Street forecourt.
 
Even Lina, the 10m-tall statue by WA artist Tony Jones, has got into the spirit of the 2025 Stirling Christmas Lights and donned a Santa hat.
 
Fittingly, children will play a starring role, with artwork created by West Balcatta Primary School students to be brought to life by animation and projected onto the side of Council Chambers.
 
A total of 240 students from pre-primary to Year 4 were involved in the project, sharing their interpretation of what Christmas means to them.
 
The Stirling Christmas Lights will be launched at a free public event from 5.00pm - 8.30pm on Sunday 30 November with live festive entertainment, children’s activities and food trucks from Stirling Street Food.
 
There will also be a collection for the Stirling Women’s Centre Christmas Appeal, with community members asked to donate new, unwrapped items that can be given as presents to women and children in crisis.
 
City of Stirling Mayor Mark Irwin will officially switch on the lights at 7.00pm, marking the start of nightly light displays from 7.00pm - 10.00pm until 28 December.
 
The food trucks will return to the forecourt from 5.00pm - 8.30pm every Saturday in the lead up to Christmas for Stirling Street Food Saturdays on 6, 13 and 20 December.
 
“This is about bringing people together to share in the magic of Christmas,” Mayor Irwin said.
 
“We want to give our residents a place where they can gather and celebrate the festive season with their community.
 
“For me, the artwork by local Balcatta students is a very special touch that sets this apart from your typical Christmas lights display.”
 
The Stirling Christmas Lights is the first major public event to be held in the recently upgraded Administration Centre forecourt, which reopened in October.
 
The forecourt’s nature-inspired makeover included the planting of native species in areas that used to be covered by concrete, the retention of concrete to form seating and sculptural elements and feature lighting to illuminate Lina.
 
The forecourt is also home to a new yarning circle created by Nyoongar artists Peter Farmer and Kylie Graham in collaboration with fabricator Jahne Rees and featuring the artwork of the late Meeyakba Shane Pickett.
 
“The forecourt upgrade has created a much greener, cooler and more interesting space,” Mayor Irwin said.
 
“Already, with the Stirling Christmas Lights, we can see how much more versatile the forecourt is and the opportunities it presents for the community.”