Dennington's Carols by the Merri could be on the move to a new location

After two years without carols due to the pandemic, the community is keen to spread some Christmas cheer on Friday, December 2.

But organiser John Harris said that with the land around the Dennington hall being earmark for a housing development, they were looking at the option of moving the event to the recreation reserve in future years.

"It might be our last year down there," Mr Harris said.

He said those attending the carols usually parked on the vacant block next to the hall but if it is turned into housing then it would limit the space for families to park.

"We'll probably have to move to the football ground and we won't be able to call it Carols by the Merri," he said.

But he said that depending on how long it took to develop the land, they may be able host the event for a few more years.

Mr Harris said they had looked at running shuttle buses from the recreation reserve to the Merri River but ruled it out.

"It won't be the finish of the Dennington Carols. We'll still continue to run them, but in a different location," he said.

"It doesn't matter much where you have it. It's about offering a free event.

"I've often thought the football ground would be quite good. It's a safer place for families. It's a good logical place to have it."

But they would have to make sure it didn't interfere with any cricket events. "We're still up in the air at this stage," he said.

The carols will be back with a strong line-up of performers after last year's event was cancelled and the 2020 one was held as a virtual event.

"It will just be great to be back on the river," Mr Harris said.

"Santa will be there.

"We're just hoping we don't get weather like we had this past weekend."

The gold coin donation this year would go to Warrnambool and District and Community Hospice.

"They don't get a lot of funding and it allows people to die in their homes with a bit of dignity," Mr Harris said. said.

The Dennington Community Association is also gearing up to carry on the Nestle, then Fonterra factory's, 90-plus year tradition of supplying gifts to those in hospital at Christmas time.

"When Fonterra went, that wound up so the community association took that on as a project," Mr Harris said

Mr Harris was hoping that by next year they might be able to send Santa and the Holiday Actors singers in as well like they did pre-COVID.

He said they usually hand out about 150 gifts to patients in the week leading up to Christmas Day.

The day before they deliver gifts to the hospital, they work out what presents were needed. "I have to go madly out to Kmart or Target to source stuff and get all these presents," Mr Harris said.

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