Bunjil Place Festive Celebration on Saturday 5 December 2026: Free Tree Lighting, Timetable, Parking and Trains (Narre Warren, VIC)

Bunjil Place in Narre Warren is holding a free Festive Celebration on Saturday 5 December 2026, from 4:00pm to 8:30pm, with the Christmas tree lit at 6:00pm in the Foyer. The evening runs from food trucks and live music to an outdoor screening of The Grinch in the Plaza. This guide uses the Bunjil Place pages for the event, parking and accessibility, read on 8 November 2026. Times are Melbourne local time (AEDT).

What time does each part of the evening start?

Time	What happens
4:00pm	Food trucks open
4:30pm	Foyer opens; live music and roving performers begin
5:30pm	Performance by Leyla Sabo
6:00pm	The Bunjil Place Christmas tree lights up in the Foyer
6:30pm	Christmas family film, The Grinch, in the Plaza

The event page lists an overall time of 4:00pm to 8:30pm. It does not give an end time for the film beyond the 1 hour 26 minute running time.

Who is performing?

• Leyla Sabo, who the page says is 13 and reached the semi-finals of The Voice Australia 2026.
• The Westernport Regional Band, playing festive favourites and classic carols in the foyer.
• Makepisi, a Melbourne-based South African band, singing a cappella.
• Roving entertainment through the evening, including the Illuminated Angels.

The page also describes local performers filling the foyer with big band classics, festive music and carols before the tree lighting. Outside in the Plaza there are food trucks and space to relax, and the organisers suggest packing a picnic or buying food before the film.

Can I bring a gift?

Yes. The celebration includes the Deliver Joy appeal, called the Season of Giving in Casey. Bunjil Place says you can place non-perishable food, toys, books, games or gift cards under the Bunjil Place Christmas tree. It says these will go, with its charity partners and community support organisations, to local people and families who may need extra support this Christmas.

Where do I park?

Bunjil Place says it has an open car parking area within its precinct with 2-hour, 3-hour and all-day spots. On its accessibility page, it explains the map colours: orange areas are all-day parking, and pink and blue areas are 2-hour and 3-hour parking. Accessible parking bays and 5-minute drop-off and pick-up areas are off Patrick Northeast Drive. Bunjil Place asks visitors to look at the car park map on its page before they arrive for an event.

Need	What Bunjil Place says
All-day parking	Orange areas on the car park map
2-hour and 3-hour parking	Pink and blue areas on the map
Accessible bays	Off Patrick Northeast Drive
Drop-off and pick-up	5-minute areas off Patrick Northeast Drive
Charging	Charging stations (power point) are available; ask Concierge staff

The pages give no parking fees, so none are stated here. The shopping centre next door has its own rules; see our guide to parking at Westfield Fountain Gate, where three car parks have a three-hour limit patrolled by the City of Casey. The Festival’s film is sponsored by Westfield Fountain Gate, according to the event page.

How do I get there by car or train?

By car, Bunjil Place says it is reached via the Monash Freeway (exit 22) or the Princess Highway. It describes the trip as no more than half an hour from Frankston, Ringwood, Pakenham and the middle-ring suburbs, and an easy 40 minutes on the M1 from the Melbourne CBD.

By public transport, take the Pakenham Line to Narre Warren Station. From there, Bunjil Place gives two options: a short bus ride to Westfield Fountain Gate on Overland Drive, or a 15-minute walk. Its getting-here page names buses 835 and 841, and its accessibility page names 895, 841 and 835. Bunjil Place says it is across the road from Westfield Fountain Gate, next to the Casey Arc swimming pools, and is next to the shopping centre via Overland Drive. Check Public Transport Victoria for timetables on a Saturday evening, because the Bunjil Place pages do not give them.

What access help is there?

Bunjil Place says the Plaza, Theatre and Studio areas are fully accessible for wheelchairs, with ramps and special seating options, and that core community facilities are on the ground floor. Public lifts are next to the cafe. It lists an accessible adult change room with a hoist, shower and seat, a parent room with a microwave oven, and an accessible gender-neutral toilet. Guide dogs on a lead are allowed, and Braille is on room door signs and fixed directional signs. Companion Cards are welcome at all Bunjil Place venues. For accessibility questions, contact bunjilplace@casey.vic.gov.au or (03) 9709 9700.

What else is on at Bunjil Place that weekend?

Family Christmas with the MSO is listed for Sunday 6 December 2026, 2:00pm to 3:00pm, in the Theatre, with conductor Leonard Weiss and artists from Melba Opera Trust. It is a ticketed show with a Book Tickets button on the Bunjil Place page, and ticket prices were not read for this guide.

What does Bunjil Place not say yet?

The pages read do not give wet-weather arrangements for the outdoor Plaza screening, parking fees, a bus timetable, or how the car park map applies on the evening of the event.

Sources

• Bunjil Place — Bunjil Place Festive Celebration (date, times, line-up, film, Deliver Joy; checked 8 November 2026)
• Bunjil Place — Parking and Getting Here (car, parking, train and bus)
• Bunjil Place — Accessibility (parking map colours, bus numbers, wheelchair access, toilets)
• Bunjil Place — Family Christmas with the MSO (date, time, venue)

Featured image: a Christmas tree at Federation Square in Melbourne, December 2020 (photo: Philip Mallis / CC BY-SA 2.0) (text added). The photo is from a different place and year; it is not the Bunjil Place tree.

OZ Local Updates is an independent local guide and is not affiliated with Bunjil Place or the City of Casey. Programs and arrangements can change; check the Bunjil Place pages before you go.