Murray Bridge Christmas parade comes under new management for 2026

The city’s combined service clubs will organise the parade on November 21 this year, while AOK Events will continue to run the riverfront Christmas festival.

Taking over the parade is a group represented by Christine Wright, Stephen Walker, Joy Burgess, Ann Kinloch, John Whimpress and Sadie Podger, with support from the Murray Bridge council and Mayor Wayne Thorley, centre. Photo: Peri Strathearn.

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When Murray Bridge’s Christmas parade rolls from Bridge Street down to Sturt Reserve on November 21, a new group of volunteers will be calling the shots.

The city’s combined service clubs will run the parade from this year onwards, with support from the Murray Bridge council.

Rotarian Stephen Walker will take over as the event’s coordinator.

For the past six years, the parade had been run by local company AOK Events – the Gates family – under the auspices of Business Murray Bridge.

But a disagreement about how much funding the council should provide to the event led it to consider other options.

The council had considered running the parade itself, Mayor Wayne Thorley told Murray Bridge News, but had ultimately decided it would be better for another organisation to take the lead.

AOK Events will still to present the Riverfront Christmas Festival at Sturt Reserve on November 21, including a night-time fireworks show.

In a statement posted on social media, AOK said it had been extremely proud to have delivered the parade, including through the uncertainty of COVID-19 and the 2022 floods.

“The Christmas Parade was never simply another event for our business,” the company said.

“Thank you for believing in us, supporting our local family business and helping us create something special for our community.”

Business Murray Bridge and AOK Events have organised the past few Christmas parades. Photo: Peri Strathearn.

Mr Walker said the combined service clubs – Murray Bridge’s two Rotary Clubs, two Lions Clubs, Kiwanis Club and the Inner Wheel Club of Mobilong – looked forward to continuing a much-loved Christmas tradition.

“It fits with who we are and our community-focused values,” he said.

“We have a strong and connected community here in the Murraylands, so providing more opportunities to bring them together at free events is important to us.

“There’s nothing we love more than the smiles on the faces of kids at this time of year.”

Registrations for this year’s parade are expected to open “in the coming days”.

Registration information will be promoted on the council’s website, social media channels and in local media.

What is happening with Business Murray Bridge?

The relinquishment of the parade will likely spell the practical end of Murray Bridge’s business association, previously known as the Murray Bridge Business Alliance.

The association is expected to be formally wound up in the coming months due to a lack of funding.

In hindsight, it never really got going after the city’s three previous chambers of commerce – Murray Bridge Business and Tourism, Murraylands Enterprise Estate and Bridge Street Traders – amalgamated in 2017.

After several false starts under a volunteer committee led by Mr Walker, then AOK Events’ Nathan Gates, it was never able to secure ongoing funding or make good on a promise to hire a part-time coordinator.

In recent years, its efforts had focused on partnering with the Murray Bridge council, but discussions held over more than two years did not produce a workable outcome.

Many of the business association’s functions have since been superseded by the council, which runs a co-working space and provides access to training and networking events; and by Murray Bridge News, which runs quarterly business breakfasts and the Murraylands Business Awards.