Mayor Dean Rees had the honour of pushing the button in front of about 300 people at the Ovens Riverside Square on Thursday night, in one of his first official roles since being elected last week.

“Wangaratta is like a big family and events like this bring us closer together, not only to celebrate what is great about Christmas, but what’s great about our great community,” he said.

“Council has invested a significant amount of time and resources into ensuring that Christmas in Wangaratta is a special time where the community can take pride in what’s around them.”

Children lined up for a photo with Santa and lollies given out by police officers, plus there was a free sausage sizzle and crafts.

The city’s contentious multi-storey car park is not very well used by Wangaratta’s motorists, but Cr Rees quipped it was where Santa chose to park his sleigh.