Christmas Day at Bondi Beach

Christmas Day at Bondi Beach is exactly the Aussie summer Christmas the postcards promise - sunshine instead of snow, Santa hats over swimmers, and the sand packed with families, backpackers and homesick travellers all sharing the same patch of coast. If you're weighing up whether to come down on the 25th, my short answer is yes: it's one of my favourite days of the year here. But there are a few things I always tell people first, because a Bondi Christmas rewards anyone who turns up prepared.

When

December 25, all day

Vibe

Busy, festive, friendly

Alcohol

Not permitted - alcohol-free zone

Cost

Free (the beach itself)

Don't forget

Sunscreen, hat, water, shade

What Christmas Day actually feels like here

The beach doesn't run on a schedule on Christmas Day - people drift down from mid-morning and stay until the light goes. You'll see picnics and beach barbecues (seafood and salads far more than roast turkey), pick-up volleyball games, surfers in Santa hats, and groups of travellers who've adopted each other for the day. If you're far from home and feeling it, this is the place to be - almost everyone around you is too, and Bondi's come-as-you-are spirit makes it easy to fall in with a crowd.

For a quieter version of the day, walk it off - the Bondi to Coogee coastal walk is stunning in the morning light, though be aware the far end of it is where the travellers' Christmas gathering now lands, and the northern end of the beach near the children's pool is usually calmer than the busy middle.

Swim safety comes first

Bondi is patrolled every day of the year by Waverley Council's professional lifeguards, and through summer they're backed up by volunteer surf lifesavers. Wherever you swim, get in between the red and yellow flags - that's the stretch the lifeguards have judged safest and are actively watching. If there are no flags up, the message is simple: don't swim.

What's open (and what to plan around)

Christmas Day is a public holiday in New South Wales, so treat the surrounding shops, cafés and venues as closed or on reduced hours unless you've confirmed otherwise. Don't count on grabbing lunch or a coffee on the strip - bring what you need with you. (Any other day of the year it's a different story: our guide to eating and drinking in Bondi covers the whole strip - but the 25th isn't the day to rely on it being open.) Public transport also runs to a holiday timetable, so check Transport for NSW before you set out.

The famous Bondi Icebergs pool and its restaurant, Icebergs Dining Room and Bar, keep their own festive-season hours, which change year to year - check the Icebergs website directly if you're hoping to swim laps or book a table over Christmas.

• Pack in: sunscreen, hat, water, snacks or picnic food, shade, a rubbish bag.
• Leave at home: alcohol and anything glass - both are prohibited on the beach.
• Arrive earlier for parking and a good spot; it fills up fast on a warm 25th.
• Bin your rubbish or take it with you - the clean-up after big beach days is brutal.

That's the whole trick to a Bondi Christmas: come prepared, respect the ocean and the sun, take your rubbish with you, and let the day carry you. Local or traveller far from home, Christmas on Bondi has a way of becoming one you remember for all the right reasons.