As much as 30,000 people had been expected to attend Sydney's Carols in the Domain on Saturday, featuring The Wiggles, Marcia Hines, Kate Miller-Heidke and legendary pop singer Leo Sayer, and more.
The annual festive carolling concert has been overshadowed by tragedy after 15 people were killed in a attack at Bondi Beach last Sunday.
Saturday night opened with an ensemble performance of Oh Come All Ye Faithful, as presenters Matt Shirvington and Natalie Barr acknowledged the tragedy in Bondi and calling the evening "a small step towards finding a path forward for a nation in mourning".
"If peace, love and tolerance are looking for a home in Sydney tonight, it will be right here, in the embrace of our community, in words, in song," Barr said.
Shirvington said the night was a chance "to pay our respects, to remember, to hold close those we love, show gratitude for what we have".
"And to say thanks to the heroes who stand between us and intolerance, no matter what the cost," Barr said.
Australian tenor Mark Vincent performed a powerful rendition of You Raise Me Up as images of the ever-growing floral memorial at Bondi beamed across the screens.
Salvation Army Commissioner Miriam Gluyas said it had been a very tough week.
"Tonight is a great chance to pause, to think deeply, and to honour those who've gone through the most difficult of times and their lives have been changed forever," she said.
As the nation prepares to mark one week since the atrocity, NSW Premier Chris Minns said it was important that Sydneysiders turned out to the Christmas event.
"That's an amazing sign of the resilience of Sydney - an important message that we need to send to the terrorists that they're not going to destroy our summer," he said on Saturday.
"They're not going to take our way of life away from us and the best way of demonstrating defiance in the face of these criminal terrorists is to enjoy our beautiful city with your family and your friends."
Organisers have replaced the traditional fireworks at the end of the night with a four-storey Christmas tree that will illuminate in radiant white as a symbol of togetherness, reflection and hope.
Carols is one of the first major events happening in Sydney following the Bondi attack, with New Year's Eve events at Bondi cancelled and Christmas festivities in the CBD muted. Â
18°C