COTS 10-YEAR GALA

10 YEARS OF CHRISTMAS ON THE STREETS! One night. One decade. Tens of thousands of lives touched. In 2016, Christmas on the Streets began with a simple idea: to make sure people experiencing homelessness and hardship felt seen, valued and remembered at Christmas. Ten years later, that idea has become a community. On Saturday, 5 December 2026, we invite you to join us for a very special evening as we celebrate 10 years of Christmas on the Streets (COTS) - ten years of compassion, connection, generosity and showing up for people when they need it most. This night is about so much more than looking back. It is about celebrating every volunteer who gave their time. Every business that backed us. Every donor who believed in what we were doing. Every meal served, sleeping bag handed out, conversation shared and friendship formed on the streets of Melbourne. And, most importantly, it is about the people who have trusted us to walk alongside them over the past decade. For ten years, COTS has remained a volunteer-run not-for-profit charity built on the belief that support should extend beyond what we can physically give someone. A meal matters. Warm clothing matters. A sleeping bag matters. But so does sitting beside someone, learning their name, listening to their story and reminding them that they matter too. That has always been the heart of COTS. Our 10-Year Gala will bring together the incredible community that has made this journey possible for an unforgettable evening of celebration, reflection and purpose. Expect a beautiful night filled with food, drinks, entertainment, stories from the past decade, special moments, fundraising, surprises and, most importantly, the people who have helped shape COTS into what it is today. We’ll celebrate how far we’ve come - from our earliest days to our street runs, Christmas Day BBQs, Winter Events, community initiatives and countless moments of kindness shared across Melbourne. But we’ll also look forward. Because ten years was never the finish line. Funds raised through the evening will help COTS continue providing year-round support to people experiencing homelessness and hardship and allow us to enter our second decade of service with even bigger hopes for what we can achieve together. Whether you have volunteered beside us, supported us from afar, partnered with COTS, donated, shared our work, or are discovering our community for the first time - you are invited to be part of this milestone. Come celebrate ten years of memories. Ten years of community. Ten years of proving what can happen when people choose to care. Saturday, 5 December 2026 📍 The Promenade, Docklands 🥂 Doors open 6:30pm ✨ Dress Code: Black-Tie Here’s to the first ten years - and everything still to come.