There are some Canberrans who can't imagine anything worse than a hangover on Christmas day - and then there are those that head to The Kingo on Christmas eve.
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Yes, the Kingston Hotel - lovingly referred to by Canberrans as The Kingo - is definitely still the place to go on December 24 in Canberra, and more than 2000 people are expected to head to the iconic pub in Canberra's south on Sunday night to ring in the holiday.
It's easily the biggest day of the year for The Kingo and has been for almost 30 years, when current owners Steve and Anne Dawn took over the pub and invited friends in the night before Christmas for a few quiet drinks.
From there, it "took on a life of its own" according to Kingston Hotel manager (and Steve and Anne's daughter) Emma Wight, who described Christmas eve as a "wonderful day" at the pub that saw The Kingo hosting many informal reunions.
"There are plenty of people who still live in Canberra who come on Christmas eve but it's really known as the place to go to catch up with friends," Emma said.
"It's just great to see so many informal reunions here - a lot of people from out of town, whose families are still here, come home to see their family for Christmas but this is where they come to see their friends the night before because everybody's in town."
According to Emma, 16 bar staff will be working on Sunday night to keep the punters well watered, while extra security will be on hand to help manage the crowd. A DJ will provide entertainment and people will be able to cook their own meat on the Kingo's famous grill.
"It depends on the day of the week but people start rolling in late afternoon and it's just a huge night," Emma said.
"You get a real mixture of people - everyone from young over 18s that have coming back to Canberra for the first time after having moved away for uni, right the way through to older people.
"The staff are looking forward to it, it's a great vibe."
The Kingo is stocking up on "beer, spirits and a lot of RTDs (pre-mixes)" this week in anticipation of one of its biggest Christmas eves ever. The doors will stay open until 3am or 4am on Christmas day, sending punters out into the night for a chance meeting with Santa Claus.
"When we started here, we actually never promoted it, it just took on a life of its own," Emma said.
"It started almost straight away and it built up over a few years and now it's just cool and packed and has been for over 25 years.
"We don't do anything special for it, it just happens. It's tradition."
