Santa’s Magical Elevator at Ocean Keys

Ocean Keys Shopping Centre is a major retail destination located in Perth’s northern corridor, offering a diverse mix of national retailers, dining precincts and everyday services. It is known for its light-filled architecture, curved ceiling forms and strong connection to its coastal environment.

With a focus on creating engaging experiences for families and the local community, Ocean Keys Shopping Centre places a high value on seasonal activations. For Christmas, the client sought a contemporary yet traditional festive offering that would elevate the centre’s presentation while delivering a memorable and immersive Santa experience for visitors of all ages.

The Brief

The brief called for an overarching Christmas concept that would transform Ocean Keys Shopping Centre into a vibrant festive destination while responding to a number of site-specific challenges and opportunities.

Key requirements included:

• A full centre decorative suite with a strong focus on hanging and ceiling decorations due to minimal available floor space
• Eye-catching decorations that perform well in a naturally bright centre and make use of the centre’s distinctive architectural features
• A new Santa experience featuring engaging, interactive elements
• A traditional Christmas style with a coastal influence, inspired by Ocean Keys’ colour palette
• Provision of durable storage solutions to maximise asset lifespan

Our Solution

Dec the Malls developed a sophisticated, centre-wide Christmas concept that blended traditional festive styling with a fresh, coastal aesthetic inspired by the ocean. A cohesive design approach was used across all elements throughout the centre to create continuity, scale and visual impact both day and night.

Full Centre Decorations

• Oversized suspended ceiling decorations designed to fill high voids and negative ceiling spaces – giant, inflatable baubles offering dramatic impact while remaining lightweight
• Decorative curtain lighting installed throughout skylight voids and bulkhead features, combining warm white LEDs with a subtle cool white flash to create movement and sparkle
• Large-scale swag garlands dressed in gold, teal, navy blue and opaque white baubles, suspended on gold poles to complement the centre’s architecture
• Integrated lighting tones and finishes across all elements to ensure a cohesive visual experience
• A custom-made nativity set finished to complement the decorative theme

All decorations were designed at a larger-than-standard commercial scale to ensure they stood out against the bright, light-filled mall environment.

Santa Experience – Santa’s Magical Elevator

The centrepiece of the project was the creation of a completely new Santa experience, covering approximately 84sqm and introducing cutting-edge technology not previously seen in Western Australia.

Visitors began their journey by entering the space through a large, illuminated bauble-shaped archway decorated in the same colour palette as the ceiling decorations and made their way to Santa’s Magical Elevator, an immersive 1.5-minute experience featuring:

• A magical, visual journey through the clouds and snowy landscapes, arriving at Santa’s workshop in the North Pole
• Five high-resolution screens working in unison to simulate movement
• Music, sound effects and airflow to enhance immersion

Upon exiting the elevator, visitors transitioned into a snow-dusted Santa grotto featuring:

• Snow flocked trees and falling snow effects
• A photo opportunity sleigh providing a hold point to manage queue flow
• A themed pathway leading to Santa
• A custom-designed wide Santa throne suitable for families and groups
• A 4.5m high feature Christmas tree behind Santa, complete with a bespoke star topper and annually updated year signage
• Furniture to fully conceal photography equipment, power supplies and operational zones

The entire experience was carefully planned to ensure:

• Smooth visitor flow from entry to exit
• Clear queuing, pram parking and POS areas
• Accessibility for wheelchairs and mobility aids
• Compliance with Dexus sightline, safety and operational requirements

Outcome

The Ocean Keys Shopping Centre Christmas installation successfully delivered a full centre transformation that was both visually striking and operationally efficient. The ocean-inspired blue and gold colour palette created a unique festive identity that resonated with the local community while maintaining a traditional Christmas feel.

The Santa’s Magical Elevator experience quickly became a standout attraction, offering families an enchanting, memorable journey unlike anything previously seen in Western Australia. Combined with the cohesive centre-wide decorations, the project elevated Ocean Keys’ Christmas offering and reinforced its position as a must-visit festive destination.

With a three-year installation contract in place and robust storage solutions supplied, the centre is now equipped with a high-quality, durable Christmas asset suite designed to deliver value and festive impact for years to come.