ON Thursday the Port Macquarie community will embrace the festive season with the annual Countdown to Christmas parade that will be headlined by the Pycon Homes Christmas Fireworks Spectacular.

This coincides with the erection of the town's large Christmas tree, which was decoration with colourful baubles and bright lights on Monday and Tuesday of this week.

Six workers slogged it out in the heat to put up the very large and impressive tree that is sure to draw the attention of the townspeople and tourists alike.

Entertainment will begin at 5.30pm on Town Green, led by Sing Australia and the Young Guns Ensemble.

From 5.45pm the fun runs and mascot races start along Horton Street with registrations to participate in the Fun Runs taken up until the start of the first race.

A street parade along Horton Street will commence at 5.55pm and finish at Town Green.

The Jolly fat man will of course be in attendance with kids able to meet Santa from 6.15pm. There will be awards for fun run and mascot race winners as well as the best float award.

The main attraction will be a pyrotechnic display orchestrated by specialist Humphrey Dehnen.

For 35 years he has lit the night sky with bursts of light and colour for some of the most spectacular celebrations in Australia.

Tomorrow, he will provide his expertise once more on the Hastings River for the Pycon Homes Christmas Fireworks Spectacular after fun runs, street parade and the lighting of the town's Christmas tree.

He said Port Macquarie events are his favourites.

"I like Port Macquarie. I've had a lot of dealings there and the people are nice," Mr Dehnen said.

He has a 73 hectare storage facility in Kempsey and has put together firework displays for the combined churches carols and The Westport Club's Christmas Under the Stars and January holiday spectacular.

The Pycon Homes Christmas Fireworks Spectacular will have 2000 ground barrages and aerial bursts which will take him about two hours to set up.

"Most of it is prepared beforehand and I transport them up in the van.

"They are launched out of mortars on a barge which comes up from Sydney."

The barge will float on the river about 100 metres from Lady Nelson Wharf.

"It will last about eight minutes and go ahead no matter what."