Visitors to Sydney's Wayside Chapel on Christmas Day might notice a conga line of people snaking down the street.
Pastor Jon Owen says you wouldn't know who is rich, poor, housed or homeless, because everyone at Wayside on Tuesday will be part of one big community.
The homelessness support organisation will once again host its famous Christmas lunch and street party at its Potts Point headquarters.
Pastor Owen, who is Wayside's chief executive, said they expected to serve 800 meals and have at least 1500 people join the festivities on their biggest day of the year.
About 50 staff and 200 volunteers will keep the day ticking along, with the chapel getting so much interest they have to turn away eager helpers.
"I think it's Sydney's most applied for job, volunteering for us on Christmas Day, which ... says something quite beautiful about the heart of the city that we have to spend weeks telling people that our roster is full," Pastor Owen told AAP on Monday.
He said the event, which is open to everyone, appealed to people who realised that "at the bottom of it all, beneath all the tinsel ... the most precious things come to us in the smallest, most easily overlooked packages".
"It's not about the presents we unwrap but rather the presence that we share with one another," he said.
"People come along and they absolutely love it because it's got nothing to do with, you know, did I get the right number of prawns or did I buy the right kind of boutique ham. It's about coming as you are and celebrating."
The festivities will run from 10.30am to 2pm.
