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Organisers of the Mahurangi Winter Festival of Lights are optimistic that this year’s event will reach new heights, attracting thousands to the town basin and providing a helpful midwinter tonic to local venues after a period of grim weather.
A highlight of the July 15 festival will be the launch of what will be a permanent artwork of colourful lights running along the riverbank, One Mahurangi business association manager Murray Chapman says.
The day will also feature food trucks, amusement rides, a bouncy castle, glow-in-the-dark face painting, an ice skating rink, a snow pit, and a flashing-light disco floor in the Masonic Hall, “which the kids just adore”.
Local musicians will offer live entertainment, with offerings ranging from kapa haka to rock and roll.
Headliners will be the Recliner Rockers, a ‘blues-rockabilly-roots-rock’ band.
Many of the attractions are sponsored by companies in the area, Chapman says.
“That’s the lovely thing about this – local businesses just get in behind it.”
Events run from 11am to 9pm, with a break in the music programme at 6pm for the after-dark Parade of Lights, a crowd favourite featuring illuminated floats, fire trucks, a brass band, as well as light-bedecked walkers.
Baxter, Kapanui and Wharf streets will be closed to traffic for most of the day, and Queen Street during the evening parade.
After the parade, a short ceremony at 7.30pm will launch the riverside light installation, which will run for about 130 metres among the trees, along the bank opposite the town.
Chapman said it was the only live art sculpture of its kind that the Auckland Council arts division had done outside the CBD – “so little old Warkworth has got this amazing art installation.”
The festival has been going since 2018.
“It started because I was walking down the main street in the middle of winter in 2017 and noticed how grim everybody looked. It was a miserable day,” Chapman recalled.
And I thought, wouldn’t it be nice to do something that poured a little bit of joy? So I spoke to Lions and Rotary and a few mates and we kicked it off from there.”
About 3000 people were estimated to have taken part in the first year, a number that doubled by the following year. Covid killed off the 2020 event and the 2021 and 2022 festivals were held “between lockdowns.”
Despite the lingering impact of the pandemic, over the last two years the business association had recorded an 18 per cent increase in turnover by hospitality venues in the town centre on festival night, Chapman said.
Last year “Neville Street was pumping,” and the hotel reported that its kitchen was swamped from 4pm until it closed at 10pm.
Taking into account the large number of food trucks that had also set up for the event, he said, that was an impressive boost for eateries in the town centre.
