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Since 2016, the Surf Sounds concert and fireworks have been the evening finale to an afternoon spent watching the Ōrewa Santa Parade pass by.
Both events are run by business association Destination Ōrewa Beach – the Surf Sounds in conjunction with Ōrewa Surf Lifesaving Club.
With the growth in popularity of Surf Sounds, recently the decision was made to separate it from the Santa Parade in future, and let it be an event in its own right.
Destination Ōrewa’s operations manager, Hellen Wilkins, says Surf Sounds was created in 2016 to keep the vibe in Ōrewa going after the Santa Parade ends, but both events are now so big that running them on the same day comes with many complexities.
Those include the logistics of road closures and the loss of both events if it rains on the day. In addition, there is a surf carnival on the same date, impacting the surf club’s ability to take part in the parade, provide patrols at beaches outside Ōrewa, provide Santa Parade volunteers and fundraise at Surf Sounds.
Having both events on the same day also puts huge demands on the small team at Destination Ōrewa. As a result it has been decided that this year, the Santa Parade will run as usual, on the last weekend in November and there will be rides and food trucks on Ōrewa Reserve from when the parade concludes until early evening to keep the good vibes going.
The next Surf Sounds, with bands, food and fireworks, will be on March 30, 2024, “ending our event season with a literal bang,” Wilkins says.
