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A summery Saturday saw thousands flock to the Ōrewa Boulevard Arts Fiesta on February 17, with scores of stalls vying for attention with live music and food trucks along a closed-to-traffic stretch of Hibiscus Coast Highway.
Although attendee numbers are hard to gauge, given people are coming and going during the six hour event, Destination Ōrewa Beach operations manager Hellen Wilkins estimates that around 12,000 people of all ages took part.
She says the vibrancy and energy levels of the pre-Covid era were definitely in evidence
Organisers decided on fewer bands playing longer sets this year, which was very successful, Hellen said, with Rumpus Machine and The Waterways especially popular.
St John crews offered free blood pressure and glucose checks, which were taken up in large numbers.
When Paymark figures are available for February, Destination Ōrewa Beach will be able to identify how much retail spend the fiesta brought into the town.
In addition to creating events for the community to enjoy Hellen said the aim was to pump revenue into the town centre, and attract out-of-towners to visit again in the future.
