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The annual Kowhai Festival’s main events have been postponed to November.
Spokesperson Murray Chapman says the organising committee feels it is unlikely that New Zealand will be back at Alert Level 1 by mid-October and even if it was, there would be insufficient time to complete the planning required.
The revised festival, the 51st, will feature Summer Vibes on Saturday, November 20, and a Family Day on Sunday, November 21.
Summer Vibes will run from 10am to 6pm and feature a music stage, bar and stalls selling local produce in the Warkworth Wharf Area. The headline act will be White Chapel Jak and other musicians will perform throughout the day.
Family Day will run from 10am to 3pm and feature rides, amusements and stalls running along Warkworth’s Baxter Street. Stalls will sell locally made arts and crafts. A highlight will be a raft race at 10am on the Mahurangi River. Entrants will compete for a replica “Auld Mug” donated by sponsor Barfoot & Thompson.
Murray says organisers are encouraging local businesses and groups to enter and entry forms will be available from the Barfoot & Thompson Warkworth office once lockdown restrictions relax.
The Great Debate, sponsored by Harcourts, will be held on Saturday, November 27, at the Warkworth Town Hall.
Food will be served from 6pm and the debate proper starts at 7pm. The first debate sees Toastmasters pitted against a combined Lions and Rotary team, who will argue whether Warkworth should be renamed Matakana South. The second debate will see Toastmasters take on a celebrity team to argue whether married men live longer.
Celebrities confirmed so far are television presenter Hayley Holt and bachelor
star Art Green.
Meanwhile, the festival outdoor movie night, sponsored by Barfoot & Thompson, is still scheduled for October 30, subject to Covid alert levels. This year, the film is Tom & Jerry and will play at Goodall Reserve, Snells Beach. The event is being organised in conjunction with the Snells Beach School PTA. The fun kicks off around 3pm with a variety of amusements. The film will screen once the light fades.
Murray says it’s challenging to have to plan a festival around the uncertainties created by covid, but organisers are desperate to ensure it goes ahead.
“It’s not easy, but we love the look on people’s faces when it works,” he says.
