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A disco, merry-go-round, bouncy castle and foam cannon will be among the additional attractions for the Mahurangi Winter Festival of Lights main event, held in Baxter Street, Warkworth, on Saturday, July 20.
The disco will feature an illuminated floor and be held at the Old Masonic Hall. Meanwhile, the foam cannon will pump out gallons of foam for children to completely jump around and immerse themselves in.
The new events will complement the laser light show, ice-skating, and snow that made their appearance at the inaugural event last year. The merry-go-round, foam cannon, ice skating and bouncy castle will kick off at 11am, while the laser light show runs from 6pm.
The movie Smallfoot will screen at the Warkworth Town Hall at 4pm. Moviegoers will be provided with free popcorn and glow sticks. Afterwards they will be able to wander down to Baxter Street to take in the laser light show. To secure tickets, tune in to More FM Breakfast with Brent and Jacque (6am-10am) or More FM Workplace Social Club with Lia Shelford (10am-3pm) from July 8.
The big day will be preceded by Parade of Lights on Friday, July 19 where illuminated floats, bikes, trikes and a myriad of other vehicles will assemble at the PaperPlus carpark at 6.30pm, circle around Queen Street and end up at Warkworth Wharf, where there will be entertainment, food trucks and more lights. The Jane Gifford and other boats will be lit up and there will be a grand lighting ceremony of trees along the water’s edge about 7.30pm.
Organiser Murray Chapman says he is pleased with the way the winter festival is growing, with new sponsors coming on board and additional events in Snells Beach and Leigh.
He says the festival is now officially a One Warkworth Business Association event and organisers are currently putting together accommodation and restaurant packages that can be purchased through the Information Centre (formerly i-SITE) in Baxter Street.
“It’s all about bringing people into the area and encouraging them to stay a few days in Mahurangi,” he says.
Info: facebook.com/mahurangiwinterfestivaloflights or phone Murray on 0274 966 550
Festival-goers can look forward to another fantastic laser light show.
Winter festival lights up Leigh
Even umbrellas will dazzle.
The Leigh community has embraced the Mahurangi Winter Festival of Lights, contributing its own Light up Leigh event to add extra fizz to the annual celebration.
The event will see prizes awarded to the best illuminated house in Leigh and the best illuminated letterbox in Whangateau.
The competition runs from July 5-20 and will be judged on July 12.
July 12 will be the big day for Light up Leigh, with residents and visitors encouraged to come together to take in the light spectacle.
A scavenger hunt will start from Main Street from 4pm. Participants are encouraged to bring a torch and pen to join in the fun.
Leigh Bar will offer homemade soup and bread, along with mince pies and mulled wine to warm up winter revelers, the Pasta Van will be parked near Leigh Central and Leigh Eats and the Sawmill Café will be open.
Tots to join in festival fun at Snells Beach
Lanterns will decorate the pōhutukawas along Snells Beach on July 18.
Tots and their mums and dads looking for ways to participate in the Mahurangi Festival of Lights can join a Lanterns and Lightcatchers event at Snells Beach.
The event is organized by early childhood software company Kinder M8 and will encourage young children to make their own lanterns and lightcatchers.
The lanterns will be displayed in the pōhutukawa trees along the beach-front between Ariki Drive and Snells Beach Road on Thursday, July 18 starting at 5.30pm.
Children and their parents are invited to come along with a torch to check out the lanterns and enjoy a sausage sizzle.
Organiser Jackie Russell says lanterns and lightcatchers must be completely biodegradable – no plastic, please – and should not be illuminated themselves as this could create a fire hazard.
Lanterns and lightcatchers can be dropped off at Kinder M8, 20 Goodall Road, Snells Beach, by July 15. Alternatively, Kinder M8 can arrange to pick them up.
Info: Jackie Russell 027 570 8971
