FOLLOW THE LIGHT

Head over to Whakat ā ne this season, where you’ll find colourful artworks and not one but two bright and shining celebrations this winter.

WORD S KARL PUSCHMANN

Whakatāne promises to light up the region this winter as the Trust Horizon Light Up Whakatāne Festival returns to bathe the town in warm hues and bright neon.

Following on from an incredibly successful debut last year, which saw attendance exceeding planners' estimates four times over, the organisers have gone all out to make this year’s 10-day event bigger – and most definitely brighter.

“The festival consists of about 16 artists and their work will be spread out over the Whakat ā ne CBD,” Sam Poots, the project co-ordinator for Arts Whakat ā ne, tells UNO. “It’s a mix of installations, projections and interactive standalone objects that will be lit up from 6pm to 9pm each night.”

The roster has been curated from local and regional artists like Jamie Boynton and Kereama Taepa, and includes Story Box in collaboration with artist Desna Whaanga-Schollum. Additionally, there’s some global flavour as, for the first time, a sprinkling of work from internationally acclaimed artists like Australia’s James Voller will be lighting up the town centre.

But the real highlight of the festival are the Friday and Saturday night celebrations. It was due to last year’s community night being such a hit that this year it was decided to add another one.

“We estimated having 300 to 500 people turn up at the community evening. We had over 2000,” Sam smiles. “It was hugely gratifying and heartwarming to know that the community really wanted this. We had such positive feedback. Around the artworks, around it being family friendly and something unique to Whakat ā ne. It brought the community together.”

While details are still being locked in, the first Friday will feature the expected festival-type experience including performers, food trucks and stalls, while the brand-new Saturday event will include a big Lantern parade down by the Whakat ā ne River.

Last year’s festival was about getting the community involved, but this year Sam is hoping its unique nature, and the impressiveness and fun of its electric art, will bring out-of-towners to the city to experience it for themselves.

“Whakat ā ne is very summer orientated with the beaches and sunshine so we really wanted to create an event in winter,” Sam says. “Because of the popularity of light festivals, we saw it as a really good opportunity to bring something here, provide opportunities for artists to display their works and say, ‘Hey, look, we've got this awesome event on, come see it and explore Whakat ā ne in wintertime.’”

With its focus on community and family, stunning and unique artworks and big Friday and Saturday nights, Whakat ā ne has become a real bright spot in an otherwise dark winter.

The Trust Horizon Light Up Whakat ā ne Festival runs from July 28 to August 6 in the CBD and is a completely free event.