Pic 4 Children are a big feature of the family friendly event.

Kawakawa Bay Welcomes Back Christmas in the Park

Kawakawa Bay will once again echo to the sound of community and Christmas when the annual Christmas in The Park Event takes place on Sunday December 11 at 6pm. In its third year since returning to an outdoor event, the organisers agree they have the event timing bang on. According to organiser Judi Cranston, “Our experience has shown that the closer we get to Christmas, the more our community is under pressure and the weather is a greater risk, hence our early December date. We have refined the schedule to allow more local content on top of the world class talent and acts are supported on the stage with improved sound engineering and lighting. Crowd favourite Willie Iosia returns this year to tie the event all together with his hilarious MC skills. We are very excited about the event and look forward to all the community participating in what will be a real fun evening.”

Organisers have moved the event to early December to avoid pre-Christmas overload and unsettled weather, as well as timing the event for a family-friendly 6-8pm Sunday evening. Organised to combine Christmas tidings with a celebration of local talent, the event ticks all the boxes for locals, showcasing local talent and providing a family orientated evening for all. Popular acts such as the Kawakawa Bay Ukulele Group, Matt John and Daveena Smith and soloist Soprano Gina Sanders are back whilst local MP Andrew Bayley will once again relish his role as judge.

Funding for the event is as ever dependent on community support and sponsorship. According to Cranston, “ We are fortunate to enjoy the continued support of key supporters, Zealandia, ITM, Morton Timber, Mad Butcher and Barfoot and Thompson to name a few, but we are still short of the target and need the support of local businesses.” Supporters can contact Craig Carlyle on (027) 4144260

Local groups and organisations will again be supporting the event with food, refreshments and children’s activities. The community is enthusiastic about their open air entertainment on the village green but rate the opportunity to involve the entire region to their beautiful seaside setting as the greatest benefit.

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