Don’t Miss Cuba St Carnival – The Big Extravaganza.

Cuba St Carnival is coming on 21st February 2009, and this year is the 10th Anniversary so its extra special. All through the day and night Cuba Street and Courtenay Place will be alive with a huge range of music, street performers, artisan markets, fairgrounds, international food, art installations, and many other sights and sounds.

The 2009 Cuba St Carnival will definitely live up to its reputation as New Zealand’s largest free music festival with over 80 live bands and DJ’s booked to play on over ten stages throughout Cuba Street, from 11am-1am on Saturday 21st February.

The event’s highlight is the spectacular Meridian Illuminated Night Parade (9pm), featuring many creative floats, thousands of performers, and lots of sparkling, flamboyant, surprising and fantastic sights. It’s a whole kilometre of fun from Courtenay Place all the way up to the top of Ghuznee St. After the parade all of the batucada and samba dancers from around the country will gather in the streets, at Havana Club Square, for a massive batucada drum-off.

Throughout the day there will also be many other curious sights including:

• German street artist from Via Grafik and Auckland’s Cut Collective transform a Go Wellington Bus


• OutdoorKnit taggers knit their hearts out making cosies for the trees in Bristol Mall


• Taping Tales creating a massive mural on the buildings in Glover Park out of adhesive tape


• Tango dancing, history and lessons in Manners Mall


• An entire canopy of festival flags, especially hand-made in Mexico, erected overnight in Cuba Mall.


• Auckland artist Misery painting an army Unimog, readying it for the parade that night


• Body FX painting bikini’s, Hawaiian shirts, and wetsuits onto their models at The Hula Shack


• Wild Headz plucking people out of the audience and giving them a hair and face make-over, transforming them into walking works of art.


• A range of international street performances including Rubber Band Boy, the world record holder for the most rubber bands on a single face.


• LASERTAG - creating massive temporary artworks projected onto buildings, using a high-tech laser technology.

ENDS