Light Nelson 2016 set to be a record success

Light Nelson is being declared ‘an overwhelming success’ and, with two nights to go, is set to beat the 2014 attendance of 40,000.

Light Nelson Trust Chair Brian Riley said there were 7,000 people through the Nelson light festival on opening night, over 12,000 on Saturday night and 15,500 on Sunday night.

“This is based on the count at the main Hardy St gate into Queens Gardens with some allowance for those who only went to the NMIT site,” he said. “Jon Baxter’s big digital mapping of the old technical institute was hugely impressive and popular, which helped to spread the load between the two venues.”

Riley said the response from the public was almost exclusively positive.

“We had people spontaneously thanking us for the event, and commenting on how well organised it was,” he said. “The additional planning paid off, with the one-way system and close to 100 volunteers helping to guide people around.”

People were also very positive about the installations they had come out to see.

“People loved the hi-tech installations like Daniel Belton’s large work on the NMIT library…while the ‘low-tech’ of painted day-glow birds in the Brook Waimarama Sanctuary installation was a major crowd pleaser,” Riley said. “We just can’t say enough to thank the artists, the city council and other sponsors and the people who came out to make Light Nelson so special.

Light Nelson is on again tonight and Tuesday, 5.30pm to 9.30pm. Synth band NEON shows in Old St John’s three times during the evening, with people encouraged to pick up free tickets on the night to ensure a seat.

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