Tauranga’s heart of the city will come to light at this year’s midwinter celebration Winter Nights Winter Lights. The free, all-ages event, presented by Tauranga City Council, showcases a spectrum of interactive light installations, live entertainment, food and more on four consecutive nights from Friday, 13 July to Monday, 16 July from 6pm to 10pm.
Internationally and nationally well-known lighting designer Alexandra Heaney will illuminate the central city’s waterfront with her iconic, interactive light installation Sweep. Created for Vivid Sydney, where it was on show for the first time, this is the first time it will be on display in Tauranga. The slowly moving installation invites the viewer experiencing it from near and far. When viewed from a distance it provides the illusion of suspended light rods bobbing softly and gracefully from side to side. Imagine a school of fish in a deep current. However, when viewed up close the effect is very different.
Visitors can experience iconic features of the Tauranga waterfront in a new light. They will be lit up by an array of fairy, festoon and multi-coloured lights, turning the area into a magical night-time wonderland.
A range of live entertainment invites residents and visitors to not only watch, but to participate in the activities. Winter Nights Winter Lights offers the chance for everyone to become a piece of art thanks to glow in the dark paint. The little ones as well as the grown-ups can get their face painted for free with the facial artworks coming alive in the UV zone at the Edgewater Fan.
A range of food trucks will park up at the waterfront and serve all types of cuisine adding to the range of restaurants in the central city. From doughnuts, crepes, churros, dumplings and sushi there will be something for everyone.
When: 6-10pm, Friday 13- Monday 16 July.
Where: Tauranga waterfront, The Strand.