International Artists Headline The Return Of New Plymouth's TSB Festival Of Lights
Covid put a damper on the party last summer, but this year the TSB Festival of Light is back.
Organized by the new Plymouth Borough Council, the event starts on December 17 and will feature 13 light installations and dozens of artists over five weeks, attracting thousands of people to Pukekura Park.
Leading the light is Evansensen, who created the immersive bubble designed by Sydney-based design studio Atelier Sisu whose work has been seen around the world.
New Zealand designer Angus Muir's work is inspired by a pohutakawa blade and features 25 ribs sweeping filaments from a metal base.
Read more:
* Taranaki Summer Music Guide
* Ring in the New Year at Pukekura Park
* DJ duo Flitmac Wood to play New Plymouth for the first time
Children, and probably most adults, will welcome the return of the UV Spaghetti installation with its sparkling 9km chain this year.
On the entertainment front, Los Angeles-based DJ duo Flitmac Wood is one of the biggest returning names among a lineup of more than 40 acts playing multiple venues throughout the week at Hall Park.
This is not a tribute, but a set that remixes the music of Fleetwood Mac. Fleetwood Mac had a huge hit when they last played in 2019.
Lisa Jelliffe, DJ Roxanne Rolle and Alex Oxley, DJ Smooth Sailing, transformed Pukekura Park's nursery into a dance floor for techno, disco and house music, and producers say the pair are back with "massive" demand.
The pair are currently touring the UK with shows in Manchester, Glasgow and Dublin.
The ever-popular New Year's Eve party is back with six different events scheduled from 7:00pm to 12:15pm on the Hatchery Lawn and Fred Parker Lawn with kids' activities including a silent disco and parade.
New Zealand DJ production duo Sweet Mix Kids, featured on Rhythm & Vines, will help usher in the new year.
The couple, Sandon James and Chris Scott, were Vodafone New Zealand Music Award finalists and have supported or played private parties for the likes of Adele, Ed Sheeran and Coldplay.
Lisa Eckdahl, head of events at New Plymouth Borough Council, said: "The festival has made a name for itself by introducing new light installations every year rather than implementing the same ones year after year."
"It's an opportunity for different artists to showcase their talents."
Drawing more than 150,000 visitors to the park, the festival costs $700,000 but contributes millions to Taranaki's economy.
About half of the visitors are from outside the region.
The summer festival includes works by Castor Bors and Water Wiedershoven from the Netherlands, and Chris Canale from Australia, whose work consists of a series of convex mirrors rotated from the ground.
One of the biggest nights of the festival will be the day after it starts, Sunday 18 December, every Christmas
Like the festival last year too the event was canceled due to covid.
