Dunedin ready to paint the town ginger
MOVE over mural.
It seems Dunedin is Ed over heels for Ed Sheeran as ginger mania sweeps the city.
Residents are going to great lengths to create tributes to the English singersongwriter who arrives in the city next week to play three shows.
Local patissier Blake Haines has created an Easter ‘‘Egg Sheeran’’ dessert, available for a limited time at his St Andrew St dessert bar and cafe
Sabayon.
His partner and Sabayon coowner Ally Kearsley had the idea for the egg, which combined Sheeran’s favourite Oreo cookies with Mexican chocolate as a reference to his passion for Mexican cuisine.
In an allusion to Sheeran’s many gold and platinum records, he sprinkled edible gold powder over the egg, which was filled to the brim with orange and ginger mousse in a tribute to the singer’s trademark red hair. Mr Haines hoped Sheeran would enjoy an afterdinner treat at his dessert bar, which had recently opened.
‘‘We’ve spent a lot of time sending him Instagram messages.
‘‘We’d love if he came in!’’ Down the road at Gardens New World, staff have created an entire ‘‘aisle of Ed Sheeran’’.
The display continues the redhaired references, featuring Jaffas, Crunchie bars, Fanta, ginger beer, ginger kisses and gingernut biscuits.
Shop manager Greg Roberts’
family has tickets to one of the shows.
He said the supermarket was preparing for the more than 100,000 Sheeran fans expected to visit the city next week, and added it was not just sweet food in the Edaisle.
‘‘We’ve even got carrots to make sure there’s something healthy.’’
Kavanagh College head of commerce and dollmaker Jill
Armstrong has made an Ed Sheeran doll, complete with a shock of red hair and detailed tattoos based on photos of Sheeran’s arm sleeve designs.
She hopes to hand over her Sheeran doll in person.
‘‘I would like to personally give Ed the doll as a gift from Dunedin.’’
Ms Armstrong said she felt an affinity with Sheeran because as a child she too had red hair
and thick glasses. Like Sheeran, she had also experienced bullying.
‘‘It was extremely unpleasant and unsettling and I can empathise with Ed.’’
If Sheeran heads to Brighton he can eat a likeness of himself in gingerbread form.
Tracey Grubb, of the
Brighton Beach Cafe, said she would be thrilled if the singer stopped at the seaside
community to sample one of her gingerEdmen.
‘‘We’d love him to come out and sit on the grass and play us a wee tune.’’
COUNCILS are encouraging motorists to stay off roads and walk, take the bus or take a special express train from Mosgiel instead during the monster Ed Sheeran Easter.
Dunedin City Council transport group manager Richard Saunders said yesterday people should take advantage of public transport and walk where possible as parking would be tight around Forsyth Barr Stadium and the central city.
The Otago Regional Council and city council were ramping up public transport services throughout the weekend.
A train would leave Mosgiel for the Dunedin Railway Station in the afternoon on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and begin its return trip just before midnight.
Some bus services would be extended until 2am on those nights.
Shuttles will depart the Octagon for the stadium every 10 minutes between 3pm and 8pm on concert days and return continuously between 10pm and 11pm.
Parking restrictions will be in place around the stadium from 2pm to midnight each concert day.
Two chartered services to the northern and southern suburbs of Dunedin will also be added.
Signs would be erected this week to inform motorists, Mr Saunders said.
‘‘We’re asking people to respect these restrictions, which are in place to keep the area safe for the thousands of concertgoers we expect to be walking to and from the venue.
‘‘For this reason, we will be monitoring the area closely and unauthorised vehicles will be towed.’’
Mobility parking at the stadium was limited, so people who needed this should visit the Forsyth Barr Facebook page for details.
Work on city council roads around the stadium and central city would stop for Easter.
People who travelled around the city by car were asked to drive carefully and expect some delays at times over the weekend, he said.
Regional council stakeholder engagement director Sian Sutton said the concerts were a major event for the city over a weekend when bus services were typically reduced.
‘‘It’s anticipated there will be in excess of 100,000 people in the city for the concerts, so ensuring that people can travel to and from the events and around the city is a priority for ourselves and the DCC. This is not only for the convenience of concertgoers but also for the safety and convenience of local residents.’’
Many services were operating on the usual fare structures, meaning it was difficult to anticipate the cost in advance, but both councils would bear some costs, she said.
‘‘We’re really excited to see our city attract an artist of this calibre and want to make this a positive experience for everyone involved.’’