Winter is a busy time at Larnach Castle
JULY is a big month for Otago Peninsula icon Larnach Castle, with the famous annual Winter Ball, and school-holiday activities being held.
This year’s Winter Ball will be the 34th consecutive year that the castle’s flagship event has been held. It’s hard to think of anything similar in Dunedin that’s been going so long.
Ticket sales for this year’s ball are going well, with people attending from as far away as Nelson and Auckland. A gentleman from Timaru is also bringing a group, as he has done for the past decade.
‘‘People like dressing up, and it’s an easy night out,’’ Larnach Castle marketing and public-relations manager Deborah Price says. ‘‘They are picked up and dropped back at the railway station. I think the time of year we have it is good — people are looking to get out of the house and celebrate winter.’’
With the castle lit up on the night, ball-goers can expect to be piped into the ballroom, where the fires will be roaring and a great night is a given.
One of the Winter Ball founders, John Steel, retired from his duties last year. And so for this year’s event, Mike Maroney will be calling the dances and the haggis ceremony. Like Steel, he’s a member of the Pog Band, which has long performed at the ball.
The Winter Ball is being held on the night of Friday July 20 this year. On the previous day, one of Larnach Castle’s main school-holiday activities will be held, the popular Teddy Bears’ Picnic.
A perfect opportunity to get your teddy bears, and of course the kids, out of the house. The price of a ticket for the Teddy Bears’ Picnic includes free garden entry. See www.larnachcastle.co.nz for more information.
But any time during the school break is ideal for taking the kids to Larnach Castle, as they’re continuing with ‘‘Kids Go Free’’ during term holidays. That means that, with a paying adult, children get to experience what this amazing piece of local history has to offer for free.
To make sure they’re paying attention, there’s a quiz which will have them hunting down information, with the chance to go into the draw to win a prize.
Dinners at the castle are also open to the public from May until August, a great way of visiting for a meal without staying in the accommodation.
The Larnach Castle gardens are a wonder throughout the year, and they really start to show their colours in August. That’s when the first flowers of spring appear, and Snowdrop Day, a favourite for local gardeners, is held.
‘‘We change the menu in the ballroom up, have some live music throughout the day, and we reduce the entry fee to the garden,’’ Deborah says. ‘‘The team here have been planting snowdrops for years now, and come August you see these mass plantings.’’
So although it may be a bit chilly, there are plenty of reasons to visit Larnach Castle this winter.