A magic Christmas at the Bowl

OPINION: Sunday’s Christmas at the Bowl in New Plymouth was one of those nights where you pinch yourself that you live in Taranaki.

It was magic. Not once did the sun hide behind a cloud, the music wafted easily through the huge crowd and the fireworks to end it all just went on and on and on.

The atmosphere at Sunday’s free event (if you didn’t pony up the gold coin donation) was relaxed, friendly and vibrant.

It was like a massive family picnic that had merged with an equally massive high school reunion. People you hadn’t seen for years were in the same place with all those people you see every day.

And everyone was getting along and enjoying the night and taking pleasure in belonging to an event people will talk about for weeks, if not years.

The value of such an event both in creating and strengthening a genuine community spirit is impossible to measure. But whatever it was it would far outweigh the cost of putting it on.

The organisers must be congratulated and they should know their investment in their community has paid off in many ways. Such events are more than just a bit of Christmas entertainment. Bringing people together is the thread that goes into making the fabric of our society.

Nights like this remind us just why we are here, and why we’re so lucky to call this place home.