120,000 attracted to Hutt HighLight show

What do you do when you plan for 30,000 people and more than 120,000 turn up?

That was the dilemma for Hutt City Council events manager Carla Steed over Labour Weekend.

The inaugural HighLight Carnival featured 20 light installations and a number of aerial performers. Steed planned for 30,000 visitors but monitors recording cellphones told a different story.

‘‘We had 88,000 individual hits from cellphones. That is one-off hits, there were no double ups. I think 120,000 is conservative because lots of kids don’t have mobiles. It is a mind-blowing figure. I was gobsmacked.’’

Once Steed realised the numbers were so high, she made a number of changes to ensure safety.

Up to eight police officers were on site for the last three nights and St John Ambulance put on extra staff. She also called in more volunteers, hired extra security staff and brought in more food trucks. ‘‘There was never a point where event staff thought it was dangerous.’’

Despite the challenges, Steed said it was a huge success.

‘‘The feedback so far has been really positive. Being a free event in the community made it accessible to all and the diverse lineup provided something for everyone. We feel HighLight has put Lower Hutt on the map.’’

Planning has started for next year.

Steed said it would become an iconic regional attraction and numbers next year were likely to be even higher.

The event partnered with Alzheimer’s Wellington to raise money and awareness for the charity and spokeswoman Anne Schumacher was pleased with how it went.

‘‘We particularly enjoyed seeing the visitors interacting with and learning from Affinity, the light installation that was created to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s and that shared stories of New Zealanders who have been affected by the illness.’’

The carnival featured a nightly fireworks display on the roof of the War Memorial Library, which could be viewed across the region.