Festival returns after f ive-week delay
It has been all hands on deck getting the Newtown Festival up and running, after Covid-19 delayed the festival for the first time in its 25-year history.
But tomorrow, rain or shine, the festival will go ahead after the snap move to level 2 forced the original March 7 date to be moved.
Festival co-directors Martin Hanley and Anna Kemble Welch were part of the crew changing stickers on the non-parking signs from the original date of March 7 to tomorrow’s date.
Stall placement had been redesigned to move people on to the main street, and fill the gaps where stallholders had pulled out.
‘‘We’ve really done two festivals,’’ Hanley said. ‘‘It’s been amazing how many of our crew, and how many performers could make the second date.
‘‘We’ve never been postponed in our 25 years because it’s never been an option from the road closure point of view, so this is totally new territory for us.’’
But every cloud has a silver-lining.
In a festival-first, all children’s rides will be free – the extra five weeks afforded by the delay giving the organisers more time to find sponsors and donations.
It was something Hanley was especially excited to offer. The idea started as a collaboration with Newtown-based business Wishbone Balance Bikes, which offered to do the festival for free eight years ago.
‘‘It’s lovely grassroots philanthropy,’’ Hanley said. ‘‘The look on kids’ faces when mum or dad say ‘you can just keep riding for as long as you like, and you can have another turn’, it is just not what normally happens, at festivals you normally have to pay to ride things.’’
Kemble Welch was looking forward to storytelling from the Irish embassy and the Polish Society in Arney St. ‘‘In terms of supporting the community and supporting families, and making things fun for children, not just all the fantastic music that is for mostly older people, so it can truly be a festival for all ages, that is something I’m really excited about.
‘‘The Tangata Whenua stage is a real highlight, there is going to be a lot of performance in te reo.’’
The roads will close tomorrow at 5am, with the mihi whakatau starting at 9.30am.
The weather forecast is for a few early showers and then a fine day.