Elf selfies and carols
Lower Hutt will be the place to be this Christmas, with a month of events planned to celebrate the festive season.
The popular Christmas in the Park will be replaced by a number of events spread across December.
The events will build on the success of last year’s Pop-Up Carols, with the addition of a large event in Dowse Square on Saturday December 17.
City promotions manager Brad Monaghan said last year’s carols were a huge success.
‘‘We had such an awesome response we’re doing it again this year.
People loved the concept of bringing Christmas to the suburbs and having a series of events meant there was more than one option for busy families to choose from.’’
Christmas in Dowse Square will feature festive entertainment and activities from afternoon to evening including sing-along carols, three pantomime sessions (written by Geraldine Brophy and Louise Proudfoot), roving circus acts and performances from local groups.
A Kiwi summer Christmas will be celebrated with children being invited to decorate jandals as Christmas tree decorations, a giant sandpit to play in, and photo booths with kiwiana backgrounds.
Roaming ‘‘selfie-elfies’’ will be there to take photos and create Christmas cards.
Replacing Christmas in the Park and spreading the cheer across the month will give more of the community an opportunity to join in.
As a single outdoor event, Christmas in the Park was also highly weather dependent.
‘‘Together with new Christmas flags across the city this year in different languages, December in Lower Hutt is the place for everyone to get into the Christmas spirit.’’