Stars on show for Matariki Festival
Esk St will come alive this weekend with Invercargill’s first Matariki Festival celebration.
Invercargill City Council city centre co-ordinator Kari Graber said the city needed something to celebrate New Zealand’s own culture.
Matariki Festivals were appearing throughout the country, Graber said.
This was the first year the council was running a Matariki Festival, although other community groups had run events in the past, she said.
The council planned to one day have an Invercargill Winter festival, she said.
First, they wanted to try something essential to New Zealand history, and they intended to hold the Matariki Festival annually, Graber said.
‘‘We need to do more on what we are. There’s a really big Maori culture down here.’’
Invercargill public library community connections co-ordinator Jay Coote said Matariki could be thought of as New Zealand’s version of Christmas.
‘‘It gives New Zealand its own identity rather than playing off a mixture of other cultures around the world.’’
The festival, being held on Saturday, would include a street market and food trucks in Esk St, Kapa Haka, weaving and poi making workshops and carving demonstrations by Steve Solomon and Oti Murray.
Coote would run a Stardome at the Scottish Hall from 1pm-5pm, a projected view of stars with a focus on Maori star lore.
Esk St would be closed to traffic for the event.
There would be live music throughout the day, with a fire show in Esk St at 5.30pm. All activities are free to the public.