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The Kowhai Festival signature event – The Huge Day Out – will be bigger and better than ever this year, with a full day’s programme of live music and more than 200 street stalls.
There will also be children’s fairground rides, dog agility demonstrations, a photo exhibition in the Old Masonic Hall, vintage cars, buskers, tai chi demonstrations, and an early afternoon street parade featuring shopping trolley mounted floats. Organisers are hoping individuals, community groups and businesses will dress up and join the parade, with or without a trolley.
Hot off their first official tour, with sellout crowds across the North Island, White Chapel Jak will headline the entertainment line-up on the stage down by the river.
Band business manager Mandy Kupenga says the band’s journey this year has been phenomenal, with many of its musical dreams coming true.
“Winning the Radio NZ ‘Battle of the Cover Bands’ title late last year and playing live on air at the RNZ studio, while chatting to Jesse Mulligan (The Project) really put a national spotlight on our little band, which started out playing at the Matakana Market,” Mandy says.
“In July, we were awarded Outstanding Entertainment (Band) at the Wedding Industry Awards and we’ve just announced that next year we’ll play at the Soundsplash Festival in Raglan and Timaru.”
The Huge Day Out live music line-up also includes the ever-popular Pipi Pickers, Andy Richards, Aysha Robertson, Jazz Connection, Latakana, Fiona McGeough, Left Foot Kick, Seven Zen and the Jade River Ukes. There will also be performances by kapa haka groups from Warkworth and Matakana primary schools.
The fun starts at 9am. Although street stalls will close around 3pm, the entertainment and food and wine stalls will continue until around 6pm.
Festival goers are reminded that Queen Street, Baxter Street and part of Neville Street will be closed for most of the day.
A free shuttle bus will operate between the town and Mahurangi College all day.
Singer/songwriter Andy Richards will be one of many entertainers on the music stage for the Huge Day Out.
Thirst quenchers
Festival goers will be able to chill out at the Kowhai Festival Garden Bar, on the Warkworth Wharf. There will be local ciders, as well as a premium range of local wines and beer, plus a special
one-off Kowhai Festival Cider infused with manuka flowers.
