A dark Dunedin warehouse will be transformed to an enchanted forest of giant lanterns to celebrate the summer solstice.
Mid-Summer Lights event organiser Paul Smith said the team behind the annual Dunedin Midwinter Carnival was creating a walk-through installation of giant lanterns in a waterfront warehouse to celebrate Christmas and the summer solstice.
The carnival started in 1997 and lanterns were introduced to the winter celebration in 2000.
The lanterns had ‘‘got bigger and more sophisticated'' as the years passed, he said.
The scores of lanterns had been stored in the Loan and Mercantile Agency Company Ltd building in Thomas Burns St.
The stored lanterns had never all been illuminated at the same time.
"We wanted to create an opportunity for people to see it in its entirety. These are works of art that deserve to be seen,'' Mr Smith said.
The Dunedin Midwinter Celebrations Trust hoped the event would highlight the unique lantern collection and help the trust find a more permanent storage facility.
"We are running out of space.''
A space was needed for artists to make new lanterns for next year's carnival.
If Mid-Summer Lights was a success it could become an annual event, he said.
Last night, the lanterns were moved from the storage facility in Thomas Burns St to the warehouse in Ward St.
Mid-summer lights
What: A walk-through installation of giant lanterns in a waterfront warehouse to celebrate Christmas and the summer solstice.
When: Four nights from December 16. Short tours from 6.30pm to 9.30pm.
Where: 61 Ward St, Dunedin
Cost: $5 per person or $15 for a family of four. Under 5 are free.
