Following the carnival theme of "The Enchanted Forest", the grounds of First Church will be transformed into a carnival village on the evenings of June 23 and 24, giving visitors the opportunity to walk among beautiful lantern installations, storybook characters and roving performers.
Dunedin Midwinter Carnival event manager Jonathan Cweorth said about 20 people were hard at work creating lanterns and production elements, and would be joined by about 60 volunteers for the carnival itself.
"It’s very exciting, everything is on track for the carnival, and we are looking forward to two great nights," Mr Cweorth said.
Along with the lantern installations throughout the First Church grounds, visitors will also be able to enjoy performers from Brophy Aerials doing acrobatics high in the trees, and watch as mini lantern processions wind through the space.
This year, the Dunedin Midwinter Carnival has collaborated with the Otago Polytechnic design communications course, and students have designed a spectacular visual animation to be projected on the church.
"We are thrilled to have the students bringing their fresh and innovative ideas to the carnival," Cweorth said.
The hard-working team of lantern artists — Filipa Croskey, Rohanna Weaver and Abby Fleur — are also busy creating a new set of lanterns for this year’s carnival, a spectacular depiction of the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party from Alice in Wonderland, complete with Cheshire cat, which will be displayed inside the church.
"There will be so much to see throughout the carnival space, it’s going to be fabulous.
"We just need the weather to co-operate," Cweorth said.
Boosted campaign
With reduced funding and rising costs to produce the Dunedin Midwinter Carnival, and in order to keep ticket prices low, a Boosted crowdfunding campaign has been launched.
Find the Boosted campaign at boosted.org.nz/projects/dunedin-midwinter-carnival
Carnival ticketing
To help ensure the sustainability of the Dunedin Midwinter Carnival, and to keep the community safe, the event will be ticketed again this year.
Despite financial pressure on the trust, entry to the carnival village in the grounds of First Church will be kept to the low cost of $5 a person, and children under 3 will be free.
Tickets are available for the session times of 6pm, 7pm and 8pm on June 23 and 24, to allow the audience to spread out and ensure a positive experience.
Those who make a lantern at the public workshops, being held every weekend in June at the Meridian Mall, will gain free entry.
Tickets can be accessed via the website midwintercarnival.co.nz
Pay it forward
Following on from the success of last year’s pay-it-forward scheme, the carnival is once again partnering with local social agencies to make tickets available for families who cannot afford to attend.
Pay-it-forward tickets can be bought through the website, and will be distributed by Presbyterian Support Otago, Te Hou Ora Whanau Services, Anglican Family Care and Pacific Trust Otago.
