The special pop-up edition of the Te Ruru Light Festival held in the Innovating Streets space on Rostrevor Street, heralded the beginning of Matariki on Friday June 11.
This one-night-only transformative event brought night-time art to the people and showcased the potential of this previously underutilised, green space.
It was hugely popular with people of all ages and different light installations created interactive, interesting and thought-provoking works.
Todd Painter, a Frankton local, discovered the event on his way home and went straight home to pick-up his fiancé.
“I was driving past and thought it looked interesting, so I went home to get my partner Natalie and told her I was taking her somewhere she hadn’t been before, then we went straight there,” says Todd. “It was wonderful to experience a festive atmosphere, with music, lights and food trucks. So many families were there enjoying the vibe and the vibrancy. I hope it gets bigger and comes back next year.”
The event was organised by Hamilton Art Trust, who run the Boon Street Art Festival. It was supported by Resene and The Hamilton CBD Development Fund, which is powered by Momentum Waikato. The Hamilton City Council was also present on the night to get feedback from people about this new space.