Churches unite to give kids a good time

Three Tauranga churches have joined forces for a huge outdoor party to provide a fun-packed alternative to Halloween.

Hundreds of children are expected at the Light Party on Monday at the city's Wharepai Domain in Cameron Rd where there will be games galore, plenty of prizes, plus party bags for all.

Organisers of the event, aimed at children aged 5-12, hope to steer the city's youngsters away from joining their mates in trick-or-treat pranks and get them to come to the party.

Last year, scores of children descended on Holy Trinity Church for its Light Party. This time, the church has combined with two others - St Peter's Presbyterian and Elim - to make the event bigger and better.

There will be two bouncy castles, a main stage with "messy games", face painting and a goal-shooting contest. There is also a fancy dress competition with an international theme. A demonstration by police is also planned as well as a first-aid demonstration.

Party-goers who work up a hunger will be able to buy food and drink.

The event begins at 5.30pm and ends at 7pm. Entrance is $2 for children and parents get in free.

If the weather is wet, the party will switch to Holy Trinity Church, Devonport Rd.

Children's ministry co-ordinator Rob Cooke said last year's event proved a big success and a joint party with other churches made sense.

"We thought that if we combined our churches and had an event that was a lot bigger it would generate much more energy," Mr Cooke said.

There were hidden dangers for kids who dabbled in Halloween, he said. In extreme cases, children could get lulled into interests linked to the occult.

"If we can offer an alternative to Halloween that's fun and enjoyable they'll tend to stay away from the darker side of things," he said.

Rev Paul Williamson, vicar of Holy Trinity, said Halloween was increasingly popular.

"Some people are quite uneasy with it. A lot people are finding it quite threatening at their homes," he said.

Trick-or-treating could feel intimidating for some residents with youngsters banging on doors, he said. "The Light Party provides an opportunity to extract the fun part of Halloween and enjoy it together."