Papamoa skies will be aglow with colourful lanterns of all shapes, colours and sizes on the night of June 23 as people gather for the second Lighten Up Lantern Festival at the Palm Beach Plaza.
Organiser Ally Rogers says this year's theme is Under the Deep Blue Sea.
"After the Rena, it's really important we get back to positive thoughts about our beautiful marine environment. So this year we have starfish, dolphins, jelly fish and all kinds of ocean creatures."
Last year's inaugural festival's success has driven demand for another one.
"I love art, I love community and I love Papamoa. I am keen to establish the festival as a community event that Papamoa can own. Last year, we had 1000 people attend and, this year, there has been lots of interest - I think people love the fact it is in mid-winter and after dark."
For the past few weeks, people, particularly children, have been working on their lanterns in free workshops run by Ms Rogers, a mother of four.
"I taught myself how to make lanterns. What has been wonderful is that people come to the workshops with ideas and we figure out how to create it," she says.
"My favourite thing in the world is to give people the opportunity and tools to relax and get in touch with their innate creativity. It's important especially now that we live such frenetic lives. It's how you fill your tank to keep going."
Ms Rogers teaches people to use bamboo and greaseproof paper as the base materials to create their own designs such as fish, flowers and birds. The lanterns can be as simple as a small pyramid or as complex as a whale made by local art student Sherri Atkins.
"Our new lantern-makers are often those who have never felt creative before and also people who are creative and can't wait to try something new.
"The lantern-making workshops are not just for our local Papamoa people. We've had people from all over Tauranga and the Western Bay participating, from Te Puna to Whakatane and even some from Rotorua."
On the night, the hand-crafted lanterns will be lit with LED torches and candles.
"We will all come together and celebrate winter by lighting our lanterns and becoming a walking art exhibition as we carry them around the ponds and back to the plaza."
The plaza will feature a night market, food stalls, areas where people can make their own shadow puppets for the giant puppet theatre, stilt walkers, street performers, fire performances and the Tauranga Samba band "who will really get the place pumping on a dark winter's evening".
Funding for the lantern materials has been provided by Creative Communities NZ. Ms Rogers said the local Papamoa business community had been supportive, particularly the Palm Beach Plaza, which had assisted in the planning.
The tradition of lantern festivals originates from China more than 2000 years ago. They are now held in countries all around the world to bring light to the darkness and bring people together and to celebrate.
Ms Rogers is hoping to build the festival into a big event in the Bay.
"In Dunedin, they have an amazing lantern festival every year and it began like us with just a small lantern procession and now is an eagerly anticipated annual event where more than 10,000 spectators come out of their homes in the middle of winter to participate."
The Fine Print
What: Lighten Up Lantern Festival
When: Saturday, June 23, 6pm-8pm
Where: Palm Beach Plaza. Rain, hail or shine, the event will go ahead, either outside or inside the Palm Beach Plaza mall
How: Free entry
Info: www.facebook.com/lighten.up.lanterns