Fireworks gala goes ahead at Fairhaven School

Pupils at Fairhaven School are excited the school is able to hold its annual fireworks gala that will this year feature food trucks.

It's on!

There was a time when there were doubts about whether or not Fairhaven School would be able to host its annual fireworks gala this year - but the planning didn't stop, and the hard work looks set to pay off with the spectacular pyrotechnics display and family fun taking place on Saturday.

Principal Paul Hunt says while the school had pressed on with plans for the Think Water sponsored gala, there was always a little uncertainty around whether it would happen with Covid-19 creating plenty of unknowns.

''So it's great to get to the point where it's happening. The next thing now is we hope for a nice day,'' he says.

One of the major innovations for this year's event is the introduction of a range of food trucks that will give plenty of variety to the fare on offer, including Thai food, sushi, smoke and barbecue food, Mexican, pizza, Island food and donuts.

''Normally we would have hamburgers, maybe American hot dogs and chips,'' says Paul.

''This is a bit different. Now we'll have a whole range of things that might cater for people's different tastes and needs. We've still got sausage and bread and hot chips to make sure there's food for everybody.''

Not wanting to put pressure on local businesses who have been doing it tough due to Covid-19, the school put out the call for others who might want to come on board as sponsors, reaching out especially to orchardists and others involved in horticulture.

''We've been really pleased, we've had very generous sponsorship from local firms and kiwifruit. We were asking orchard growers and had a really good response from people, especially from a number of ex-school families. We've been overwhelmed, really, by the generosity of people.''

He now hopes the community will head along to the school.

''We're hoping people will come along, forget about any worries they have, and have a good time with the entertainment and fireworks and different rides.''

The gala always includes a silent auction with some of the lots including Christmas lunch for four to six people from Food 101 and a fishing charter from Wai Whare Charters.

Gates for the gala, which is at the school at 120 Boucher Ave, open at 5pm on Saturday with the fireworks display around 8.30pm. Entry is $6 for adults, $4 for children.