Sport, music and sun set Tauranga humming for bumper Easter weekend

Tauranga waterfront bars and restaurants were humming, and the city's accommodation providers were full as locals and visitors alike packed out entertainment venues during one of the city's busiest weekends.

Jazz fans were treated to world-class local and international acts during the 56th annual National Jazz Festival.

The waterfront was awash with people, many taking advantage of the candy-striped marquee-covered market stalls, and food sellers and children's amusements.

The audience showed their appreciation with lots of clapping during yesterday's free TECT Big Band Bonanza. Lindsay Garneau, from Welcome Bay, and her friend Louella Huang, of Auckland, danced through the performance decked out in vintage clothing.

"This is my first festival, and I think it's a really exciting and amazing event and the waterfront is the perfect setting for it," Garneau said.

National Jazz Festival director Craig Wilson and the festival's general manager, Mandy Ryan, were pleased with how the festival had gone.

Every event was well supported, notably the James Morrison concert which was an "outstanding highlight" for lots of festival-goers, Ryan said.

Ryan said another highlight was the National Youth Jazz Competition at Baycourt which saw 320 students from 21 schools compete for top honours.

The musicianship was amazing, and many of the students used the competition as part of their NCEA studies, she said.

Wilson said the advance sellouts had been "unprecedented" in the history of the event, started by the Tauranga Jazz Society in 1963.

He was still analysing attendance figures, but he had expected 8000 to 12,000 people to attend each day.

Lindsay Garneau, from Welcome Bay, and her friend Louella Huang, of Auckland, enjoy the TECT Big Band Bonanza. Photo / George Novak

Accommodation NZ's Bay of Plenty group chairman Tony Bullot said accommodation stocks were "pretty much" full up every day during one of Tauranga's busiest weekends of the year.

Accommodation providers were "very happy" with the patronage, which was on par with last Easter weekend.

Also contributing to packed motels was the Mel Young Easter Basketball Classic involving 130 teams of players aged 11 to 19 in action across four venues in Tauranga.

Visitors flocked to the Bay for their final getaway after summer, and to take in other, Easter activities including the sprint cars and a demolition derby at Baypark.

Mount Mainstreet manager Ingrid Fleming said retailers she had spoken to were pleased with how things had gone this weekend, including during Easter trading.

Fleming said an analysis of how successful the whole weekend was would start this week.

"The weather has been terrific and if wasn't as hot as it has been I'm sure we would have had a few more people in the shops, but the cafes and restaurants were humming."