Kids set to pull strings at parade

Hawke's Bay Youth Theatre director Andy Brigden (back, centre) at Te Ao Marama Roopu Trust Art workshop, Hastings, encourages children painting parts of a float for tomorrow's Blossom Parade. Photo / Glenn Taylor

UPDATE: The Hastings Blossom Parade is set to go ahead this morning despite the weather, Mayor Lawrence Yule says.

Mr Yule said he was already in position to begin the Parade at 11am.

Meanwhile spectators at this morning's Hastings Blossom Parade, may be surprised to see a mobile puppet show among the more than 60 colourful floats moving through town.

Hawke's Bay Youth Theatre director Andy Brigden and 20 of her drama students were on Thursday night putting the finishing touches - in the form of a lick of paint - on their dynamic float for the annual parade.

"This is our first float. We really like the 'Spring: Back to the Future' theme. The kids have loved doing it," she said.

Their entry is a giant, 1950s-style TV, which will have seven people riding inside it during the parade; manipulating four giant puppets.

The recently refurbished puppets would act out a "short and sharp" 30-second scene for spectators as the float moved with the parade. "We've devised a comical little piece to occur inside the float."

Ms Brigden had professional props maker Simon Meldon to thank for the float's elaborate design.

"He's been going great guns designing and building it."

Prior to the parade, most of Heretaunga St West and East will be closed to traffic. The parade will start from Lyndon St at 11am. After the parade, Civic Square will host live music including Wellington Balkan gypsy band Niko Ne Zna, dance and a prizegiving of all the category winners from 12.30pm until 2.30pm.

Go Bus are sponsoring a free bus to Flaxmere after the parade. The bus will leave Kmart, St Aubyn Street West, at 3.15pm and will be marked as a free bus.